A group of 22 teachers and principals from Iran visited Joensuu 13.5.-17.5.2019 to see and experience the best practices of Finnish education. This was the second educational visit group from Iran during this ongoing year. Both of the visits were organized by Hannu Naumanen, emeritus principal, CEO of Eduvirma.
Visitors came to Finland on Saturday 11th May. In Helsinki they had a visit to new and modern Helsinki Central Library Oodi. The National Museum of Finland was also very interesting place for our visitors. Naturally, Helsinki City-tour was included into their program of which the participants enjoyed.
The actual program aiming to enhance visitors’ competencies began on Monday 13th of May in Joensuu. For starters, the group visited a primary school at Karhunmäki. The principal Timo Nykänen gave an excellent introduction about this very modern and new comprehensive school. After a guided tour the participants had a possibility to visit classrooms and follow the lessons.
Tuesday 14th the group went to experience the well-known Finnish Teacher Education and the University Training School in University of Eastern Finland. Before the well-organized training school visit, professor Sari Havu-Nuutinen gave them a broad insight in Finnish teacher education. This generated a lot of questions ensuring a good discussion and reflection of the practices.
On Wednesday 15.5. our visitors paid a visit on the secondary school (Lyseon peruskoulu) and on the upper secondary school (Joensuun yhteiskoulun lukio). They were pleased with all presentations and meetings at both schools. The visitors felt these visits important because the circumstances and the facilities are so different in their own country, especially in the basic education. They still stated the changes are possible to made with small steps. The visitors explained they need these kind of examples and interaction with teachers abroad to keep their faith to the future alive.
The visitors considered about the changes on running the schools and how they should operate in the future. These are the same questions as we have to think about at our schools in Finland. Nothing is permanent and the future is so difficult to predict. For all of these processes we should also involve the pupils and students and listen their ideas too.
On next day the group had a great possibility to visit in a vocational school, Riveria. Mr. Ara Hayrabedian introduced the stuctures of both Finnish and local vocational education. The short tour again with a lot of questions and answers provided the visitors a good glance on the high quality of our vocational education.
The rest of the day our visitors was spent by admiring the lovely sunny views in Koli. ”Amazing !” was the typical statement about the scenery and location while enjoying the Finnish national landscape.
On Friday 17th May the visitors headed back home, but they promised to keep in touch. They described these kind of visits and meetings to be very important for them and therefore wanted to continue visiting us also in the future in order to keep their expertise up to date.
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