Twenty students from the “Johanna Just” school of Potsdam (Germany) spent two weeks 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 two exciting weeks 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 kindergarten
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.
Kukkumäki daycare centre
Kukkumäki is one of the newer daycares in Jyväskylä. It is attended by children between 5 am and 10.30 pm so that children of parents with extraordinary working hours can be looked after. Kukkumäki is the daycare centre where several authors of the book Playful Learning In Early Childhood Education in Finland have shared their experiences of learning through play. Kristof Fenyvesi from Experience Workshop was among the contributors, too. We thank the principal Mika Mäntyvaara and teacher Hiskias Hakala for their welcome to the daycare.
Voionmaa preschool
The preschool has early childhood education groups as well as preschool groups. In total, the daycare center has places for about 100 children. Tamara Traiser, one of our interns from Germany, has been doing her practice in this daycare. One of the highlights of this visit was her implementation of a STEAM corner for daycare children.
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 gained an insight into Finland’s education system. After an introduction to Finnish education system by the CEO of Experience Workshop Nora Somlyody, the university lecturer Olli Merjovaara explained how an educator’s career evolves in Finland and how teaching practice in Finland works during the study.
Art and Digital Media in ECEC in the perspective of Finnish and German students
Both Finnish and German students discussed and presented their ideas on learning through digital media in early childhood education at a seminar. German students also presented their school.
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 afternoon activities for the visiting group. Why do Finnish students wear colorful overalls? Why is Vappu an important holiday for all students in Finland? and more questions were answered in these relaxing hangouts.
STEAM learning in early childhood education
The group gathered several times in the coworking space Crazy Town. Kristof Fenyvesi, STEAM director of Experience Workshop, gave a workshop on the possibilities of STEAM learning in early childhood education.
Family centres, playgrounds, after-school care centres
During the two weeks, many of the family and childcare services Jyväskylä offers, were visited. These include:
- the Mäki-Matti family centre with one of the best playgrounds in the city
- the Gloria multicultural centre
- the Yrttisuo family centre
- the Halssila primary school and after-school care centre
Youth Centers in Jyväskylä and the Vocational Special Needs Education College – Spesia
The group visited an Open Door Day in the Matara Civic Activity Center:
● the Youth Art Workshop (Nuorten Taidetyöpaja), where unemployed young people can engage in Arts.
● the Sunshine Workshop (Aurinkopaja), where migrants can spend valuable time practicing their Finnish language skills.
Vocational Special Needs Education College – Spesia field visit:
Students with special needs can choose from two main educational fields in Spesia: TELMA prepares students for work and independent living, while TUVA offers programmes leading to an upper secondary qualification. In both cases student students gain valuable home economics skills and. In case of TUVA also specialize in one of many vocational qualifications to help them integrate into the work life after that. We thank Kirsi Teppo for the warm welcome and introduction to the school system.
Finnish Culture
After an introduction to the Finnish culture by Tereza Pruknerová, the visit wouldn’t have been complete without trying some very Finnish things in person. Sauna, dipping in a frozen lake, sledging and grilling in minus degrees added to the experience of being in Finland. Night-life activities were also part of the program.
What do students think about their mobility?
“The insights into a different education system and the local culture were very interesting. It’s always a reason to travel and explore other countries!”
“I improved my English skills and gained valuable insights into Finnish pedagogy. The experience taught me to be more open and adaptable.”
“I learned the importance of giving children space to play and explore.”
“The daycare centres were fascinating—comparing them to Germany gave me new ideas for my own practice.”
“I loved the seminar with Finnish students at the university. Exchanging ideas about teacher training highlighted both differences and similarities between our countries.”
“Sledging and the barbecue were absolute highlights—being out in nature with the group was so much fun!”
“The Finnish sauna experience was unforgettable. It was the perfect way to relax and bond with everyone.”
“This mobility experience broadened my perspective. The focus on nature-based learning and hands-on experiments are ideas I’ll bring back to my studies.”
“The Finnish emphasis on child-led play and experiential learning has already influenced how I think about early education.”
Photo credits: Nora Somlyody, Tereza Pruknerová, Jiayi Li-H, 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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