Evaluation for the second virtual teaching on the first of October 2013
The topic for our groups presentation was: ‘How lecturing (and teaching) can be enriched using virtual teaching’? And ‘What are the "extended" possibilities of virtual teaching and eLearning’?
The topic for our groups presentation was: ‘How lecturing (and teaching) can be enriched using virtual teaching’? And ‘What are the "extended" possibilities of virtual teaching and eLearning’?
I came up with the idea to use Google Docs as one of our pre-tasks. I invited everyone who had Gmail account and also sent notifications to those that did not if they would like to participate. By creating a link and sharing that link with other students everyone can brainstorm in one document. The idea was to brainstorm on the various eLearning tools that others have used through their study and work so far.
The majority of the students did respond but there were few that did not and I made the link public so that everyone can see it. Although only those that had Google email accounts were able to edit the document.
The sessions were a bit delayed as one of the students who was presenting at the beginning had technical problems and so Virpi and I did not have so much time at the end for the discussion. We did have a Padlet discussion, the students were asked to evaluate the eLearning courses they have participated in (good courses / poor courses). Also how could these poor courses have been developed to make them better?
Here are some of the comments:
Overall I think that the material was interesting and as a group we divided the tasks so that everyone had to research on one aspect of eLearning. We had information on eLearning tools, how to make eLearning work, instructors’ and learners’ attitudes, games, extended possibilities of virtual education, and an example of a virtual learning course: Coursera.
Video:
There was no time to watch this video in our session: Daphne Koller: What we're learning from online education by TED
The majority of the students did respond but there were few that did not and I made the link public so that everyone can see it. Although only those that had Google email accounts were able to edit the document.
The sessions were a bit delayed as one of the students who was presenting at the beginning had technical problems and so Virpi and I did not have so much time at the end for the discussion. We did have a Padlet discussion, the students were asked to evaluate the eLearning courses they have participated in (good courses / poor courses). Also how could these poor courses have been developed to make them better?
Here are some of the comments:
The presentation on Curriculum and teaching was very interesting and I have learned much more about the differences between Finnish curriculum and some of the other countries in Europe and USA.
The aim of Finnish education policy is a coherent policy geared to educational equity and a high level of education among the population as a whole. The principle of lifelong learning entails that everyone has sufficient learning skills and opportunities to develop their knowledge and skills in different learning environments throughout their lifespan.
It is interesting to note that Finnish curriculum has changed a lot since the 1970s and has given a lot more freedom to teachers and local schools to decide on the content of the curriculum. In addition, The Finnish National Board of Education (NBOE), The Government and Local Authorities are participants in the curriculum process.
The teachers in Finland are highly educated as they study to Master level and have pedagogical training, that is subsidised by the government. The emphasis was on creating equity by publicly financing schools and giving equal opportunities to all students regardless of their ability or social status.
This strategy has enabled Finnish schools to rank first among the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) nations on the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) assessments in mathematics, science and reading.
On the opposite scale in some Anglo- Saxon countries such as Britain the approach was different and according to the Finnish policy analyst Sahlberg (2009) there was: standardisation of curriculum enforced by external tests; narrowing of the curriculum to basic skills in reading and mathematics; reduced use of innovative teaching strategies; adoption of educational ideas from external sources rather than development of local internal capacity for innovation and problem solving; adoption of high stake accountability policies, featuring rewards and sanctions for students, teachers and schools.
I have to say that some of my personal experiences of training to teach in schools in London were quite negative. This was partly due to overcrowded classrooms and lack of resources. Ethnic and racial tensions, lack of motivation from students towards study and the pressure on teachers to meet the expectations of Ofsted (The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills).
Since Finland has invested a lot in equity and education, one can see that this also benefits ethnic minorities that live in Finland.
There is an older minority of Swedish speakers that also benefits from Swedish being a second language in Finland and Former Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen and chairperson for the Svenska Nu ("Swedish Now") movement says, “That making Swedish language optional in the Finnish school system--where it's currently mandatory--would increase inequality.”
In addition, there is some discussion that maybe Russian could be taught as a second language in eastern Finland since there is a large Russian population there on the borders with Russia.
Overall, I have been able to use a lot of creativity in my application of the arts curriculum in Finland. I have also been able to set up a photography elective in the International School where I work. This would not be so easy to do in some other countries’ that have a more centralized and fixed approach.
References:
YLE News article (25.9.2013 ), Lipponen: Optional Swedish would widen the social divide, Retreived from: http://yle.fi/uutiset/lipponen_optional_swedish_would_widen_the_social_divide/6849275
YLE News article (20.9.2010), PM Backs Russian over Swedish in Eastern Schools, Retrieved from :
http://yle.fi/uutiset/pm_backs_russian_over_swedish_in_eastern_schools/5635958
Darling-Hammond (2009), Steady Work: How Finland Is Building a Strong Teaching and Learning System, Retrieved from: http://pasisahlberg.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Steady-Work-Darling-Hammond.pdf
Finnish National Board of Education: www.oph.fi/english
The presentation on Curriculum and teaching was very interesting and I have learned much more about the differences between Finnish curriculum and some of the other countries in Europe and USA.
The aim of Finnish education policy is a coherent policy geared to educational equity and a high level of education among the population as a whole. The principle of lifelong learning entails that everyone has sufficient learning skills and opportunities to develop their knowledge and skills in different learning environments throughout their lifespan.
—Government of Finland, Ministry of Education
It is interesting to note that Finnish curriculum has changed a lot since the 1970s and has given a lot more freedom to teachers and local schools to decide on the content of the curriculum. In addition, The Finnish National Board of Education (NBOE), The Government and Local Authorities are participants in the curriculum process.
The teachers in Finland are highly educated as they study to Master level and have pedagogical training, that is subsidised by the government. The emphasis was on creating equity by publicly financing schools and giving equal opportunities to all students regardless of their ability or social status.
This strategy has enabled Finnish schools to rank first among the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) nations on the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) assessments in mathematics, science and reading.
On the opposite scale in some Anglo- Saxon countries such as Britain the approach was different and according to the Finnish policy analyst Sahlberg (2009) there was: standardisation of curriculum enforced by external tests; narrowing of the curriculum to basic skills in reading and mathematics; reduced use of innovative teaching strategies; adoption of educational ideas from external sources rather than development of local internal capacity for innovation and problem solving; adoption of high stake accountability policies, featuring rewards and sanctions for students, teachers and schools.
I have to say that some of my personal experiences of training to teach in schools in London were quite negative. This was partly due to overcrowded classrooms and lack of resources. Ethnic and racial tensions, lack of motivation from students towards study and the pressure on teachers to meet the expectations of Ofsted (The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills).
Since Finland has invested a lot in equity and education, one can see that this also benefits ethnic minorities that live in Finland.
There is an older minority of Swedish speakers that also benefits from Swedish being a second language in Finland and Former Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen and chairperson for the Svenska Nu ("Swedish Now") movement says, “That making Swedish language optional in the Finnish school system--where it's currently mandatory--would increase inequality.”
In addition, there is some discussion that maybe Russian could be taught as a second language in eastern Finland since there is a large Russian population there on the borders with Russia.
Overall, I have been able to use a lot of creativity in my application of the arts curriculum in Finland. I have also been able to set up a photography elective in the International School where I work. This would not be so easy to do in some other countries’ that have a more centralized and fixed approach.
References:
YLE News article (25.9.2013 ), Lipponen: Optional Swedish would widen the social divide, Retreived from: http://yle.fi/uutiset/lipponen_optional_swedish_would_widen_the_social_divide/6849275
YLE News article (20.9.2010), PM Backs Russian over Swedish in Eastern Schools, Retrieved from :
http://yle.fi/uutiset/pm_backs_russian_over_swedish_in_eastern_schools/5635958
YLE News article (25.9.2013 ), Lipponen: Optional Swedish would widen the social divide, Retreived from: http://yle.fi/uutiset/lipponen_optional_swedish_would_widen_the_social_divide/6849275
YLE News article (20.9.2010), PM Backs Russian over Swedish in Eastern Schools, Retrieved from :
http://yle.fi/uutiset/pm_backs_russian_over_swedish_in_eastern_schools/5635958
Darling-Hammond (2009), Steady Work: How Finland Is Building a Strong Teaching and Learning System, Retrieved from: http://pasisahlberg.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Steady-Work-Darling-Hammond.pdf
Finnish National Board of Education: www.oph.fi/english
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