What Works Best for Our Students to Prevent ESL? Practical Strategies and Team Building Activities used in Finland

In Finland… Student welfare services Three steps support Redefinition of evaluation ”Big sister/brother students” in primary schools, supportive students in secondary school, tutors in high schools KiVa-koulu in basic education Guidance counsellors in secondary schools, in high schools and in vocational schools

Student welfare services Based on the statement of Student welfare services in Basic Education Act and in Basic Education Decree Every school has School welfare plan School welfare group Student multiprofessional team

Student welfare Student School nurse Social worker Class teacher School psychology Social worker School nurse Special teacher Guidance counsellor Class teacher Subject teachers

Co-operation between school and parents Based on the statement of Student welfare services in Basic Education Act and in Basic Education Decree there must be co-operation between school and parents. The aim of the co-operation is to guarantee that each student can have teaching, guiding, and support according to his/her own needs. The parents are responsible for educating their child and they must take care of that the child goes to school and does his/her homework. The school is responsible that the students can have good teaching and guiding in a safe place. The school is also responsible for developing the co-operation between school and parents. The starting point is that there is trust, equality, and respect between the school and parents. The school must inform the parents continuously how the student is learning, possible challenges in studying or social skills and absence. The teacher is always for the parents if they want to discuss about their child or curricula or studying methods or objectives or extra support or evaluation etc. There is also a possibility to parents to participate to school year and school work planning and to developing the school curricula.

Three steps support Learning and studying support According to Basic Education Act the student has a right to have guidance and counselling she or he may need and enough support to his or her studies. The support must be available immediately when a teacher recognize that the student needs a support. The support may be given just a short time or even during all the students school years. The support given may be very strong and multifaceted or very light support depending on the challenges a student has. The support levels 1. Common support is the first way to response the student’s need for support. This means single pedagogical ways the teacher uses and may be done as earlier as possible when the possible need is recognized. E.g. Sitting in the front in a classroom, teacher explaining the activities personally, teacher giving notes, teacher giving easier learning material. 2. Intensified support is the second step and it is more continuous, stronger and more personal support. The student gets many kind of support. Before starting the intensified support there will be done pedagogical assesment by multiprofessional team (e.g. teachers, special teacer, school psychologist, school nurse, social worker. 3. If the intensified support is not enough, the multiprofessional team writes a pedagogical report and the student will have special support. (The official decision is need.) The student will have a personal curricula. The special support covers all the support the student may need and will have, e.g. studiyng iwith the help of a special teacher. The co-operation with parents, multiprofessional team and the individual support are the key words.

Redefinition of eveluation Based on the national curricula reformed in 2014 The purpose of the evaluation during the primary school is to give versatile feedback to the student. Learning, studying and behaviour is evaluated by reflecting to objectives set in the curricula. The task of the learning processes evaluation (also called as formative evaluation) is to help the progress of learning to develope learning, and to encourage learning during the learning process by versatile pedagogical methods (e.g. feedback, self evaluation, peer evaluation). The learning result eveluation means the evaluation made when the learning process is completed. It tells how well the student accomplished the objectives set. However the main point of this summative evaluation is to promote learning, not just give the grade. The study evaluation is part of the evaluation done concerning subjects and deciding a grade. It is based the objectives given to studying in the national curricula.

Big sister/brother students, supportive students and tutors in different levels of education Big sister/brother students in primary school are fourth grade students who help and support the first year students. All the first and fourth grade classes are made as pairs (e.g. 1A and 4A, 1B and 4B, 1C and 4C). The fourth grade class teachers introduce the mission of a big sister/brother student to their own students, but the co-operating classes plan the activities they want to perform by themselves (with the help of the teachers of course). Supportive students in secondary school are the ninth year students who aim to improve the team spirit among the secondary school students and to prevent the school bullying. E.g. they arrange different kind of happenings, they have their own seventh grade calsses they especially help and they help to solve the bullying situations. are students that have chosen a supportive student course(s) and they are educated during their eight and ninth grade. They can have 1-2 courses as a voluntary course. Tutors in high school are second year students who guide, help and support the first year students by introducing the school building, by familiarizing the culture and the ways of studing in a high school, and by helping to make new friends. are voluntary students who have chosen a tutor course. They are educated during their first year spring period. They can include the tutor course in their matriculation examination as a volyntary course.

KiVa-school A national program for preventing school bullying http://www.kivaprogram.net/

Guidance counsellors Secondary schools Teach study methods Help the students to find their own career Have lessons High schools Help the students to plan their schedule and choose the courses Have lessons and personal reception in their office Vocational schools Contact the drop-outs again and again and again The guidance counsellors actively contact to those students that have difficulties in their life and/or studying and try to make everything to help the students.