Vocational College Tavastia

Hi, everyone

Today I and Regina Share with you our experience about the visit in Vocational College Tavastia in Hameenlina. This college with its 363 Personal (Service personal, directors and teachers), 2363 students and 20 buildings is one of the biggest upper secondary colleges of its kind in Finland, maintained by Tavastia Education Consortium. It provides vocational qualifications in 41 educational fields.

 The six sectors of education provided by the college are:

Culture

Natural Sciences

Social Sciences, Business and Administration

Social Services, Health and Sports

Tourism, Catering and Domestic Services

Technology, Communications and Transport

With the upper secondary "general education" schools in Hämeenlinna the college offers a wide range of optional - vocational as well as general - studies to the students. The students of the college also have an opportunity of choosing upper secondary school studies leading to the matriculation examination. The duration of studies leading to vocational qualifications is three years. Majority of the students are 16-19 years. The college provides apprenticeship training both in youth and adult education. The expertise, up-to-date facilities and equipment give excellent possibilities to plan tailor-made training to face the needs of enterprises.

Vocational education for adults - Further and special vocational qualifications - Education for unemployed people - Day and evening.

The three-year program involves 120 credits. Both vocational and so called general subjects - such as Mathematics, Finnish, English, Swedish, Civics, Physics, Chemistry, ADP, Arts and Culture, Sports - are included in every program.

The college provides apprenticeship training both in youth and adult education. The expertise, up-to-date facilities and equipment give excellent possibilities to plan tailor-made training to face the needs of enterprises.

The Tavastia Vocational College also organises separate preparatory training to immigrants for basic vocational education (MAVA). The training begins in August and ends in June. You will learn Finnish and English languages, how to use a computer, mathematics, biology, history as well as other subjects. 

The duration and study program varies a lot on the bace of students' knowledge, competence and work experience. Education is organized in close cooperation with the local work life. There are 65 different study programs with 7 fields, include special vocation qualification.

The college reception  the group very well, organized the coffee break, showing the buildings and allowed for the group did interaction with the students. This was a good opportunity to change experience with the Finland teachers.

Research Seminar in Finland

Hi, everyone!

Today I and Regina are writing for share you our experience about the Research Seminar in Visamäki, Hameenlinna- Finland at Monday 18 may 2015, with Hamk experts, Brazilian experts and Hamk’s international partners. The seminar offers a platform to sure research ideas and ongoing research projects as well as to discuss on different topics about education. In the beginning Dr. Essi Ryymin opened works speech a lithe bit about the presentations and theme of workshops.

Photo 1- Dr. Essi Ryymin opened works

 After, Mr. Petri Tuomela aboard the theme Innovation in Education. He start your presentation with “bom dia e bem vindos” for honor Brazilians teachers, it allowed a "break of ice” and discuss about your projects, this work have a success and he stay very motivated with the outcomes. We like your work a lot because it’s applied innovations, research and business integrate with university. He shows the fases of the project step by step, in this topic about course creation (photo 2).

Photo 2- Course creation by Mr. Petri Tuomela.

Continuing the participants going to in the lobby area for presentations posters, this moment was excellent for shared research ideas with colleges and others professions. The sections was split for thematic area which allowed more interactions, but the time ins very short for discuss. There was many posters very interesting.

Photo 3- group interact during sections posters  

There were six different interesting themes workshops, in this moment we had a difficult to choose only one specific work to watch, because all themes is very important to us. But we choose the work managing Education change by Building Learning Community with the facilitators Ms. Irma and Ms. Sheylla, Hame University of Applied Sciences. The presentation was collaborative and the end had a  dynamic group applied the technique think, pair, square and share.

This theme brings together a diverse ensemble of keynote speakers and attendees to forge new relationships and strengthen existing ties for more meaningful teaching and learning enhanced by technology.

Photo 4- collaborative work

Taitaja 2015- Skills competitions and Research Seminar

I am writing to tell you a little about the experience which I had here in Finland to participate in a major international event called Taitaja 2015, which I will split into two parts: the first part will talk about the skills competition and the second on the research seminar.
The skills competition is the largest event in the field of VET in Finland. It consist of three competitions for students, as well as seminars for educators and decision maker. Taitaja hosts also dozens of foreign competitors and hundreds of international guest every year. 

For the Finnish National Skills competition of 400-500 students compete for the medals in approximately 45 skills. The competition has been organized annually since 1988 and the mail goal of Taitaja is to enhance VET and improve its quality.

In the modality Taitaja Plus is a competition for VET students with special needs, the objetive of the competition is to rise awareness of vocational special needs education and to improve the employability of young professionals.

About Taitaja9 this is a competition for 9th graders in comprehensive school (14-15 year old), teams of three compete in tasks requiring various manual skills. The objetive of the competition is to support young people in their choice of profession and increase interest in vocational education and training.

This competitions to improve the quality in education and benefits all students, although increase collaboration between colleges and the professional word, give students opportunities to recognize their own strengths and to follow their individual study paths and increases the professional competence of teacher.

The Vocational Skills Competitions have a philosophy of equality. Finns have always considered important for all citizens to have the opportunity to receive an education, regardless of their place of residence, wealth, ethnic origin or sex.

Competitive activities among students are very important today because the world of work the students will have to compete for places in jobs. The globalizing word economy forces businesses to compete in terms of products and services.

Research Seminar

The research seminar was organized in cooperation with HAMK, TAMK and HAAGA-HELIA University of Applied Sciences. The purpose of the seminar was to bring together the Brazilian teachers participating the VET Teachers for future program me in Finland and the researchers, teachers and lecturers from the universities af applied sciences. The seminar offered a platform to share research ideas and ongoing research projects as well as to discuss on different topics in the theme Workshops.

The Seminar was opened for Mika Tammilehto, Director, Finnish Ministry of Education. He speach about technological and vocational skills is demanded in the labor and how can the comprehensive school and vocational education and training VET prepare students for this job.

After that, Kirski Lonka professor of University of Helsinki explain about the skills needed in the word of work should be taught starting from comprehensive school. Kirski focus your speech about the importance the work-life skills and innovation for the students in future.

Seija Mahlamaki-Kultanen, director, Häme University of Applied Science, Vocational Teacher Training speech about the results for Finland of 20 years of Eu-cooperation and where will focus be for the next 20 years. She cited the Finish basic values have favored the importance of education, the national consensus over educational policy and Filand was an early adopter of the program and project-based development work. This actions had contributed for the success in HAMK. 

My Colleagues, Sheylla and Luiz of program VET teacher for future, speech about education in Brazil. the beginning they presentation about the numbers, dates about education and model of  education in Brazil. After that, they speech a bit about challenge for education in future. At the end Luiz speech about the Word Skills which will realized in   Brazil in August of 2015.

The last painel was about the future of VET in Europe and the word and the impact of the tightening cooperation and interdependence of developed and developing countries. My colleague Alexandre participated in this painel speech a bit about education and challenge for Brazil.

In synthesis, this event gave me a different experience in the area of education that was participating as a listener abilities fair where I could see the importance for students to develop real activities within companies such as internships and training. In this event students competed with each other to develop the same activities a predetermined time and were evaluated by the companies enabling them a different work experience and related to the globalized world is the competition for products and services designed with quality and within the pressure real hesitate to the world of work. This type of event makes us reflect on the need to think of changes for the future that could help transform the most motivating vocational education to our students, as well as the most prepared students to face this world of work.

Visit Ahvenisto secondary school

Visita ao colégio Ahvenisto

Hoje pela manhã, juntamente com meus colegas de estudo do grupo VET e guiados pela servidora Marja, tive a oportunidade de conhecer a escola Ahvenisto, esta  ministra aulas correspondente aos três últimos anos do ensino fundamental do Brasil, correspondente à sétima, oitava e nono ano.

Possui em torno de 400 alunos distribuídas em grupos de alunos (10 a 20 alunos por classes) e 37 docentes. Quanto aos métodos de ensino, alguns professores estão começando a trabalhar com PBL (integrando 2 a 3 disciplinas) mas essa mudança pedagógica esta bem no início, grande parte ainda ministra aulas convencionais. As atividades diárias iniciam as 8:30 e encerram as 14:30. Cada disciplina tem duração de 75 minutos. Os estudantes recebem almoço durante o intervalo das aulas.

Os alunos, pelo menos alguns que acompanharam a visita, falam inglês  e participam das atividades, inclusive firam eles que nos apresentaram as instalações da escola. Os ambientes de aula são amplos, claros e confortáveis, consta também de laboratórios específicos para culinária, vestuário, marcenaria, música, artes, entre outros.

A figura abaixo ilustra alunos na classe de economia culinária durante uma aula. Os estudantes são todos bem jovens e demonstraram um comportamento exemplar. A exemplo, os alunos que apresentaram a escola para meu grupo, eram extremamente educados e bem orientados quanto a essa atividade da escola, inclusive no momento do almoço nos orientou a guardar as bolsas e passar no banheiro para lavar as mãos, seguindo os mesmos protocolos adotados por eles. Na entrada das salas havia lugar para guardar os casacos e deixar os sapatos, todos os alunos entram na sala somente sem calçados.

O ambiente para os professores também consta de instalaçoes amplas e agradáveis, com cozinha, sala, mesa de reunião, sala de trabalhos individuais e até poltrona com massagem.

Pelo que pude perceber, após visitar algumas instituições de ensino aqui na Finlandia, o ambiente de trabalho é sempre agradável para que alunos e professores sintam-se bem ao trabalhar. Os alunos são muito educados, participativos e comunicativos, a comunicação em ingles flui naturalmente.

Os professores, independente das instituições visitadas sempre foram muito atenciosos com o grupo e empenhados em esclarecer todos os questionamentos.

Visit the college Ahvenisto

This morning, along with my colleagues study the VET group and guided by staff Marja, I had the opportunity to meet Ahvenisto school, this college minister classes corresponding to the last tree years of elementary education in Brazil, corresponding to the seventh, eighth and ninth year .

It has about 400 students distributed in groups of students (10 to 20 students per class) and 37 teachers. As for teaching methods, some teachers are beginning to work with PBL (2-3 integrating disciplines) but this pedagogical change this early on, largely still minister conventional classes. Daily activities begin at 8:30 and close at 14:30. Each course lasts 75 minutes. Students receive lunch during the break classes.

Students, at least some that accompanied the visit, speak English and participate in activities, including hurt that they had in school facilities. The class rooms are spacious, bright and comfortable, it is also part of laboratories for specific culinary, clothing, woodworking, music, arts, among others.

The figure below illustrates students in cooking economy class during a lesson. The students are all very young and demonstrated exemplary behavior. For instance, students who presented the school to my group were extremely polite and well informed about this school activity, including at the lunch guided us to keep the bags and go into the bathroom to wash their hands following the same protocols adopted by them. At the entrance of the rooms was no place to store coats and leave the shoes, all students enter the room only without shoes.

The environment for teachers is also part of large and pleasant facilities, with kitchen, living room, conference table, individual work room and even a chair with massage.

From what I gather, after visiting some educational institutions here in Finland, the working environment is always enjoyable for students and teachers to feel well while working. Students are very educated, participatory and communicative, communication flows naturally in English.

Teachers, regardless of the institutions visited were always very attentive to the group and committed to clarify all the questions.

Visit Valkeakoski

Introduction

This institution co-operation with Valkeakoski Tietotie Upper Secundary School, Valkeakoski Vocational College and HAMK University of Applied Sciences, has approximately 520 students distribute in Upper Secundary School, Upper Secundary School for Adults and combination Vocational diploma  and matriculation examination. 

The principal of the school explained about your institution and developed projects.

Modern and new building with places integrated  for students.

Students learning with developed projects defined with institution and companies

This photo showing the students of course engineer electrical

The engineer knows how to utilize information and electrical technology in developing automation technology in new applications, for exemplo, vehicles, shops, homes, industry, traffic control and street lighting. Instruction in electrical and automation engineering focuses on wide-ranging studies in electrical engineering, the automation of production machinery and devices, and the maintenance of production facilities. The possibilities offered by new technology are utilized in the instruction, in the practical studies that include plenty of personal, first-hand activity.

An electrical and automation engineer typically works in a high-tech company in tasks involving planning and expertise, and later, as experience mounts, in various supervisory tasks (http://www.hamk.fi/english/applicants/automation-engineering/Sivut/default.aspx)

Laboratories of vocational electricity course with high technology and good and pratical installations. 

The teacher Petri Kautto explained about the International Business course of Vocational College. The  students the first year, Anniina and Lliana, presented their project.

Visiting to Cosmetic vocational college

This visit were a opportunity to meeting with college which apply PBL and has excellent results in quality and motivation of students.

Visit campuses Leppa

Today a have a  visit in the Leppa Hamk campuses

Lepaa is the oldest and most prestigious institute where you can study horticulture in Finland.

Horticultural training began back in 1910 when Lepaa manor was converted into a school. Lepaa is located by Lake Vanajavesi, 17 km from Hämeenlinna and 120 km from Helsinki.

Lepaa is surrounded by a large manor park and has display gardens for a wide variety of ornamental and crop plants. Both garden and arable plants are grown on the Institute’s fields of 50 hectares. The total area of Lepaa is 280 hectares; most of it is forest. Greenhouses produce comestibles and ornamental crops. Lepaa’s facilities consist of a modern main building and several adjacent buildings. Some of the buildings date from 1910 when the institute was established. The new main building was completed in 1993. In winter, students may practise landscape constructions in a modern hall with all needed materials.

Most services and leisure time activities are found either in Hämeenlinna or closer in Parola (7 km from Lepaa) (http://www.hamk.fi/english/about-hamk/locations-and-maps/lepaa-campus/Sivut/default.aspx).

It's a good opportunit for meeting new grups of teacher and agricultural campuses.

The teacher work with a project and assessment the process.

Vocational students have a experence and practical activities during development the project. The work in group and colaborative one with other. Learn more with the pratical project.

Research presentation

During this week i had my research presentation:
Assessment of genetically modified soybean crops in the state of RS.

This is a important moment to discuss and change experience with the colleagues. In this class all students (teachers) had your presentation to the grup and the teachers of program teachers for future Finland.