Your Name and Title: Nina Smith, M.Ed., teacher trainer, mentor and pedagogical consultant

School or Organization Name: NCS consulting

Co-Presenter Name(s):
n/a

Area of the World from Which You Will Present:
Washington State, US

Language in Which You Will Present:
English

Target Audience(s):
Teachers, principals, administrators, curriculum specialists

Short Session Description (one line):
Improve learning and teaching – Finnish it?

Full Session Description (as long as you would like):

Every child has a right to learn. Every teacher should be empowered to know they can choose how to teach. Comparing educational practices internationally may help us all to adapt better practices. While I like to share the Finnish know-how of education, I am also hoping  that the takeaways are much greater than just a simple ranking list.

Global education everywhere

The one very important message in all learning and teaching is about personalization. Student-centered learning has proven to be very effective. We often talk about students, how they are not clones and should not be treated like ones, so asking questions about the factory model of education is important. The world today is different from the industrial world where school systems were created, so preparing students for their unknown future must be different as well.

Providing each student the learning experience s/he needs, instead of something another student needs is the right direction for 21st century education.  We already have technology tools to fully individualize learning experiences, so why aren’t we doing it?

Teachers have diverse needs for their professional development as well.  Standards alone are not the solution – there must be room for customization, both for teachers and the students, to build up from standards and achieve global competencies (i.e. to investigate the world, recognize perspectives, communicate effectively and participate in improvement - as seen in Mansilla, V. B., & Jackson, A. (2011). Educating for global competence: Preparing our youth to engage the world. Asia Society).

Educational systems have their distinctive characteristics, so global education must have a unique look in different countries, districts and schools. To achieve this, all the training and professional development should include the three basic components of teacher professionalism and competency: teaching and instruction, pedagogical knowledge and global reflection. These are some of the tools I learned during my Finnish teacher education. In this workshop we are using tools for incorporating these fundamental parts of lesson planning and instructional design into the everyday practice. 

To start with this workshop, and have the maximum takeaway, please think about the following questions: How could your class/school/district be global and unique at the same time? What are your positive elements?


Websites / URLs Associated with Your Session:
http://ninacsmith.com and  http://notesfromnina.wordpress.com/

NCS Brochure-with 3Cs and book.pdf

3 levels of teaching practice.jpg

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Replies

  • Here is the link to Finnish it? presentation. I hope you find it useful!

    :)

    Nina

    Improve learning Finnish it.pdf

  • Thank you Nina for highlighting the importance of student-centered approach for learning.

    Each learner is unique and should be valued and respected for what they are.  He/she performs well when they feel they "belong" in the environment.  Care, love, motivation and guidance keep them going. It also requires lot of patience to nurture them.  Once you build a good relationship, you can encourage them to perform well, which they do.

    Thank you for a very piece.

  • I am so sorry, but I must cancel the presentation today! Hope to be here next time!

    ~Nina

    • Really sorry I missed your presentation. It ties in with research I am doing at the moment. Do you have any slides you would have used in the presentation that I can look at. Thanks
      • Hi Eileen, 

        Please send me an email to notesfromnina at gmail dot com, and I would be happy to send you my presentation - or any other material to support your research. 

        Kind regards, 

        Nina

  • Co-Chair

    Please go to the OPTIONS button and edit your proposal using the correct tags that you wish to use with your proposal. Refer to the call for proposals for more direction: http://www.globaleducationconference.com/page/2013-call-for-present.... If you do not use the correct tags, your proposal will not appear in your conference strand or strands of choice.

    Also, while editing your proposal, can you elaborate on how your presentation will relate to the mission of our conference? I recommend that you add specific information on what you will cover; paragraph three in particular needs clarification.

    Thanks,

    Lucy Gray

    Conference Co-Chair

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