Twenty students from the “Johanna Just” school of Potsdam (Germany) spent 11 days in Jyväskylä in the framework of their Erasmus+ occupational field study.
Students of the Johanna Just Oberstufenzentrum – future nursery teachers, special needs teachers, after-school care workers among others – spent 11 days in Jyväskylä to see what their field of work looks like in Finland. The career exploration was possible due to Erasmus+ funding and was coordinated by Experience Workshop.
Daycare centre visits in Jyväskylä
The English-speaking Pilke playschool
Visit to one of the “Pilke” daycare centres – a network of private daycares in the Nordic countries. Ellen Virkkunen showed us around the place, which has a bilingual profile – Finnish and English.
The Fox Nest Early Learning Center
The Fox Nest Early Learning Center offers bilingual English-Finnish early childhood education for children aged 9 months to 6 years. The daycare uses nature as its primary classroom, making daily excursions into the nearby woods to foster creativity, emotional well-being, and respect for nature. We thank the Manager Maaret Berg for allowing us to visit their nature class.
Lohikoski daycare center
The Lohikoski daycare center accommodates up to 170 children and is currently the newest daycare in the city. In their model, each child belongs to a small unit led by a team of four educators who work in pairs. With a maximum of 16 children for under-3s and 28 children for over-3s, every child has familiar, trusted adults and a safe space to take their first steps in friendship, share experiences, and practice being part of a community. For preschool-aged children, the center coordinates with the nearby Lohikoski School. Assistant managers Riku Tuovinen and Karita Kiiveri showed us the premises of the daycare.
Life at the University: how is it to be an early childhood educator in Finland?
Thanks to seminars and lectures at the university and in Crazy Town, the group learned about Finland’s education system. After an introduction to Finnish education system by the CEO of Experience Workshop Nora Somlyody, students visited multiple seminars with Finnish university students specialising in the same studies.
Language and culture in ECEC seminar
The topic of this seminar was pronunciation of Finnish words. German and Finnish students practiced together long and short consonants in Finnish language, gaining new perspectives to learning a new language. Thanks to teachers Sanna Mustonen and Kati Kajander for inviting us to the class.
Creative music and movement in ECEC demonstration
Creating a sense of community can be tricky to comprehend. In this exercise students experienced how is it to be your first day in a new school by combining movement exercises with the right music selection. Big thank you to teacher Raija Perko for letting us join the class.
Physical education in ECEC demonstration
Are intense physical exercises good for pre-school age? How much physical contact in exercises should be allowed for children? In “rough-and-tumble” exercises students explored these questions by practicing certain game designs themselves, followed by a reflection. Big thanks to the class leading students and teacher Anne Soini for involving the visiting students.
STEM Demo Classroom for Preschool Children
In a hands-on class with Anniina Koliseva, the group explored how to develop science education activities for small children. LUMA Centre Finland is a science education network of Finnish universities which inspires and motivates children and youth into mathematics, science and technology (STEM).
Hangouts with Finnish student associations Varkaat Ry and JASTO Ry
To get a real idea of what is it like to be a student in Finland, Varkaat Ry from the University of Jyväskylä and JASTO Ry from the Jyväskylä University of Applied Sciences prepared evening activities for the visiting group. Finnish student culture extends beyond classroom, where students create their own communities with colorful overalls and advocate for their own needs.
STEAM learning in early childhood education
The group gathered several times in the coworking space Crazy Town. Dr Kristof Fenyvesi, STEAM director of Experience Workshop, gave a workshop on the possibilities of STEAM learning in early childhood education. Tereza Pruknerová followed with a hands-on workshop utilizing STEAM tools in practice.
Family centres and after-school care centres
The group visited some of the family and childcare services Jyväskylä. These include:
- the Mäki-Matti family centre with one of the best playgrounds in the city
- the Puistokoulu School and after-school care center
Youth Centers in Jyväskylä and the Spesia store
The group visited the Veturitallit Youth Center. The center is located in a renovated locomotive depot building that has facilities for events, hobbies and creative activities. Concerts, workshops and exhibitions are organised at Veturallit. The cultural youth work supports young people’s independent cultural activities. The aim is to promote the inclusion and cultural diversity of young people. Thanks to Ilona Kivelä for the introduction.
Spesia store is part of the Vocational Special Needs Education College – Spesia. Anybody can buy products created by students from this school. Students of Spesia also practice their working skills in this store as cashiers.
Finnish Culture
The visit wouldn’t have been complete without trying some very Finnish things in person. Sauna, dipping in a frozen lake and nature hiking added to the experience of being in Finland. Night-life activities were also part of the program.
Photo credits: Nora Somlyody, Tereza Pruknerová, Charlotte Au Yong, students and teachers of the Johanna Just Oberstufenzentrum
The program was implemented as part of the Erasmus+ KA1 programme, with the contribution of Experience Workshop Jyväskylä and the Gesellschaft für Europabildung (GEB) Berlin.
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