Preparatory Education in Joensuu 2022
VALO students participating in an interactive class
You'd think there was nothing special about the school morning set up: the teacher stands at the front of the class wishing the students a good morning, and the students echo the words from behind their desks. But when the teacher doesn't stop at Finnish and continues to wish the students a good morning in five more languages, I know I'm in the preparatory "VALO" class.
The new school year has begun, and with it, VALO classes have begun operating. This fall, preparatory education is being organized in five different schools around Joensuu, with at least two classes in each school. Karsikko, Noljakka, and Utra host VALO classes for elementary students, while the classes at Pataluoto and Lyseo are made up of middle schoolers. In addition to these, Jukola kindergarten hosts VALO groups, "Jukola's Little Lights", for kindergarten aged students.
Designing preparatory education is the responsibility of Joensuu's KIEKU-team, with the person in charge being the manager of language and culture education. Preparatory teaching is implemented with resources and pedagogical guidance centralized throughout the city. Human Resource Management falls to school principals (superiors of teachers) and the manager (superior of instructors, traveling teachers and project workers).
Preparatory education: what is it?
The purpose of preparatory education is to prepare immigrated children to transfer into Finnish primary education. Preparatory education lasts for nine months, after which students are moved to their respective Finnish classes in their vicinity, based on their age and skill level. Even now, though the school year is only beginning, some students are finishing up their time in VALO and facing the challenge of studying according to the Finnish curriculum. "Some students arrived around autumn break last year," says Karsikko's VALO teacher Merja. "This means they'll be transferring to Finnish education after autumn break."
To aid the transferral and to learn the language, VALO students participate in so-called integration classes, in which they study for an hour at a time in Finnish classes. Students have participated in integration in handicrafts, PE, and english, because these subjects don't require such an extensive knowledge of the Finnish language. VALO students also eat lunch and spend recess with Finnish students, which helps them integrate into the Finnish school environment. Smaller students also attend afternoon clubs with primary education or special education students.
Preparatory education from a teacher's point of view can be challenging. Class divisions are done based on age, but each class includes students from a variety of stages of learning Finnish. So how are classes taught? "Sometimes we divide the class into beginners and advanced students so that we can teach each group at their own level," says a VALO teacher, "while sometimes we teach everyone the same thing, but the exercises they do are handed out based on their skill level." They must also take into consideration the students' ages. In the 1st-3rd grade class, students learn to read and write, whereas in the 4th-6th grade class, they learn Finnish grammar. To aid teaching, lots of visual material is used, and teachers try to consider students' customs from their home countries.
"This is a skirt."
("skirt... a skirt is this. So mother has a green skirt..")
Middle school students who have immigrated late may not have attended school in their home countries. Classes may include students who only know how to read and write in their own languages. All of them are taught to read and write with the Latin alphabet. In preparatory education, we also utilize the city's traveling mother tongue teachers in as many languages as possible. Right now VALO students attend Russian, Ukrainian, English, and Arabic classes as part of their preparatory education. There is also a Ukrainian teacher teaching middle school students English in Russian and Ukrainian.
To further help the students, every VALO class has instructors who speak different languages. Language and culture instructors in Joensuu are called KIEKU instructors. Instructors help the teacher to keep the class on task, but they also translate material if students need it. The amount of Ukrainian and Russian students has increased drastically, which is why Russian speaking KIEKU translators are found in every school which has a VALO group in Joensuu. Instructors are also in charge of so-called interactive VALO classes.
Outside the classroom: activities for the whole family
VALO interactive classes are a part of the students' school timetables. They are planned and implemented by the KIEKU team, project workers, and instructors, and they focus especially on the arts. The purpose of VALO clubs is to learn Finnish in an interactive way. Theater and drama education is an important part of the teaching. Many of the instructors have learned theater in RanKids Oy, a multicultural theater association that is an important form of cooperation in language and culture events and Family School. Project workers include professionals and hobbyists of theater education. Teaching utilizes the diverse competence of instructors, the expertise of traveling teachers, and individual classes by guest teachers. In addition to theater expression, the schedule for this fall includes word art teaching, circus, and adventuring. At middle school interactive classes, we highlight supporting integration by getting students acquainted with the city and through getting to know different hobbies.
Family School is another form of after-school activity for VALO students and their families. Family School is organized every Monday afternoon and families are strongly encouraged to attend, as it's a great opportunity to get to know other immigrant families. Family School is a form of cooperation between home and school, and it's a part of the preparatory education curriculum in Joensuu. The fall Family School program includes a nature excursion, getting to know the city, pizza, and an independence day gala. In addition to fun activities, Family School provides an opportunity for parents to learn about Finnish society from experts. During the fall, we will be visiting the library together, learning the school health system, talking about the digital gradebook WILMA, and talking about pets. During these lessons, childcare will be provided each time. The KIEKU team, which includes teachers, instructors, members of management, and project workers, is in charge of activity planning.
A peek into a new VALO class
This year Lyseo middle school is facing a new beginning, as two new VALO classes have been added to the school. Though the classes are technically a part of Lyseo middle school, space for VALO has been rented from the old Lyseo high school. This includes two classrooms, a bathroom, and some aisle space. Students are divided into two classes based on their age: VALO A students are 13-14 years old, while VALO B students are 15-17. Some of the students studied in Karsikko last year, but this year all middle school aged students have moved to Lyseo and Pataluoto.
Lyseo VALO instructor Maja says that the old high school building has big classrooms that make for a good learning environment: "We don't have to be crammed into small classrooms, and we get to decorate them how we wish. " Students' timetables include Finnish, English, Health, History, and Chemistry. Additionally they take music classes and have lunch in the middle school building.
Classes are taught in Finnish, and during them students learn Finnish vocabulary relating to the subject. I participated in a health class, where we learned different body parts in Finnish. Like in all the VALO classes, some students are advanced in Finnish, while some barely know the Finnish word for 'head'. "I don't know how much of my teaching they really understand," chuckles VALO B teacher Reeta. "Repeated commands like 'let's go to lunch' or 'recess' become familiar quicker." The classes have Russian translators, one of which knows Ukrainian as well. With their help, the students understand the teaching better. Instructors also organize clubs for the students every Wednesday afternoon.
The coming year
The KIEKU staff is excited about everything that the following year will bring. The Mahdollisuuksien matkalaukku Instagram account updates its followers on upcoming events, and the YouTube channel has all kinds of teaching material and event videos. We encourage families and students to come to familyschool, clubs, and women's activities actively, as they're a great chance to build relationships and to learn about Finland. We hope that as many people as possible could network and get the chance to utilize everything Finland and Joensuu has to offer.
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