Finnish innovation education to Brazil – The first international continuing education group since the beginning of the pandemic arrived to TAMK

TAMK’s global education got to experience some form of a return to normal, when the first international continuing education group arrived at the campus since the start of the pandemic. The group of 13 Brazilian teachers will be studying Finnish pedagogy with the guidance of TAMK teachers for the next three months.

The teachers come from a higher and upper secondary education institution called Instituto Federal de Rondônia (IFRO). They are about to establish an innovation center at IFRO and will apply TAMK’s teachings and methods in doing that.

Dr. Carita Prokki, the Director of Internationalisation and Business Operations, is pleased that the group gets to receive contact teaching at TAMK.

– When we finally got the Brazilian group to the campus after a 1,5-year break, it felt like waking up from a hibernation, she describes.

TAMK's work on education export did not stop during the pandemic, but transformed into offering online studies.  However, Dr. Prokki points out that face to face encounters are important, especially when working on co-development.

– Being face to face is the foundation of development-oriented education and has a huge energising power for everyone. However, I believe that the COVID era has taught us a lot about the possibilities of online encounters, Dr. Prokki states.

“Everywhere you look, you see a breathtaking view”

The group of Brazilian teachers was able to arrive to Finland due to being vaccinated at their home country. In addition, TAMK’s global education team picked up the group from the airport with a private bus, after which the group spent 10 days in studying remotely before arriving at the campus.

 Lecturer Elina Harju says that the studies have started briskly with the motivated participants:

– Working with the Brazilian group started quickly and enthusiastically already during the quarantine. The group is really motivated and they have a good chance of influencing the development of their own institution’s practices. They tackle every theme actively and curiously, she describes.

Two students from the group, Tulio Jardim and Dany Caldeira, say that they are excited to deepen their expertise. Already during the first weeks, they have constantly reflected how they could apply what they have learned to their own work.

As their first impressions of Finland, the group is particularly impressed by the proximity to nature: lakes, parks and outdoor tracking routes.

– Everywhere you look, you see a breathtaking view, Jardim states.

Jardim and Caldeira share more thoughts on a video:

Article: Maria Kasdaglis-Zabyshnyi
Video: Renata Brito