Self-evaluation of online pedagogy

Based on the self-assessment and peer assessment I think the learning environment in blogger works well but I think adding a few pictures would not harm. The online pedagogy environment is a self-study environment and learning how to add new feeds, interaction and making the environment appealing is something that one can keep on doing.

It has not been hard for me to do the online pedagogy course. Many of the themes have been familiar to me but some technical features were new. E.g. RSS feeds was new and a very handy tool. I have also made this learning environment a bit broader by adding some useful links and blogs I like. They are there so I don't forget their existence but naturally also there to bring your attention to them. Especially mobiluck (mobiiliopetusteknologia lukiolaisen arjessa) is something I want to learn more about in a near future.

Oppimisen ihanuus. (stridersuomi.com)

I have given the tasks some good thought and have tried to add some new ideas and reflections into my older thoughts and reflections done during my Vocational Pedagogy studies. The reader can find quite an extensive PLE when opening the links to previous posts.

Peer evaluation (received)

Graduation is so near now. 

I received my peer evaluation today from my friend who has studied in the same iVet group. We have had the same journey and I am very happy that she did the evaluation of my online pedagogy content. The evaluation was constructive, encouraging and analytical - something that helps me when panning my next blog. The citations are sentences from the peer evaluation that I will comment in black.

My peer evaluator correctly states that "self-reflection and showcasing her learning and competence in (vocational) teacherhood are the obvious “topics” of her blog." The blog has functioned well as a room for own thoughts. I did not even realize all the benefits of blogging in the beginning. Now I am very glad that I did it openly because now I have my thoughts and opinions out there - it is my portfolio that I can share with others.

All the content and tasks that were required for 3 ECTS in online pedagogy has according to the evaluator been analysed, added or reflected upon. Some supportive material has been added. While studying online pedagogy, I stumbled on many new learning sites. That is what drives me to learn more and encourages me to become engaged in future teaching and learning. 

The evaluator is 100% correct that my  "PLE is not very visual. It is stylish and classy, and in that sense pleasing the eye, but it cannot be stated to be very visual." One picture can say more that 1000 words sometimes and I shall definitely start using pictures and photos in my blog. It is also more relaxed for the reader to read texts with pictures because it gives natural breaks.

"The downside of the blog is that it is not interactive, which is a shame because she has a lot of good topics for vivid discussions in her blog and also interesting viewpoints". I also think it is a shame that there are no comments. One reason is that there are not a lot of readers either! Another point is that people feel worried about commenting other people's texts. You have to have very strong feelings to make an effort and write something. People are also worried about loosing their anonymity. My evaluator has a good suggestion that I totally agree with:  "I think that also in Vocational Teacher Education this kind of forced interactivity should be taken into some of the courses, because they really might be wonderful learning opportunities for the participants." It might feel a bit troublesome in the beginning to get started with commenting, but the collaborative learning outcome is so much better than a report sent to one inbox.

    
    

Peer feedback (given)

I assessed learning tasks related to the online pedagogy course for another student today. He had made his PLE in kyvyt
I was introduced to kyvyt a year ago when starting my vocational pedagogy studies but ended up using another service for my digital portfolio. One reason was that I found it difficult to sign in and secondly, I found blogger easier visually and technically. My own learning curve into blogging can be seen in this very blog.

The assessment criteria is the following:

1. Does the learning environment function correctly?
2. Have you dealt with all the learning tasks?
3. Have you used links and embedded material in a versatile way?
4. Have you considered netiquette and copyright when creating your PLE?
5. Is your PLE visually effective?
6. Is your PLE interactive?
   
   
   
   
   What I like most about reading other teacher candidate's posts is that I always learn something new. It is collaborative learning. I would, however, want to add some interaction to it as well. I liked the learning views post, mostly because it was a good refreshment to learning theories and some interesting notes about special needs in an online environment. 
   
   
   It is always nice with pictures, tables, videos etc. and this blog had many tables. It is also smart to add some useful link to share with others. There was one link to Sanna Ruhalahti's presentation "käsikorjoitus verkko opetukseen" http://www.slideshare.net/SannaRuhalahti/verkkoopetuksen-ksikirjoitus?ref=
   that I found very useful. 
   
   Some visual elements did not work so well in kyvyt. E.g. the topic of the post (link) does not show fully when you open the page. This means, that when you are assessing, you have to remind yourself what you are reading again and again.
   
   
   The blog had included the areas to cover and there were many interesting ideas about my fellow student's professional and spare time activities.
   
   
   I however miss the interaction in the online pedagogy course. A great deal of learning opportunities is lost because there is no chatting going on. It is even difficult to get conversation over who is doing whose peer evaluation. 
   Course tutors: This is something to change in the future. Some synchronous part would be great. E.g. one synchronous task every month in chat  
   
   
   
   

Web based learning and teaching

I have stumbled into some interesting links and portals during my learning journey.  Some of my thoughts of virtual learning can be found here, with a link to sources for tips how to teach online courses.

Universities of Applied Sciences offer many virtual courses, the open Universities and probably the Universities have some courses online as well. The content of the courses is however a big question. How well are these courses designed? Are they interactive? Are they interesting for the students? Do students really learn something? A lecture cannot just be taped, there has to be interaction.

My personal experience from online teaching is a handful of virtual sessions with some teaching and interaction in synchronous. I have participated in one virtual course where the tasks and the interaction were asynchronous. The difference between these modes is that in synchronous teaching and learning, there can be instant communication and discussions because it happens right then. In asynchronous teaching and learning the learning takes place whenever the student wants, within a set time limit.

Both in synchronous and asynchronous teaching and learning is important. I however prefer that there is some element of in synchronous teaching and learning because it offers an opportunity to interact with peers. This gives structure to the studies and a face to the teacher and peers. In a course with only asynchronous tasks, there might be problems with students not taking ownership of the task and there might be problems with deadlines.

Gender sensitive teaching is very important to me. I will apply that in teaching Social studies, Latin American studies and International Organizations in the future. I like to provoke my students a bit in order to get conversation. I showed the video below to a class of business students this winter which was a real discussion opener for diversity management and equal opportunities discussion and problem solving. Check it out!

Learning views and student centered approach to learning

Web based learning enables a more individualistic way of learning. It could also be called student centered learning. However, there also needs to be communication in order to maintain the student’s motivation. 

I think online learning works best when there is contact or encounters between students and teachers. This could happen either online e.g. in adobe connect pro, weekly or daily e-mail responds, chat hour, FB group etc. A start-up session in the same physical room is not a bad start either. 

Online teaching does not mean that students want to learn on their own. It means that they want to study wherever (and often whenever) but they need peer and teacher support even more in order to maintain their interest and motivation. In online teaching the teacher is present in a completely different way. The teacher is an instructor that supports the students learning and has to be available online for encounters.  

Flipped classroom is an interesting change to traditional teaching where the “lecture” and “homework” changes place. The idea is that the teacher produces/finds suitable online material about the issue that is to be learnt. Then, the students watch the material on their own time and the classroom time is used for individual support, discussions, problem solving etc. It is not only about watching videos, it is about flipping the way of learning and making it more student centered. Students learn the material on their own at home and come to class to apply what they have learnt. Here is a link to the flipped classroom network in the US. And here is a blog about ipads in high school education in Finland.

Flipped classroom is definitely an interesting approach. From a teacher’s point of view, producing good online material is not the easiest bit. But from the student’s point of view, it gives the student the possibility to learn the material in their own preffered way and they can address their questions to the teacher in the classroom. It does sound efficient and it gives excellent variation to learning. 

Read also my previous posts about my way of learning, ways of learning and virtual learning.

learning styles

When I started my vocational teacher journey, I took the VARK test. You can find my result 2012 here. After one year of online studies, I had to test what has happened – so the result for July 2013 is here! VAK – multimodal, still, with very even distribution of visual, aural and kinesthetic preference.

• Visual: 9
• Aural: 10
• Read/Write: 4
• Kinesthetic: 11

I have become less read/write during the last 12 months. My visual preference has flourished and I have realized I have a strong kinesthetic preference.

Student’s preferred learning styles are something that is good to know and teaching should take all learning styles into consideration. I however believe that it is important to use all styles in order to learn and one should try to strengthen weak learning styles in order to strengthen one’s ability to learn new things. To only differentiate based on learning styles is not something I will implement in my own teaching.

You may read more about learning styles from my virtual session one post.

networks in learning tasks and teaching methods

I have studied vocational pedagogy 1 and 2 in two different study groups. The first one was called Jupiter, as the planet, and we studied vocational pedagogy together during fall 2012. Our learning goals and tasks were in Optima and we prepared for 4 virtual session. The sessions were nerve wrecking for most of us because it was new for us to teach online. The learning outcome was often something completely different than I thought in advance. What I learnt from these sessions was that it is really important to plan learning content in virtual teaching. It has to be very clear, and presence and interaction is vital. You can read about our four sessions in the following posts: 1, 2, 3 and 4 here.

The virtual sessions were important, but the real learning happened elsewhere. The learning happened during our preparations for these sessions, in our planet teams. We learnt from each other, got hints from others where to look, had to explain what we meant, why we think something is important. It was difficult to find time for common chats, difficult to have time to do the tasks but that is what teachers' meet in the classroom all the time. It was good to experience the joy of learning together and to also experience the downsides.

I embrace learning together nowadays. Something I used to hate, has become something I va,lue deeply. I have learnt to listen to others, I have realized that one ok idea becomes one great idea after it is shared with others and elaborated further. The sooner this happens, the better is the end result.

Networks can be created for different purposes. For example a blog or facebook group for a single course. The most important factor is that information is shared and that there is room for exchange of ideas and discussions.

There are many networks available out there. They are often meant for a particular group of people - only teachers, only students, only political scientists etc. The challenge is to create a group for a wide range of people; say teachers, students, entrepreneurs, experts, NGOs where there is real activity and sharing of ideas. I think the lievästi outoa liiketoimintaa (LOL) is an excellent approach to include students, entrepreneurs and teachers into real problem solving and learning of new skills. I would love to create something similar in Kokkola.

If I create such a network, will you join?

web environment enhances learning

I am personally a big fan of virtual learning. The possibilities of finding something interesting is immense. The challenge is to stay focused and not be distracted.

After one academic year of studying virtually, I am more than sure that the web environment enhances learning. The web provides all published information available for learners to explore and we can step by step learn more in our own pace. Since we are our own bosses in information searching, we can focus on the aspects that are most interesting to ourselves. This helps us maintain our interest and enhances learning. 

When I talk about a web environment  I am not talking about virtual platforms like moodle or Optima. I mean the whole virtual world. I think that is an important factor to take into consideration. A virtual learning platform can be the place for important information (learning goals, tasks, assessment etc) but for real learning, the student must be allowed and encouraged to look for answers themselves. That is when can stumble on something very interesting and when we learn something new, often unexpectedly.  

During spring, I tested a method where I asked students to do short assignments virtually. The lessons where usually quite long, a total of 3 hours, so individual work was welcome. The idea was to find interesting tasks for the students, something interesting to them, something real. I had read Marc Prensky's Digital Natives, and was sure there is some truth to his work. I also have a long educational history myself and have always had trouble listening for a long time. 

The feedback from the students was encouraging. Doing research on the computer was a top way of learning. They liked the freedom to find out things by themselves. For me, that was the first steps into collaborative learning, which is the absolutely the most fun way of learning virtually.

Online Pedagogy / to-do-list

Verkkopedagogia/Online Pedagpgy 3 ECTS coming up!

This is my tasklist for Online Pedagogy. This is my personal to do list, where I will check tasks done. The learning platforms that will be used are kyvyt and this blog. Reflective tasks will be done here. Some tech tests will be done in kyvyt. But quite frankly, I like blogger more.

*4. Reflect on the question ”How the web environment can enhance learning?”

*5.  Reflect on how network can be used in different learning tasks and teaching methods.

6. Add links to your reflections, leading to other resources and environments. Use these as examples.

7. When writing your thoughts/ideas/reflections use the web possibilities as thoroughly as you can. Use links, graphics, hypertext, video, embedded objects, RSS feeds etc.

8. Reflect on how different learning views, student centred approach and different learning styles can be taken into account in web-based learning?

Reflect* on the contents already familiar from Vocational Pedagtogy 1 (VOC I) using your PLE.

9. How to justify pedagogically the methods used in web-based learning and teaching? 
Find viable examples in the web and reflect* on the findings from the point of view of your own vocation.

10. Find a peer evaluator (using Optima, forums, contact teaching etc.) and ask ask for feedback/assessment. Make surer that your evaluator uses the set ciriteria. Analyse the feedback you get in your PLE.


11. Give feedback about your pair's (or fellow student's) PLE using the set criteria. Analyse your feedback for example in your blog or PLE.

xx Create your self assessment using the form, makethe necessary changes/additions/amendments if necessary, and publish your self assessment in your PLE.

xx.   Send a notice to your tutor when the whole module is ready to be assessed by your tutor.

* (For example using a blog, wiki, web page, discussion, social media) 

Findings from teacher practice to colleagues

I presented my findings, thoughts and suggestions from teaching practice to the staff at the department this morning. The overall response was good, and led to many interesting discussions. 

These are in Finnish, but google translate can help you!
 
MENETELMÄT

- Collaborative Learning / Yhteisöllinen oppiminen

- Learning goals - Oppilaat asettavat 3 oppimistavoitetta aluksi. Mittaus kurssin aikana ja lopuksi.

- Partnering (Marc Prensky): Oppimisen ohjaaminen (coaching), oppilaan vastuu omasta oppimisesta.

- "Reserach on computer": tunnilla vastaus yksin, kaksin tai tiimissä. Vastaukset blogiin, lyhyt johtopäätösten esittely (2 min) 

- Reflektointi - Mielipiteet esiin ja myös yhteisön tietoisuuteen.

OPPIMISYMPÄRISTÖT

OPTIMA  - Blogi (Päiväkirja) Doing business in Asia(DBA)

Google/Blogger - Suljettu Blogi Doing business in Europe (DBE)

Skype - Virtuaalinen Haastattelu 

Twitter - Oman maan seuranta (henkilö, yritys)

HYVÄKSI TODETTU

- "Reserach on computer" ihan jees.

- Multimedialuokka toimii tiimityöskentelyyn 

- liike, juoksu, "aseta itsesi kartalle" kurssin huipennus.

- google drive collaboratiiviseen kirjoittamiseen (ei testattu kurssin aikana, mutta mieli teki)

EHDOTUKSIA ILMAAN

- aina valmis tiimityöskentelytila jossa surffilaudat

- Yhteisöllinen oppiminen 

Opiskelijat ja opettajat: yhteistyö toisen opetuspisteen tai oppilaitoksen kanssa blogin muodossa

Opettajat: Kurssimaterialipankki josta ideoita

Managing people

A blog can be an great platform for showing visually tasks to do in class. This was done on very short notice for the Managing People course and served the purpose well.

What is your dream job?

1. Think about your dream job. What 3 areas would you need to develop to get the job? 5 min

2, Tell your partner about your dream job and what the three things you need to develop are. 5 min

3. Finally, tell the others what your friend wants to be and what the 3 areas your friend needs to develop. 5 min

reflection 23 of May

Today I have felt like a student. It's a nice change after being mainly a teacher candidate during the last few months. It's not easy to be a student, quite tiring actually to put the whole year and VOC2 into perspective.

It has been a journey to all my studymates' whereabouts as well. We discussed in pairs about our study plans and looking back into particularities during the year. I got another lesson about the beauty and difficulty of listening, because we presented our pairs study plan to the others and ha-haa: it is not always so easy to remember a conversation that has taken place a few minutes ago.

Lots of feedback back and forth. About the different themes of VOC2 - it was nice to read and hear what the others thought about the theme and our course. It was better than expected.totally

Self-evaluation of competence related to Dreyfys model of skill aquisition was our last task. I quite enjoyed the task, but my brain seems breezed. Deeper analysis did unfortunately not take place.   

Fourth block

South Korea. I want to go to Korea. I loved the class about Korea, mostly South Korea. I think I even started the class one minute before the set starting time. One reason was that we had a scheduled skype meeting with a trade promotion agency and I wanted to give the basics about the country before that. The other reason was that I had talked with my friend who has lived in Korea and had learnt a lot from her about the country. Especially Korea's industrial development and society is very interesting.

Skype went smoothly. Ok - that was an over statement. It was my first ever public skype so naturally there is some fine tuning. We did not get the sound right so we had to wait, but with the help from IT we got it fixed. I have learnt that there are always some technical difficulties, and the best solution is always to stay calm and try to find an alternative. This time, we did not need to execute the alternative plan.

We also watched a video about Samsung work culture which I found interesting. That has become my mantra - if I think it is interesting, students probably find it interesting too. Never underestimate the students and "this could be useful for You" is often not interesting to the students.

third block

I felt like I learnt a lot from the second block of lessons. I wasn't happy with the class, so it made me work even harder. This is to say that I already worked really hard, but now I realized that I want to prepare all my own material and that I need to be comfortable with the lesson plan and have interesting activities.

I had a bit more time to plan for the third block of lessons since there was one week between block two and three. This was great. Fact is, that I was teaching another course at the same time with 6 teaching hours a week so I could focus a bit on those. The teaching methods for the third block was further developed in between preparations for the other classes and in impulses. I stayed with the core plan to have my students to do research on computer in pairs and find answers to share in our Optima blog.

The class was a mix o lecture and research. Unfortunately we only had 90 minutes, I had previously planned it for a 3 hour block of lessons. But lessons never go exactly as planned. The students were working very well and felt it was nice to have time to find out things for themselves. I asked for feedback in the end, and most students had liked the experience. They would, however, have liked to have more time.

learning goals - questionnaire

I made a learning goal questionnaire that the students are to fill in in the beginning, in the middle and at the end of the course. I asked them to write down three learning goals (what they want to learn from the course). I also asked them how the liked the first lesson/teaching methods and how well they would like to know Asian business culture.

Most students filled in the form that I made in google drive. Most goals were within the course syllabus, some were outside. I also got comments on the first lesson, many had liked it and liked getting to know each other better. By doing the learning goal questionnaire, I wanted the students to take more responsibility in their own learning. Let's see how it works! I really liked reading the results and I hope the students see a window to learn more about their own country.

Teacher practice - second block

Preparing for lessons is very time consuming but I thought that the preparations for the second block was lighter. I was wrong. The students had a questionnaire that they should fill in and I thought that we could just lightly go through it. I thought it is information that we do not need to go through line by line. But when the lesson started, I noticed that the students wanted to go through the information in detail and I had not prepared for that kind of work. I did not have the answers ready myself. If I would have been more experienced, I would have just gone through the questionnaire and trusted the students information. But I was doubtful.

Instead, I had prepared for presenting information on "average wage" that I had used 5 hours to find!!! When presenting it, it was poorly visualized and I realized that I did not ask for the information that the students had found out first. The lessons did this time not go so quickly and I learnt many new lessons.
1. I should only give tasks to the students that I think are meaningful to do and that I will support
2. If we go through some task in class, we should do it in depth
3. I should give time to the students to answer - I should not fill in the silent moments
4. It is important to have a desk at the school with computer & printer so I don't have to loose time with technicalities
5. Have lesson plans ready the night before - that will guarantee better success (and better sleep)

teacher training - first block

My teacher practice was quite hectic. At the same time as I started my teacher practice, I also started another job. It was rather challenging, but I managed. The unlucky bit was that I had no time for reflecting in my blog, but instead I made detailed teaching plans and made notes along the way.

I was very well prepared for my first lecture. I presented the course requirement for the group and informed them about what the students need to do in order to pass. The responsible teacher was not present during the first week of classes, but my guiding teacher was present. I was a bit nervous, but since I had made a detailed plan, it made me more comfortable.

Since teaching is new to me, I had no clear idea of what to expect from the first lesson. I emphasized on getting to know the students in the class and to let the students get to know each other. We made a round of presentation, where I asked all students what they are interested in. We had much dialogue, with some actual games and with the students having to pick a country by being quick = running.

I think it was the most fun lesson (3hrs) and the best prepared lesson. I showed maps, had technical difficulties, ask my students to put themselves on the world map, asked them to run to pick a country to follow.. The last task we did was a group assignment where students were to figure out and discuss in their groups how free/democratic a country is and put Asian countries into categories (free, semi-free, not free country). This was a bit difficult as a start when we all have different understanding of what democracy is and the groups were uneven. I learnt more about leading group assignments and how important it is to visualize and explain clearly.

I also realized that time flies. The plan worked quite well, but I made many changes during the class. I was eager, happy and realized it is hard work to be a teacher.

Special needs Education in Finland

How is the vocational special needs education fulfilled in the Finnish educational system?

There is a differentiation in special needs education between general support, intensified support and special support in the Finnish school system. Education is seen as a lifelong journey and special education is given to most students in the Finnishs system. “Early intervention and sustained individual support for every student are keys to educating the whole child in Finnish schools”, says Pasi Sahlberg (CIMO) in this interview produced by Edutopia. 

Special support is offered to students who cannot reach their growth, development or learning objectives through other support measures. Students in need of special support may apply to ordinary vocational institutions and get integrated support or to educational institutions with special education specialization with other students with special needs. Student counsellors in basic education and vocational education and training, aim to find a suitable place for each student according to the student’s wishes.

With this range of support functions, all students can continue their studies in vocational schools. According to Statistics Finland Intensified support was received by 3.3 per cent and special support by 8.1 per cent of comprehensive school pupils in autumn 2011

How is the special needs education carried out specifically in the field of vocational education? 
An individual education plan (IEP) is drawn up for each student receiving special education and training in vocational or special vocational schools. Cooperation with the previous school and previous special needs teacher/s is essential for making a workable plan. The IEP includes personal goals and requirements for reaching a competence based qualification and the needed support for the student to reach the qualification. The vocational schools are required to organize special education and training, every student has a right to education. 

There are many special needs students in Finnish vocational schools since getting a job and being part of a working community is very important to all of us. According to Statistics Finland  the share of special education students was 6.9% among all students and 13.8% among young students attending vocational education in year 2010. 

The majority, 77% were integrated to groups in vocational schools. Thirteen per cent attended special vocational education institutions and 10 per cent studied in special groups of other institutions providing vocational education. Nearly one-half of the special vocational education students studied in the field of technology and transport.


Which Finnish legislation governs special education?
According to the Constitution of Finland, everyone is equal before the law. No one may, without a valid reason, be treated differently from other people on grounds of sex, age, origin, health, disability or any other reason that concerns her/his person. by economic hardship.

According to the Basic Education Act (628/1998), “all education must comply with national core curriculum. Instruction is to be organized to meet the age level and abilities of pupils so as to promote pupils’ healthy growth and development.” Some provisions were made to the Basic Education Act in 2011 with focus on early intervention and providing general and intensified support as first means of special education. 

The Government and the Ministry of Education and Culture implement these principles at the central government level. In matters related to pre-primary, comprehensive and upper secondary schools, vocational institutions and adult education, the ministry is assisted by Finnish National Board of Education. A central development document in the educational sector is the Development Plan for Education and Research, which the Government approves every four years for the year of its approval and for the following five calendar years. 

The local governments are in charge of implementing education in accordance with the applicable laws and the national core curriculum. The local governments have to make sure that there are sufficient funding and resources for fulfilling its tasks. 

How are special needs students present in the present system in comparison to previous years?
The main idea is that special needs education is integrated into general education as much and often as possible. The division into general support, intensified support in addition to special support was implemented in 2011. Early intervention and possibility for any student to get general support any day at school has made special education accessible for all students without separate bureaucracy. This is a clear improvement from previous support functions. 

Since the 1970s, integration of special needs students into general education has been the praxis but with insufficient resources, it often didn’t work out so well. I remember from my first years in school in the 1980s that we had two students with special needs that were moved to a special class in 3rd grade. There were not enough resources to support their needs. I remember that they were bullied during the breaks. During that time, special ed was an earmark and carried out outside normal class. However, once you were “freed” from special education, you were quickly seemed as normal again. 

Nowadays, co-operation with a team of experts is continuously following up situations that occur and that might need some sort of intervention. I think this is working well in comprehensive schools. My gut feelings says though, that vocational education is a grey zone and not sufficient in vocational education. Students with learning disabilities go to vocational school since special education is not provided in high school. This means that there should be more special education teachers there than in comprehensive schools. My dear Statistics of Finland tells me that school year 2010-2011 9.1% of young people dropped out of vocational education. That is nearly one out of ten students. In my opinion, the lack of special education is one reason. 

Thanks to your assignment, I found the special education plan for my local vocational school. I know from working life that they have a lot of problems with motivation, cutting classes and getting tests approved in e.g. dwelling. Since one of my professional interests lies in student counseling, understanding the big picture is essential. 

I also want to thank you for making a smart concept by keeping all material in one prezi. My contribution is a mix of reflecting and digging into the theme since I only had time to do this assignment after the deadline. My apologies for that!  

Sustainable development Program

Sustainable Development Program at Work

1. The main points of my workplace's sustainable development program
My work place aims to be sustainable in its internal and external operations.
Firstly, it supports sustainable growth by providing financing to projects that are environmentally sustainable. All projects are scrutinized from a environmental and social point of view. Secondly, corporate governance is of high priority, promoting transparency, predictability, accountability, responsibility and disclosure of financed projects. Thirdly, the work place is part of the WWF green office network.

2. How does it affect employees' day to day life or does it

The external operational elements have a daily effect since part of the work is to prepare transactions for decision-making that are sustainable. The policies give you the tools and and frameworks and it is easy to follow the guidelines.. The internal sustainability woudl have to do with use of .e.g electricity, recycling, travel etc. There the individual's choices make the difference. 

   

3. What are the challenges in sustainable development in my field of work?
The challenges would be to keep up with current best practices in many sectors. Luckily there are environmental analysts doing the analysis but all employees need to be aware of the developments in order to be able to finance the best projects. I think offices always can do more, but in comparison to many other work places I've seen, I think my  work-place is doing very well.

4. How could I teach the principles of sustainable development in my own subject?
I'm teaching young adults right now in business skills in a European context. I have included corporate social responsibility (CSR) as one core area in the course. For a corporation to survive, it needs to be competitive, but it also needs to take responsibility in its actions. I like to reflect responsible business operations against e.g. the ISO 26000 (acceptable labour conditions, fair operational practices, environmental considerations etc). It takes much more time to fully understand what CSR is about. We only touched the surface in the course and in the future I will have a more profound angle and slower pace.   

Global and cultural competence - task 1 and 2c

In the process of lifelong learning, global and cultural competence has gotten a more profound meaning for me during my teacher practice. I have been aware of global and cultural competence before, but the application and the difficulty to sometimes see another perspective has been challenging. In my teacher practice, and now digging into global and cultural competence groups material, has given me some hints and direction forward. Thank you for that!

Here are my contributions for iVET.

 

Task 1. 

You are the teacher for an introductory finnish language course that help newly arrived foreigners to learn survival skills. How will you prepare yourself for a group of students from different cultures. Among the students one of them cannot speak any language other than her own mother tongue which is arabic. What will you do to help her to learn Finnish?

I would find out from what countries the students come from and read a bit about their cultures. I found the Iceberg concept of Culture (Weaver) interesting and would use that in my own reflections and search for knowledge and understanding. 

As to survival skills, I would write down a course outline including survival skills that I would find necessary for surviving in Finland. After writing my outline, I would reflect against the students nationalities, and add some particular skills that the participants do not necessarily know from before based on their backgrounds. This could include based on e.g. gender. 

I would put emphasis on trying to make the learning environment relaxed and comfortable for all students and try to help them build friendships, since they are all in a new situation. 

I have studied Arabic for 6 months, and my arabic is basically non-existent. But that would help me in understanding the situation of the student. Using expressions would be essential and giving feedback and trying to give confidence to all students in using Finnish would be of my highest priority. 

2. As a part of your training in global competency, you are asked by your school authorities to travel to three different countries, Thailand, Cambodia and Pakistan. You have to spend two months each in these countries.

c. In Pakistan you will be working in a school with a group of students who aspire to pursue studies in states or similar countries in the west. How will you plan your course to help them acclimate into the new culture?

I will learn about the way of studying & cultural dimensions  in Pakistan prior to leaving. I would also visit  a local school in my country prior to leaving and interview a few students and teachers about learning in Finland and life in Finland.

In Pakistan, I would teach a course that would be based in a subject (e.g. European Union). For the course planning I would use the Cultural Dimension of Learning Framework that was not familiar to me from before. I would teach the subject in a mixed Finnish vs. Pakistani way (Finnish being more equal, individualistic, nurturing, more uncertainty acceptance etc) and make the students aware that learning is in some ways different in the west. I would put emphasis on some differences and encourage students to go outside their comfort zone in course assignments and in class tasks. I would raise their intercultural awareness, and encourage them to see their own cultural background as a strength.

Working community

Task 3: A mini reflective paper on the takeaways of this study module.

How do you interact with your working community?
I am a quite active communicator in my working community. I am not afraid to talk to people and i befriend people easily. Since I am very new in the schools working community, it is difficult to know the borders. I do not want to push my ideas or experiences, but at the same time I want to share e.g. my experience from a class with someone with more experience. Since I have managed to get to know many teachers already, they give me the space. I am a sensitive communicator, but sometimes I give my opinions to strongly. I communicate face to face, but some e-mailing is also done. I haven't called anybody yet.

What could you do differently to enhance the spirits of your working place?
I think I am a positive spirit in my working community. I have been outside a working community for a couple of years, therefor I am very happy to be part of one.

Is there someone in your working community who brings positive energy to you; why is that?
There are many people who brings me good energy. I share a room with 3 other staff members and we have very fun and interesting discussions. Laughing definitely gives an extra energy kick when trying to concentrate. I think the reason for the positive energy is that we give each other space to discuss our own interests and listen to each other. We have all a good social competence.

Reflect on the quality of the interaction in the light of where and why is the interaction fruitful to you to lift up your working spirit.
 I don't take part in any formal meetings, my meetings are more one-on-one and informal coffee table discussions. I have started to put extra emphasis on focusing on the subject and respecting other peoples time. Interaction that brings new ideas or encourages a particular way of working or communicating lifts my spirit. Also mutual respect of everybody in the work place is important to me. I emphasize on that when I interact with people.

Equal Opportunity video

This is hilarious. Rated R when it comes to language but brings out some of the stereotypes we see in working-life. I am going to use this video in class :-)

equal opportunities