Routinely Random
Perhaps at this point, I should give you a brief overview of how course scheduling works here at the University of Eastern Finland. Basically, the semester goes from September 1 to December 17. During this time period, classes can start on any day, meet for any number of lectures, in any room, at any time, and on any day. So, unlike in the States where I might have a class that meets on MWF from 10:00-11:15 for the entire semester, here in Finland, a class might meet on September 7 at 8:00, September 8 at 10:00, September 10 at 9:00, and finish on September 15 at 11:00. The classes typically never meet in the same room twice, and oftentimes are overlapping with other courses. In the case where the lectures overlap, it is up to the student to decide which lecture they will attend and how they will get the information missed in the other lecture.
This scheduling system reflects the value Finns place on student responsibility. From a young age, the Finns are encouraged to take responsibility for their own education; at the university level, this concept translates into great flexibility in course selection and scheduling. With a schedule in which no day is quite like the other, it appears I won't be developing any sort of routines. It will just be routinely random. I'm looking forward to it.
Typically, courses are 1 to 2 credits a piece, so it has been a fun challenge piecing together a schedule with 15 credits. So far, here is a rough sketch of the courses I plan to take first semester:
- Finnish I and II
- Finnish Educational Systems and Organizations
- Geometric Thinking
- Comparative Perspectives of Preschool Education in Different Countries
- Framework and Concepts for Intercultural Professional Development
- Philosophy of Education
- Information and Communication Technology in Teacher's Work
- Introduction to Finnish School Life
For those of you who are not aware of why I am in Finland, it might have become more apparent by looking at this course list (...or, you might just be confused why there are no chemistry courses on the list). Either way, recent studies have shown that the education Finns provide their students is among the best in the world. Therefore, as I am interested in teaching, I thought it would be a good opportunity to glean from them what I can.
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