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Showing posts from April, 2018

Leaving Finland

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Lake Jyvasjarvi I have never lived anywhere for 5 months other than Jyvaskyla, Finland. As my Fulbright journey concludes, there is so much to still digest. It will take months, if not years, to truly assimilate all the learning. Before I left Southern California, I wrote about the what I would miss the most from home and what I  looked forward to experiencing in Finland. It is safe to say I met my goals. Top 7 Goals 1. Discussing Education Helsinki Workshop Through professional development programs, Fulbright Finland connected teachers with scholars and researchers, for the purpose of putting inquisitive minds together. The Making Democracies Resilient to Modern Threats seminar provided participants with fascinating research and presentations. 2. Nordic Model Bus station in Espoo What does an efficient and earnest country look like?  It looks like Finland. Yes, people pay higher taxes, but get so much in return. I for one appreciated the well-maintained ro

Supporting Nature in Schools, Part 2

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In Kokkola, Finland When I first signed up to visit Villa Elba Youth Center and Nature School, I was under the impression that this was a school that incorporated outdoor education as a part of their theme. However, the nature school network operates outside of the traditional school system but in support of it. Nature education is expressly addressed in the National Core Curriculum. For example, at age 7-16 the goal is “…to raise environmentally conscious citizens who are committed to a sustainable way of life. The schools must teach future-oriented thinking and building the future on ecologically, economically, socially, and culturally sustainable premises.” (NCC, 2004, 39) For older students, the theme is Sustainable Development. Students are encouraged to pursue a sustainable lifestyle, to take action for sustainable development, and to examine the challenges of SD (NCC, 2003, 28–29). There are several major nature schools in Finland and it is customary for many

Supporting Nature in Schools, Part 1

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Sara Kall, Nature School Teacher, Villa Elba Youth Center One of the goals of my Fulbright project was not only to examine how Finnish schools incorporate break time into their schedules, but how much of that time is spent outdoors. How do kids know what to do outdoors? Do the teachers follow them around? Do kids have to be strictly supervised? Is there a difference between the activities of boys vs. girls? To that end, my goal here in Finland has been not only to observe schools, but also nature organizations that might support outdoor learning and experiences. I hit the lottery with the help of nature school teacher Maria Svens, who I reached out to before I even arrived in the country. Her article about the Finnish Outdoor Classroom gave me an overview of how organizations can support schools in teaching students about nature. Maria then connected me with Sara Kall from the Villa Elba Youth Center in Kokkola, Finland where I was fortunate to be able to spend tw