Country report from Finland
1. Teacher course
1.1 Program
Teacher’s course was arranged 22-23.10.2009 at the University of Joensuu, Savonlinna Department
of Teacher Education and in Punkaharju in the Forest museum Lusto and Finnish Forest Research
Institute. We stayed overnight at the hotel Hospitz.
Day 1
Thursday 22.10.2009, Savonlinna, University of Joensuu, Savonlinna Department
of Teacher Education
about 11:30 Arrival to Savonlinna, University of Joensuu, Savonlinna Department of Teacher
Education
Lunch
12:00
Introduction to Case Forest pedagogy by Jorma Enkenberg.
Introduction to Sustainable development and forest by Sirpa Kärkkäinen
Intorduction to the first stage of the method, choosing own research problem/driving
question, by Sirkku Myllyntaust and, Tuija Peuhkuri
Working in pairs.
14:15
Coffee
14:30
Short introduction to our visit destination: the Forest museum Lusto and Finnish Forest
Research Institute in Punkaharju, Suvi Pessala
Second stage of the method: Designing of the learning object. Introduction by Sirkku
Myllyntausta and Tuija Peuhkuri.
Working in pairs.
17:30
Day ends
Moving to the hotel Hospitz.
18:00
Dinner at the hotel
Day 2
Friday 23.10.2009, Punkaharju, Forest Museum Lusto and Research Forest
6:308:00
Breakfast at the hotel Hospitz
Leaving to Punkaharju by cars.
about 8:30
Arrival to Savonlinna: seeing the esker area and research park by cars.
9:30
Guided tour in the forest museum Lusto by Suvi Pessala.
10:30
Independent working in pairs (in the museum and the guest house of Finnish Forest
Reseach Institute, Metla)
 Reforming the research plan
 Choosing, organization and integration of the collected data (in the
museum and in the research forest)
 Making the presentations
12:00
Lunch at restaurant Lusto
12:45
Working in pairs continues.
15:00
Coffee and snack at the guesthouse of Metla.
15:30
Group presentations and discussion about the experiences of the method.
Practical examples from Viikki primary school by Sirkku Myllyntausta and Tuija
Peuhkuri
Evaluation of the course
17:00
Course ends
1.2 List of participants
University of Joensuu, Savonlinna Department of Teacher Education
Jorma Enkenberg
Henriikka Vartiainen
Finnish Forest Association
Sirpa Kärkkäinen
Suvi Pessala
Teachers
Sirkku Myllyntausta,
the primary school teacher of the Viikki Teacher Training
School,University of Helsinki
Tuija Peuhkuri,
the primary school of the Viikki Teacher Training School, University of
Helsinki
Ingervo Heikki,
steinerpedagogue, forestry student, University of Helsinki,
Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry
Jauhiainen Elina,
teacher student, University of Joensuu, Savonlinna
Department of Teacher Education
Kainulainen Anni,
teacher student, University of Joensuu, OpeArt –programme,
Savonlinna Department of Teacher Education
Kokkonen Elisabet,
teacher student, Savonlinna Department of Teacher Education
Nihti Kai,
primary school teacher, Hämeenlinna
Paatela-Nieminen Martina, professor of Savonlinna Department of Teacher Education
Parikka-Nihti Mari,
Piesala Pirjo,
pre-school teacher Hämeenlinna
primary school, biology teacher, Mäntynummi school, Lohja
1.3 Result of the evaluation of the teacher course
6 Woman
2 Man
1 Teacher in pre-school
2 Teacher in primary school, Children age:
12-13 years
13-16 years (biology teacher)
Teacher in secondary school, Children age:__________
5 Other: professor, steinerpedagogy/forest ecology student,
3 teacher students
I have been a teacher for 3 less than 5 years
1 5 to 10 years
3 more than 10 years
Mark with a cross in the square which is closest to your opinion.
1. Did you learn something new during the course?
No, nothing
Yes, everything was new to me
3
3
2
0
0
0
1
2
3
0
4
5
6
7
2. Will you use something you learned during the course in your work?
No, nothing was useful
Yes, I will try everything
4
2
0
0
0
0
1
2
3
4
5
2
6
7
3. What do you think about the Case Forest methodology?
Very bad
Very good
4
3
1
0
0
0
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
4. Can you see any problems using the Case Forest methodology in your school?
Please motivate:
Yes
No
-Yes. Where could one find time to go through the whole process!
-Yes. Partly yes and partly no. It depends highly on the attitude of pupils, colleagues and principal.
-No. Teacher has a great pedagogic freedom.
-No. Although I don’t have any practical experience, I do believe it works.
-A little bit, because of the 45 minutes lessons and divided subjects.
-No.
-Yes and No. I think that even more the objectives of the schools should be able to change to support
methods like this (use of time…)
-No.
5. What is good with the Case Forest methodology?
Mark here if you think that nothing is good
-It is research. In the research arises alive interest to the subject.
-Starts form the child, functionality
-Child thinks him-/herself, makes observations, thinks again, figures things out etc., integrating
subjects, and cumulation of learning, peer interaction, adult pays attention to the child!
- pupils’s active thinking and learning, independent initiatives and the problem “looks like the child”
- 1. ready system, structure to follow 2. can be used in different subjects –for my opinion even in
grammar one could start with asking questions 3. Activates the pupil and encourages the teacher to
ask instead of giving answers
- a new approach to learning and teaching, child central method, research comes closer
- new perspective for work, child central way of learning.
6. Do you think the course was well arranged?
No, not at all
Yes, everything was perfect
6
2
0
0
0
0
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
7. How well has the course full filled the expectations you had before the course?
In a very low degree
In a very high degree
5
2
1
0
0
0
1
2
3
0
4
5
6
7
-The course gave me more then I had expected. It was really important to think about the issue also
from educational and theoretical point of view.
-The course touched my experiences and mind, and many ways my thoughts about functional
methods.
-good instructions, and not so much independent, lonely working, instead group working and
changing thoughts
8. Have you taught about forests before?
No, never
Yes, many times
4
2
1
1
1
2
3
0
0
0
4
5
6
7
9. Have you taught about sustainable development before?
No, never
Yes, many times
2
1
2
1
0
1
2
2
3
4
0
5
6
7
10. What does sustainable development mean for you?
- On my own part I try to protect the nature, enhance the social wellbeing of people and create values,
which makes sustainable development possible.
- Attitude
- small acts in every day life and in a wider point of view different aspects; economic, social, cultural
and ecological
- An important mission in my teacherhood.
-future, freshness, continuity of traditions
-only reasonable and responsible way to valuate human actions
-reasonability in use of resources/capitals (4 fields)
-convenient balance between consumption and saving
1.4 Copies of teacher manuals or other material you used during the course.
Teacher manual see Appendix 1, Appendix 2.
Powerpoint presentation: teacher experiences about from the Viikki Teacher Training School,
University of Helsinki see Appendix 3
1.5 Photos or other documentation. Photos can of course also be spread in different parts of
the report! Contacts with media, copies of articles etc
2. Case Forest methodology
2.1 Problems
What problems do you see in implementing the Case Forest methodology in your country?
According to the feedback from teachers the biggest problems in the implementing of the method
are lack of time, the structure of the school system (e.g. separated subjects and lessons) and general
attitude of pupils, colleagues and principal.
2.2 Possibilities
Do you think the Case Forest methodology can be adjusted to fit your national conditions and in
that case how?
The Case Forest methodology has been already originally adjusted to Finnish conditions, though the
adjusting and accepting of the method to the schools requires a new kind of thinking from teachers
and also courage to give more responsibility to the students. Practical examples and experiences
from teachers who have tried the method are needed. In that way the good experiences we already
have from the Viikki Teacher Training School, University of Helsinki, are very important in
adjusting the method to the school environment. Forests can be well used as an integrative topic in
teaching and the Case Forest is one tool for that. It has to be emphasized that many different aims
of different subjects can reached by learning Case Forest method.
The objectives of the schools will hopefully in the future and after the renewing of the Finnish
curriculum be even more changed to support using methods like Case Forest in teaching. The
problem based learning is acknowledged to be important way of learning in the continuously
changing world.
2.3 Users
Describe the intended users who will benefit from the project in your country during the life time of
the project, and after the project has finished.
At first hand teachers taking part to the teachers’ course will benefit about the project during the life
time of the project. Most of the teachers are probably trying the method with their students already
during the project. Two primary school teachers from the Viikki Teacher Training School,
University of Helsinki, who participated the first course in May have plans to teach the method also
to the teacher students, who are making training in their classes.
After the project has finished the intended users of the project results are primary school teachers.
2.4 Dissemination of results
Explain how you will reach possible users and how you will inform about the result of the project.
When the final version of teacher manual is ready, we will make news about the method to our
school co-operation webpage and also to www.oppimispolku.fi. The webpage mentioned last is
mainly for teachers and other persons interest in forest pedagogy. There is a wide collection of
different forest related exercises, ideas, hints, events etc material. Case Forest teacher manual will
be added there to the material collection to be available for free to everyone. The manual will be
available both in Finnish and Swedish.
We are planning to meet again with the teachers, who participated the teacher’s course last October.
We plan to have a new course to exchange experiences and to develop the method. It’ll be
interesting to know how the method has been adjusted to different class levels. To the course each
original participant can bring along a colleague or some other person, who is interested in the
method.
The first national forest pedagogy day of Finland is planned to be arranged in September 2010. The
target groups for the meeting are teachers from all class levels, including kindergarten teachers, and
also people from forest sector, mainly those who work with school co-operation. There are several
workshops and one of those will be for teachers about Case Forest methodology.
Some of the students of “the teacher pedagogic studies for adult teaching”-programme, in the
University of Helsinki department of applied education, will also be informed about the method,
when Suvi Pessala, Finnish Forest Association, will make as part of her studies a seminar work
about the implementation of the teacher courses in the project countries.
During the teacher courses held in Finland there have been two articles published in the electronic
newspaper (Lehtikuusi) of the Finnish Forest Association.
2.5 EU policies and education systems
Your opinion about implementation of EU policies and education systems? How Case Forest
contributes to EU policies in your country?
In the report there is one part about EU policies and education systems.
The background to the Lifelong learning program is “Politicians at European level have
recognised that education and training are essential to the development and success of today's
knowledge society and economy. The EU's strategy emphasises countries working together and
learning from each other.” This is the main reason why our project is supported.
Within the Lifelong learning program and Comenius there are several objectives. We have pointed
out some of them in our application. We say that the Case Forest project should:


Contribute to the development of quality lifelong learning and to promote high performance,
innovation and a European dimension in systems and practices in the field (LLA Obj A).
Help young people acquire the basic-life-skills and competences necessary for their
personal development, for future employment and for active European citizenship (COMSpObj-b)

Enhance the quality of European dimension of teacher training (COM Op Obj 5)
We want you to answer how you think we have succeeded to reach those objectives in your country.
We also want you to write how you think we have succeeded to exchange experiences from our
different school systems.
We will put this question to you also after the final meeting in Bulgaria. But we are interested in
how you think also before the meeting, so please try to answer the question as good you can.
In the following webpage you find more about the objectives:
http://ec.europa.eu/education/lifelong-learning-policy/doc28_en.htm