Transnational meeting in Loimaa. Day 3

Despite darker Finnish mornings the day brightened up quickly as we got together with our partners and had delicious selection of food for breakfast.  The focus of the day was clear: observing lessons, exchanging good practices,  workshops at the YES point and intercultural learning through coffee breaks ☺

The lessons in Loimaan Lukio start at 8.10. This Thursday it was the beginning of the new term for the students and they were mostly given instructions for the term, so our workday started at 8.50 which was 
convenient for everybody.  

The next three hours were spent observing the lessons, depending on the teachers’ interest: English, German, Physics, Geography, Mathematics and Swedish lessons were attended. We took it as an opportunity to compare and exchange good practices,  by doing so we as well learned about the digital tools, teaching methods, school organization and the Finnish school system in general.

After school lunch we all, the students and teachers involved in the project,  met at YES point, a new information service for schools in the region which educates about entrepreneurship and enhances cooperation with local businesses.  We were presented their work and  their scope of activities in Finland and Europe-wide.

To get the insight of their work better we were divided into groups and were given various tasks to be solved within an hour and assessed later by an educator at YES point and a representative of a local business. The individual groups were composed of three students and two teachers. The tasks were thematically made on two levels, the first being presentations of three local companies, the second level was to invent a business idea and an elevator pitch, the  idea of  a concise, carefully planned, and well-practiced description of somebody’s skills.

According to  the assessors of our work, we all did a great job. However, the winners were selected on the grounds of creativity and the amount of time participated.

Content with the good work, and meeting the students, we took some time to ponder on new experiences and to prepare inwardly for a new challenge - bowling.

Bowling at a nearby bowling centre was another opportunity for us to go beyond our cultural differences and build solid bonds that are necessary for a long-lasting partnership.