Max, one of our Nordplus Junior friends wrote about his week in Salo:
Our visit to Salo and to Salo Hermannin Koulu is an exciting cultural and educational exchange for both Skovlunds efterskoles students and teachers alike. The kindness of the Finnish people and their new ways of teaching have been key ingredients in a VERY good trip so far.
Around town, people have all been very kind and happy to help us out when needed. The folks at the museums we visited on Tuesday seemed very enthusiastic about our visit. They told us about the rich history of Salo and put this small town in a more regional and global perspective. This fits really well with the overall theme of the NPJ project.
We have only gotten positive feedback from our students living in with the Finnish families and we are convinced that both students and hosts are getting an unforgettable experience. Some of them went bowling and others enjoy cooking dinner together with the host families. They have a great time getting to know the Finnish culture.
Much of our time has been spent at Hermannin Koulu. Here the NPJ teachers have been introduced to the Finnish educational approach. Meanwhile, the NPJ students have been working in groups trying to implement some of the same approaches and methods of teaching introduced to the teachers. This worked really well because you could actually see the principles be applied in a concrete situation. The same can be said about the class observations on Wednesday. For me these visits confirmed that the Finnish school is working really great compared to other public schools in other countries. At the same time I also got to see why it working so great. I will definitely be discussing with all my colleagues how we can "steal" some of your ideas and implement them in our own classes.
Along with the cultural exchange, the educational exchange is at the heart of the NPJ-cooperation. We feel that there is a good mix between the two in the programme. The students got to know about some of the history of their Nordic brethren and they were very good at interacting with each other. Now they are one step closer to being able to live successful lives in an international world. At the same time, the teachers have gained new insight in realation to how teaching should be done and how a shift in this can have a significant impact on what the students learn.
We are actually quite happy about the programme in general which is not too heavy nor too light. It is quite nice to have some "free time" in the evening to go around town and relax.
Both students and teachers alike have benefited from our time in Salo and at your School. We can only hope that you got just as much out of your visit to Skovlund.
If you want to know more, just write me or talk to me tomorrow.
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