EDUCATION
The foundation for knowledge and civic engagement in the Finnish society has been achieved through high quality in education. An equal society is built on equal opportunities for all to learn and educate themselves, regardless of one’s background. Ensuring the quality of education is one of the most crucial issues our societies are facing.
The Finnish Institute in London strives to identify ways to influence the future of education and discover new ways to operate in digital environments. We engage in international cooperation, emphasising most of all playful learning in early childhood education and education for democracy. The Institute collaborates closely with the Finnish Embassy in London in matters relating to education.
Playful Learning
The role of play is one of the key elements in the Finnish early childhood education. We have worked together with partners from the UK and Finland in order to promote child-centered learning environments in early education. Partners: Playful Learning Centre of the University of Helsinki http://plchelsinki.fi and The Centre for Research on Play in Education, Development and Learning (PEDAL) https://www.educ.cam.ac.uk/centres/pedal/of the University of Cambridge.
More information on playful learning here
Education for Democracy
The Finnish Institute in London participates in public discussion on education for democracy and is working on a discussion paper on the topic, to be published in the spring of 2017. In 2016 the Institute cooperated with the Finnish Embassy in London, The University of Bedfordshire and the University of Jyväskylä in organising an event in which the practices of education for democracy in England and Finland were compared.
Oppi – Helsinki Learning Festival
The Finnish Institute in London organised an international learning festival in Helsinki in 2014. The festival was organised with Suklaa, English education consulting and events management organisation. The main sponsor for the festival was Sanoma Learning. Other sponsors were e.g. The British Council, Rovio, Tekes, Microsoft Partners in Learning, Nesta ja Whole Education.