Collegian T he Cameron University
Wr i t i n g
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Monday, April 4, 2016
Volume 94 Issue 8
Finland
study abroad Vicky Smith
“What they learn in class is great, but it’s Managing Editor so much more enhanced @pinkwritinglady by going to the country because For CU Study Abroad 2016, eight [they’re] touching it, feeling it. Cameron students and three faculty members [They’re] talking to a Finn about education traveled to Finland, leaving March 10 and policies [and] hearing it from them – not just returning on March 19. reading.” According to the program’s website, “The Wohler said while in Finland, they stayed mission of the Study Abroad Program is to in the city of Helsinki and traveled to the provide academically sound study abroad cities of Porvoo and Turku. opportunities aimed at fostering global “Porvoo is one of the oldest cities in awareness and appreciation of different Finland, and there we could see the old cultures.” architecture – beautiful architecture,” he said. Director of Academic Enrichment Dr. “We actually had the opportunity to visit a Tony Wohlers, the main coordinator of study Finnish home … You could get a sense of the abroad, said students who participate in study hospitality of the Finnish people because she abroad tours are required to take a regular had tea, she had coffee, [and] she had a very 16-week class. good cake.” “The class is then framed within the Wohlers said the students had the context of a certain theme,” he said, “so opportunity to engage in conversation with the theme for this one was ‘cross-cultural the home owners, who were Finnish natives. perspective on human development.’” “We were just sitting in the living room Wohlers said the term “human with her [a woman], and her husband came development” encompasses a person’s whole later. We were just talking about Finnish life span – from birth to education to society,” he said. “[That’s] something you professional career to elderly care. cannot do when you engage with “The idea then was to see how Finland a textbook.” does it in comparison to the United States,” Wohlers said while he said, “and there are lots of differences.” in Turku, the According to Wohlers, Dr. Lisa Huffman students toured and Dr. Dana Hilbert taught students the a university, Finnish educational and social policies in class in order to prepare them for the tour. “[They visited] certain sites that deal directly with what they learned in class,” Wohlers said.
as well as a training school and daycares. “They have a training school for high school teachers,” he said. “In Finland, there are no private schools; it’s all government basically, and the government has taken on that role to also train high school teachers, which is a highly, highly esteemed job in Finland.” Wohlers and the students stopped by two daycares, one run by the city of Turku and one run privately. “The private one has a bit more leverage as to what they can do as far as the curriculum, but otherwise it’s the same thing,” he said. “They’re treated pretty
autonomous in terms of the learning – same at the high school level. It’s a very equal relationship between the teacher and the high school kids – very different from here. Wohlers said the Finnish education system is very successful, which is one of the main reasons why he and other Cameron faculty decided Finland would be an ideal study abroad destination.
See FINLAND Page 2
For st udent opi n ion of t r ip to F i n la nd , see Pa ge 4
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