A 20-strong staff contingent from St Michael Junior School in Pembroke recently returned from a week-long study tour organised in Tampere, Finland, by Learning Scoop, Finland, to experience first-hand the Finnish educational system.
Throughout the week, the staff visits to various schools were complemented with lectures on the Finnish education system, cooperation and collaboration, curriculum and assessment, educational support, and leadership and management.
The participants observed, from both the school visits and the lectures, that the Finnish education system has as its core the values of equity, equality and trust, which are evident in the teamwork and collaboration between Finnish educators and students alike. These elements result in the nurturing of autonomous, critical thinkers with an enthusiasm for learning and a strong sense of community.
This overseas experience proved to be very enriching for the St Michael staff cohort.
The school’s leadership team thanked Malta’s Ambassador of Malta to Estonia and Finland, Kenneth Vella, for his support, Learning Scoop, Finland, for their collaboration, as well as the European Union Programmes Agency (EUPA), which financed the programme through the ErasmusPlus Programme.
