Curso estructurado: School Management (Joensuu, Finland)

School Management

Joensuu (Finland)

Yhteiskoulun Lukio

http://www.joensuu.fi/yhteystiedot9

Monday 18/07/2016

Travelling from Valencia to Alicante by car, Alicante to Helsinki by plane, Helsinki to Joensuu by train and finally a nice walk around the city and a good sleep!

Tuesday 19/07/2016

The course starts with a stroll through the town of Joensuu (Finland) until we reach the secondary school where the course is held. The group is formed by 28 people (teachers and principals) of 12 nationalities.

During the first part, we have received general information about the program, the Organization and this Centre in particular. Commenting on the functions of the principal (and organizer of the course) already have emerged questions about the Finnish educational system.

Mr Essa Räty sets some points to reflect on:

• Ten years ago he started talking of clients instead of students, people told him he was exaggerating the situation of the education, but nowadays it is a common feeling that students are our clients and we have to “love and serve” them.
• There are no difference between private and public school because private school cannot take money from parents, just from the Administration.
• Parents do not come to school to control teachers and their job, they trust them and the system.
• There are no tests after basic education, there are tests in each university to get in.
• Half of the students go to vocational education.
• There are no dead ends in education, you can flow from one sector to the other.

After the lunch break, some of the participants have made a brief presentation of our schools and our educational and internationalization projects. It is interesting to see the similarities and differences of the institutions. Marin Mihovilovic (Pula, Istria, Croatia) made his presentation and I liked very much the name of one of his school projects: TEAM UP = Teaching Experience Activates Motivation and Unites People. We also had Portugal, Spain (IES Baleras and IES Ramon Llull), France and Turkey.

Afterwards, we have also made a visit to all the facilities of the Finnish school, which has recently been renovated. The subjects or areas are distributed on floors and wings, even they are painted in different colours to facilitate the recognition of the classrooms.

Books and lunch are free (there are three shifts of students to eat) in Finland. Sessions last 75 minutes with an interval of 15 minutes between classes, and there are classes until four in the afternoon, except Friday (they finish at 12). The rate is 30/35 students approximately per class.

Wednesday 20/07/2016

Good practices in school. School leadership (time management)

Principal Emeritus Mr Hannu Naumanem (Pielisjoki first cycle secondary school)

Director of EduVirma (www.edu.virma.com)

naumanenh@gmail.com 358503431473

The personality of the principal is most important when working, it defines the style of leadership. We are always on stage, we're an example for our students and colleagues. In Finland there is a full confidence in teaching professionals and so there is no board of Education Inspectors and teachers and schools can work freely within the State frameworks. At the same time, many things are responsibility of schools and to fulfil them is necessary to have a good team.

Mr Hannu Naumanem opened his school doors to businesses, families, municipality to collaborate with them and currently he has a company of venture business which proves he did quite well.

Education in Finland is now beginning to suffer cuts. The centres have a budget, before it was provided 50 per cent by the State and 50 by the Municipality, now it is 60 by the Municipality.

This school year the curriculum changed in primary education, next year in high school, and thus progressively. Normally, the curriculum changes every 10 years, the legislation virtually nothing. In Finland, teachers, leaders and parents can give their opinion in putting together the new national curriculum.

In schools they are discussing about how this change will affect my daily work and my performance as a teacher. It is normal to have a personal concern for the changes, we need to take the opportunity to talk about these changes. As a principal, it is very important to have that conversation and to be able to listen to the voice and the ideas of the teachers and the students.

In Joensuu the municipality dedicates enough budget to education, there are 300 municipalities and not everyone with good economic means in Finland. There is a problem of depopulation in some areas and if there is no population there are no taxes to pay for schools.

In Joensuu it is easy to communicate with the population and the institutions because it is a small village. It is important to provide positive information to parents, not only bad news. In Finland, counsellors are those who usually give this information. It is important to use electronic connections to our willingness to establish this communication. We must raise awareness of our role as educators that is attached to that of teaching.

The budget is to pay for: electricity, water, rent of the building, tablets, books, salaries, etc., all. Some items are subtracted from the Town Hall directly, at the end you must submit accounts. For the teacher training, the school can spend money and thus also offer opportunities along with those of the Government or the particular ones taken by teachers. Most of the budget goes to infrastructure, from the budget you receive only 20/30% is "free". If a year you cannot give a Department all they ask for, "you promise you will be next year”.

Information about the students qualifications are given at Christmas and at the end of the year, going from 4 to 10. They give reports after the fourth year, until that moment it is a verbal communication with the parents about behaviour and the academic results. In first cycle secondary, the tutor of the class collects information from subject teachers and the joint report is passed to parents; also parents can ask to have a conversation with teachers of each subject.

There is a new situation in Finland because not all schools are equally good, parents are starting to make 'school shopping' and choosing which school they want for their children, there are "good" and "not so good" schools in Helsinki.

Asked about my personal experience, I told my course partners about the Jobshadowings included in my KA1 project. They are a great opportunity to observe how the different systems work. We must find the way to motivate, and we must have a personal plan to self-motivate ourselves and be patient to achieve our goals.

To close his intervention, Mr Hannu Naumanem gives his personal experience:

• The relation with your teachers: show them that they are part key to the project and you are going to be supporting them; we must not give them great work at the beginning, it is usually you who makes all the work and then gradually teachers take charge of the tasks. You cannot give them more money, but you can give more recognition.
• Meeting with Professor/Department specifically to have feedback and give them importance. It is a way of strengthening ties. Recognition in public, but not everyday because it loses strength.
• “Demotivating Teachers”: It is in private where we should "fight" them and tell those that do not collaborate that they must respect those who want to participate, it is very easy to discourage teachers that are in new projects.
• Do not take work home. Most of the things can be done the following day or they can do be done by someone else!!!!

Mr Jouni Partti (Pielisjoki first cycle secondary school)

He prefers meetings with each teacher. Once a year he meets every teacher to know how everything goes, if the teacher wants to change any thing, his projects. For a time, the teacher speaks and the principal listens; he talks about his goals, how it goes with colleagues and students, his opinion about the work of the director, and you cannot feel offended if they disagree with you, you asked for his opinion, in fact, they give you a vision from another point of view. It is absolutely confidential.

Example: they suggested to make meetings of groups of teachers rather than meetings of all the staff. In Hungary: meeting with about 20/25 from the total of 85/90 teachers, they evaluate what has been done, they write a memorandum and inform the rest.

Then Mr Jouni Partti tells us about "Demanding parents", “conflicts staff-principal, staff members”,..., trouble in paradise! He thinks that when we make a decision we must explain why.

A common point in all the educational systems: We all have problems with the timetable and the teachers' wishes. When they make requests and you receive them, they consider that listening is agreeing. In Finland, those who are about to retire ask to work more hours to increase the salary and the taxes paid.

Absenteeism: If the student is missing 75 hours per semester Social Services are called. In the first cycle there are no problems, it is in the second cycle and vocational education. If the school receives money for the students that you have and some are dropping out you lose money, but if it is after the "recount" now it doesn't matter.

They also have a kind of seminar/network of Principals as we do in our district (III Seminar of Principals of the Maritime Area). Now it is trime for a workshop: 8 of us discuss about a difficult situation: we expose problems and choose the worst. Carlos (Portugal): older teachers that do not connect with the students. Carlos (Spain), try to reach small agreements, may not be in class one day, you can go talk to the counsellor. Agreements between the two. Caroline (France): ending a meeting together. The teacher writes an admonishment, calls the parents and reads it to them; they have three days to submit allegations. If it is mild or the first time, called the Professor, if not, the Director of studies. Carlos (Portugal): it is the tutor who calls families.

Thursday 21/07/2016

Schools Presentations: Hungary, Czech Republic

Modern Leadership in Finland

Principal, expert in education Mr Jussi Virsunen

Vissu Consulting

EAGER DEVELOPER: if I cannot learn something, if I cannot offer something, I leave.

It is you that form your leadership, and all you can integrate. He believes we should:

• Understand the global phenomenons (ageing, environment, health), the national/local phenomenons (security, economy, unemployment, loneliness, digitalization, people moving to cities).
• Information: you are the students' guide to learn what is reliable, tell them how to criticise information. To stop rumours: as you hear something odd, you must ask if it is real or just something you heard.
• Information technology:
  • digitalization: do we have all the knowledge we need, do we have the equipments we need, do we have the software we need? You may have many computers and they may be still in their boxes. It is very important to choose the right software.
  • Human being against robot: robots can't find solutions to complicated problems, empathy, learning and application
• Network and connections:
  • partnership: it is better if we get someone to do some specialised parts of your job, it is cheaper and more effective if you ask someone to repair your computers than to have someone working as a full-time worker “just in case”. WIN-WIN: practice in business, some students take university exams to “see” what it is like, connect yourself with directors of companies.
  • Integration of information/system: everybody can see everything from their ICT devices (services, professional cooperation).
• Forethought and Quality of being flexible: think about the consequences of your decisions who/what will be the reaction, and at the same time you have to be flexible, your strategy has to be quick and flexible.
• True motivation: professional skills (you are prepared to do it), meaningful job, you have some freedom to do it.
• Innovations and improvisation: old principals say: “if you agree with me, everything will be okay”. We must leave some room to improvisation (if it does not mean losing money!)
• Communication: it should be both ways: talk, listen and discuss.
• Neuroleadership: everybody is looking at you so if you smile they get a positive signal. You have to make teachers feel important: you have to be precise and you have to follow your own plan, don't change everyday your main line. Don't “pinch” too often.
• Solutions in focus: we soon spread problems but not so quickly the solutions. Think what you can do instead of throwing me the problem.
• Management of change: big organisations are mainly against change. Focus on the main aims of the institution.
• Management of communality (a sense of community): transparency, curiosity, systematic. The municipality has to look for money from organisations and companies; principals too.
• Mindfullness: you learn to put everything out and you focus on the main thing. You have the right to have your own time. You can put the red light on. Topics to work: first important + busy; then not important + busy; then important + not busy; last not important + not busy.
• Personal leadership: how are you? Working hours, rest and leisure, family and social relations, mental and physical welfare. We should allow colleagues to use electronic devices in meetings. How will my life in ten years?

Presentation: Austria, Poland

How to keep up the quality in schools.

International Coordinator Mr Ara Hayrabedian

North Karelian Municipal Education and Training Consortium

North Karelia Colleges - Joensuu

ara.hayrabedian@pkky.fi

These were his main points:

We are preparing citizens. Finland has third of the total border of Europe with Russia.

In March, in the last year of the fifteen years of basic education they choose (in the internet) which school they apply for general secondary education or vocational studies. They end with grade 9, they can stay for grade 10 to improve their marks because may be they haven't been able to get the school they wanted.

The mathematical studies, reading competences, the “old” subjects, the old competences are being overcome by “new” ones: social, emotional, etc. One lousy student at fourteen years old can become a general manager when he is thirty.

The simpler your “values”, “objectives” the easier to fulfil them. Example:

Our values: the guiding value for our education is responsibility.

Our mission: The mission of the North Karelia Municipal Education and Training Consortium is to coach our students to be responsible professionals, and to develop the working life for the welfare and success of the province.

Our vision: We are well known for our excellent learning results and knowhow at the national and international level.

When you are following your own goals you feel much better and much more motivated, if it is the administration that sets your goals you are not so motivated. Indicators are needed, but they only take into account maths, language, English, not social competences, etc.

QUALITY ASSURANCE IN THE FIELD OF EDUCATION IN FINLAND

The main objective of evaluation is to develop education and support learning – the main idea is to steer, not control.

The education provider has to evaluate its own education and its effectiveness, as well as take part in the external evaluations.

Finnish have national quality recommendations:

• principles of continuous improvement and excellence means that we are obliged to take into consideration:
  • consideration of functions as a whole
  • customer focus
  • result-orientation
  • continuous learning, innovation and improvement
  • people as resources
  • effective processes
  • relevance to the world of work and partnerships
  • social responsibility

Every single thing is important. For example in this school, students evaluate the school three times, in the first year, the second year and before they leave.

Not only students are MY costumers, any teacher that enters my office is my customer, I have to be sure to provide the best for him.

OUR STRATEGIC PRINCIPLES TO SUCCESS

• customer-oriented activities
• healthy and motivated students+active co-operation and committed partnership with working life
• competent, qualified and healthy staff
• new and creative pedagogical know-how
• good management of changes and courage to make changes
• good management and control finances
• diverse and regional vocational education based on the needs of working life

Friday 22/07/2016

Cultural trip to Koli National Park. We had a wonderful day in the mountains and we got to know more about the Finnish culture and landscape. In the evening we had a great farewell dinner in Joensuun Jääkarhut Club. But first we had Turkey and Portugal presentations! It is located at the outfall of the river Pielisjoki in the Saimaa lake system and you can enjoy sauna and swim in a quite refreshing lake. The tradition says you have to do sauna and lake bathing five times!

After the sauna and the lake we had a barbecue and some of our colleagues played some music. It was a great way to finish the day. We talked and we made many contacts for further projects.

Saturday 23/07/2016

Last day and last presentations. Final feedback and packing!

It has been a great week because I have had the opportunity to meet very good professionals. Most of them from Primary Education, but who have given me a broader view of the educational system all over Europe.

And to close this Erasmus+ action in the greatest way, I have arranged a meeting with Marjo Uotila, my dear friend from Järvenpään lukio.

We are spending the day in Helsinki and we will talk about the last details of our students long-stay. In a few weeks three students from my school will arrive in Finland to spend seven weeks in Järvenpää and afterwards their Finnish mates will come to my school. This is our third stay and every time is a challenge! But thanks to Marjo's experience it is very easy to accomplish!

Great experience this week!