Week 6 ( On-the-job learning )

This was a very heavy loaded week. There was a lot of information about Finnish education. It was a nice adding to my own knowledge. I felt since the beginning that we have the same goal but different ways to approach our goals. There are a lot of good work has been done in Finland to improve the learning in general, and I can tell that Finnish people are proud of it. In my country there is something new every year in order to improve our ways of learning. Hopefully one day we will have a leading role in improving learning all over the world.

Also in this week we had a visit to Vallila Company. The work of the company itself is very good and neat. The visit in fact was to see how students apply what they have learnt in real life before they graduate. The trip was very useful and remind of my students when they have to practice in some companies in order to complete the requirements. I had the chance to talk to some of my students before I come here, and they were telling me that had a great time and have learnt a lot of things while practicing in some companies.  

Collaborative Methods Workshop

 It was really was beneficial having the collaborative methods workshop with Mr. David Mauffret on Thursday on the 4^th or May. The class was divided into five groups and each has a method to practice and implement on the other four groups. Our group has chosen the Cross-Over groups method. It is to divide the class into groups such as A, B and so on. These groups have tasks to complete in a given amount of time. Then the groups have to be regrouped again by taking a member from each group to form a new group. Again these new groups have tasks to complete in a given time. We implemented this method on the other groups, and it went nicely and smoothly.

The other groups implemented their methods on us, and also they were very nice and interesting. Even though there were more than one group and one method still we worked together as one big group. I believe most of us have some ideas about those methods before we attend this program, but implementing them on us was very helpful and it felt as if it was the first time we study such methods.

Personally, I will try to implement those methods whenever I need so when I go back home.  I think my students will like them and might benefit more out of them. It is really not about learning something new, but it is about implementing what have been taught. I have tested being a student who has a lot of fun while learning something new. I want my students to have such enjoyment I had in that workshop. 

Tourism College Shadowing Session

In this week all of us as one big group attended a bachelor thesis presentation in the campus of Haaga tourism college. The student who we attended her presentation was from china and her thesis was about applying the Santa idea in China. She represented her study very well and our group showered her with a lot of questions. It was the first time for me to know that Santa was born in Finland. 

There were two visits to the kitchen and the hotel rooms in the campus. I liked most the hotel rooms we have visited. They were very modern and nice. I am not a business expert, but I think the rooms are very costly and I don’t know how such a hotel would benefit out of them. As we have been informed that one room costs about 500 thousands Euros which is a cost of a complete hotel in some places back home.

In general I have enjoyed the trip. Again I have learned new things about teaching and its effect on real life. It was a good trip for me since my city back home one of the cities that have tourism colleges. If I have chance when I go back I will try to express and implement my observations. 

Excursion to Porvoo campus

In the fifth week we had a very interesting trip to the Haaga-Helia campus in Porvoo. The fun started in the early morning in the bus in our way to Porvoo. We had a chance to talk and know our each other more since we didn't have that chance anywhere else. Then we arrived to the beautiful campus of Porvoo. The structure and design of the campus itself was a new experience for us. The idea of an open space was to some extent very nice even though I don't agree with it completely. I think learning is sacred and can't be fun all the time. Learners have to value learning and differentiate it from having fun. Fun comes from within ourselves. Learning can be fun but not transferred completely to a fun game. The campus of Porvoo may provide a very lovely and warm place for learners, but I am not sure about the process of learning.

The professors in the Porvoo campus don't have private offices rather they have only lockers. I don't see it as a good strategy to follow since carrying stuff and hand bags on a daily basis is not convenience at all. Also professors should feel they belong to the place they work on. In general there was a lot of work has been done in the campus, and it is very nice new strategy to apply and test in real life. I am sure at the end there might be a study to evaluate such campus and its new learning methods.

After the campus tour we had a city tour  to see the lovely old historical city. We had the chance to know more about Finland. We enjoyed the trip and the time we spent there. The way back to Helsinki was more fun. We were singing in Arabic and exchanging jokes. It really was a very lovely trip that will stick in memory for a long time.