Ounasrinteen peruskoulu serves students in 1-6th. This particular school is new it is only 1 year old. Great care was taken in designing the school. The principal and teachers collaborated on how best to design and furnish the school.
This building also houses a public library, child care center, youth department, and preschool group. A quick note, schools are referred to as houses.
This house was designed for light, open rooms and smaller working rooms. Most people wear slippers, socks or crocs.
Main entry way into the school
Large open space for eating as well as other things
1/2 smaller classroom- higher chairs that flex and spin, tall desks that have 1 set of wheels.
This picture goes with the next 3. This is a 1/2 space. There is a large open area for sitting and movement as well as the next picture which is raised tables and chairs. This is so students can sit or stand.
This window is in the smaller classroom looking out in the center, where we walked in and seating
In Finland students have our equivalent to home economics and shop from an early age.
Here a group of students make their own design that they will then program into a machine that will sew it on a cotton bag.
Siting area for conversation as well as work
Student locker in Home Ec room
Wood shop where students make things as well as learn how to care for such a space
Metal shop
Another work area that doubles as the bomb shelter for the school
While visiting with the teachers they explain how they are set up as teams and what structure they have found benefits the students the best.
Students have 4 lessons a day- 1 hour each after each block they go outside for 15 minutes. After lunch if they have time they can go out to play.
While there I noticed how well behaved the students were, for being an open building it was very quiet and extremely clean. Students were not made to walk in one straight quiet line. They were mostly 2x2 and chatting quietly. A few students skipped or hopped along.
The teachers eat with the students chatting and teaching table manners.
Primary teachers teach about 24 lessons a week and they have 1.5 times that for a work load.
Students self assess and peer assess, by age 15 they understand themselves and their learning
Students are not compared academically or otherwise to other students. Each student is looked at individually as to what they need to meet their goals.
IB lukio
International Baccalaureate School
This is a school that has international students, there are IB schools all around the world. Students have the chance to attend any of the schools. I would say that an IB school is equivalent to a private college prep high school.
IB schools as well as all education till university is free. Students must be motivated to attend an IB school. Their is quite a work load. The difference between an IB school and the national school, which has the same age students is the curriculum. The IB students have a few requirements the first year but then they can specialize.
The students who attend IB are 15-19 years old.
This particular school was in a large building with lots of smaller classrooms, again one very large common area upon entering.
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