Early Years Education Summit – Joy of Learning Together!
EYES2019 is a unique opportunity to learn from the famous Finnish education at a practical level. In EYES2019 you will see everyday life in a Finnish kindergarten and shadow Finnish teachers to see how local ideas could be integrated into your classroom. In addition, you will participate in one of the biggest Early Years Education -conferences in Finland.
How to…
Join us to learn more about these topics with other participants from around the world.
Tuesday 1st
18:00-20:00 Welcome dinner at a local restaurant
Hosted by Mr. Simo Pokki (founder of VisitEDUfinn)
Wednesday 2nd
8:00-12:00 Kindergarten (1-5y) or pre-primary visit (6y), incl. lunch*
12:30-14:00 Finnish Early Years Education -workshop, Ms. Piia Roos (PhD, pedagogical expert)
Evening Optional cultural program with educational touch, ask about options from info@visitedufinn.com
Helsinki new central library Oodi
A flagship library for a nation of booklovers opened its doors in 2018.
HKI -coctail! Breathtakingly beautiful 4D cinema experience flies you over Helsinki
Thursday 3rd
8:00-12:00 Kindergarten (1-5y) or pre-primary visit (6y), incl. lunch*
12:30-15:00 Suomenlinna Sea Fortress, World Heritage Site -tour and a Secrets of Suomelinna fortress history -pedagogical workshop
Friday 4th
9:00-15:00 Finnish Early Years Education -conference
Keynote presentations by the top Finnish early years experts
Conference presentations: Janniina Vlasov (PhD, Senior Advisor): Guidelines and recommendations for evaluating Finnish ECEC Eeva Hujala (Professor Emerita): Leadership in Finnish kindergartens Linda Nurhonen (M.Ed.) & Emma Kurenlahti (M.Ed.): Cultures of compassion in early childhood education Elina Kataja (M.Ed.): Children’s participation in the heart of Finnish Early Years Peadgogy Jenni Salminen (Postdoc researcher): The importance of teacher-child Interaction in supporting children’s learning in early years settings |
* Departure in the morning from Senaatintori (Senate Square), in front of Statue of Alexander II.
IMPORTANT! If there are differences between the brochure and the website, you can count on the website as it has updated information.
PIIA ROOS
Piia Roos (PhD, Teacher of early years) has over 10 years of experience as a teacher and a leader in Finnish child care centers. For the past 10 years she worked as a teacher in vocational collage for practical nurses majoring in early childhood education. Now Ms. Roos works as a lecturer and consult through her own company (www.piiaroos.fi). In addition, she is a partner in VisitEDUfinn Ltd. Her special interests are children’s perspective and participation.
JANNIINA VLASOV
Janniina Vlasov (PhD, Teacher of early years) works as a senior advisor at Finnish Education Evaluation Centre. She’s an advocate for better early childhood education and care, both nationally and internationally.
EEVA HUJALA
Eeva Hujala (Professor Emerita) During her career Ms. Hujala has been teaching and researching in many Finnish universities as well as in universities abroad. Her expertise focuses on leadership, development of pedagogical practices and quality management in early childhood education.
LINDA NURHONEN
Linda Nurhonen (M.A., Teacher of early years) has over 10 years of experience as a teacher in early childhood education. Her special interests are early music education, empathy and compassion. She is currently working for University of Helsinki on a project titled Expanding circles of empathy and compassion, funded by Finnish National Agency for Education.
JENNI SALMINEN
Jenni Salminen (PhD, Teacher of early years) is a post doctoral researcher at the University of Jyväskylä. She is currently working in VUOKKO follow-up study (2018–2021), funded by the Academy of Finland. Her research focuses on exploring the effects of teacher-child interactions and pedagogical practices on child’s development and learning in early childhood education and care settings.
ELINA KATAJA
Elina Kataja (M.Ed., Teacher of early years) works as a coordinator in Early childhood education in the city of Hämeenlinna. She also works as an educator and she is concentrated especially in participation as a heart of the National Core Curriculum for Early Childhood Education and Care.
EMMA KURENLAHTI
Emma Kurenlahti (M.Ed., Teacher of early years) is interested in the research of compassion, structural violence, moral education and environmental education. She is currently working for The University of Helsinki in a project titled Expanding Circles of Empathy and Compassion in Early Childhood Education. She is also the president of Foundation of Environmental Education, FEE Finland.
Tuesday 1st
18:00-20:00 Welcome dinner at a local restaurant
Hosted by Mr. Simo Pokki (founder of VisitEDUfinn)
Thursday 3rd
12:30-15:00 Suomenlinna Sea Fortress, World Heritage Site -tour and a Secrets of Suomelinna fortress history -pedagogical workshop
A Unesco World Heritage Site, Suomenlinna sea fortress is one of the most popular attractions in Finland for a reason. Suomenlinna was shaped by three historic eras when it helped to defend first Sweden, then Russia and ultimately Finland. With its museums, events and restaurants Suomenlinna offers a unique experience for visitors of all ages.
Oodi is Helsinki’s new Central Library and a living meeting place in the city centre on the Kansalaistori Square. Oodi is a venue for events, a house of reading and a diverse urban experience. It will provide its users with knowledge, new skills and stories, and will be an easy place to access for learning, story immersion, work and relaxation. Oodi is a library of a new era, a living and functional meeting place open for all.
Public sauna and restaurant complex in Hernesaari district on the southern tip of Helsinki. The complex includes a traditional Finnish smoke sauna, two other wood-heated saunas, a year-round terrace and a restaurant. It is possible to take a swim in the sea, also in winter. There are separate changing rooms and shower facilities for men and women but as the saunas and other public areas are mixed, this means that customers are respectfully asked that swimming costumes are worn at all times.
This breathtakingly beautiful virtual cinema experience takes you around and inside Helsinki’s most interesting landmarks, without worries about the weather or distance. Soar over Suomenlinna Sea Fortress and dive into the catacombs, hover above the altar at the Helsinki Rock Church and enjoy the speed of Finnish lakeside roads.
Excavated directly into solid rock, the Temppeliaukio church is situated in the heart of Helsinki, at the end of Fredrikinkatu. Because of its special architecture, the church, completed in 1969, is one of the main attractions in Helsinki. The church hall is covered with a dome, lined with copper and supported on the rock walls by reinforced concrete beams. The interior walls are of rugged rock and rubble wall. Before noon, the light spreads from the row of windows surrounding the roof periphery to the altar wall, where an ice-age crevice serves as the altarpiece. Due to its excellent acoustics the church is a popular venue for concerts.
The Senate Square and its surroundings form a unique and cohesive example of Neoclassical architecture. The square is dominated by four buildings designed by Carl Ludvig Engel (1778-1840): Helsinki Cathedral, the Government Palace, the main building of the University of Helsinki and the National Library of Finland. A statue of Alexander II (1894) stands in the middle of the Senate Square. Helsinki Cathedral is arguably Finland’s most famous and photographed building. The oldest stone building in Helsinki is the Sederholm House located on the southeast corner of the square. Today the building hosts the Helsinki City Museum. The Esplanade park and the Market Square are just a block away. The Senate Square also hosts a sound installation called the Sound of the Senate Square. It is a modern version of the European glockenspiel and can be heard every day at 17:49 as it travels from one building to the next. The composition runs for 5 minutes 18 seconds and is composed by Harri Viitanen and Jyrki Alakuijala.
ACCOMMODATIONThere are plenty of nice hotels and hostels in the city center of Helsinki. An average price in a 4-star hotel is around 200€/double room/night
We have an open group reservation with discount in two nice hotels near by the conference venue:
Holiday Inn Helsinki City Center
Reservations by e-mail: hihcc@holidayinnhelsinki.fi , give the booking code EYES2019
use this link to book: Eyes2019 Accommodation
You can of course choose some other hotel as well. To compare and make your choice, please visit: 30 best hotels in Helsinki
Registration
All participants should register for the event. Please read all information below before using the event online registration forms to register for EYES2019.
ONLINE REGISTRATION FOR EYES2019>>
PARTICIPATION FEES (EXCL. VAT 24%)
Early bird 680€ (until July 31st)
Normal 880€ (from Aug 1st)
The registration fee includes:
– Admission to Early Childhood Education Fair
– Conference materials
– Kindergarten visits
– Lunches during the kindergarten visits
– Welcome dinner
– Guided tour to Suomenlinna
– Certificate of attendance
– Possibility to participate in extra social activities
Payments
Please choose your payment type on the online registration form. The options are
– Online credit card payment (Visa, MasterCard, American Express)
– Bank transfer. The invoice with the necessary information will be sent to you with the confirmation email. The participant should assume all the bank transaction fees.
Please note that all payments must be made in advance and in euros (€).
IMPORTANT: For VAT exemption you need to register as a representative/employee of a company or organization and present a tax certificate from your country. The certificates needs to be send by email to info@visitedufinn.com in order to get a link for a registration and invoicing without VAT.
Cancellation Policy
All cancellations must be made by email to info@visitedufinn.com. If you do not cancel your participation at all, you will be charged the full fee.
For cancellations received by 30 June 2019, the paid registration fee will be refunded. No refunds will be made for cancellations made after this date. Please note that a processing fee of 50 € will be deducted from all refunds. If unable to attend, the registered person may substitute someone else from the same organisation by sending a notification to info@visitedufinn.com.
Any questions about practical arrangements, registration, hotel booking and payments? Please contact info@visitedufinn.com
Helsinki
Helsinki was founded in 1550 and became capital of Finland in 1812. Helsinki pulls off the trick of being something of an international metropolis while still retaining a small-town feel. Helsinki’s current population is about 604,380, but the Greater Helsinki region including neighboring cities has a population of 1.5 million. Helsinki is a beautiful seaside city that offers lots of interesting sites and activities to discover.
Taxi
Finnish taxis are reliable and accept all the major credit cards.
Weather in Helsinki
In early October, the weather is quite unpredictable, it might be still summery or very autumnal. Probably you can enjoy spectacular autumn colours in mild temperatures around 10 celsius. Please visit the Finnish Meteorological Institute’s website for updated news on weather in Helsinki: https://en.ilmatieteenlaitos.fi/
Language
The official languages in Finland are Finnish and Swedish but practically everyone knows basic English, and especially the people involved in tourism speak very good English. The EYES 2019 language is English.
Currency
The Finnish currency unit is the Euro. You can exchange foreign currency and traveller’s cheques either in banks, airport or hotels. There are numerous cash machines (ATMs) open around the clock and accepting all major credit cards. Major credit cards, in particular Visa, Eurocard and Mastercard are widely accepted almost everywhere (in hotels, restaurants, shops, taxis, cafeterias, bars, etc.).
Voltage
The electric current in Finland is 230V, 50Hz. Plugs are two-pin continental size.
Time
The time in Finland is GMT+2
For additional information about practical arrangements, registration and payments, please contact:
VisitEDUfinn Ltd.
Ensi linja 1
00530 Helsinki, Finland
Tel. +358 409 684 987
Email: info@visitedufinn.com
Unique educational conference setup – Visit Finnish schools and job shadow teachers by the Arctic Circle.
Ms. Rauhala (B.A.) is an educational sciences student at the University of Turku with studies also in the fields of psychology, business and HR, and sociology. As an education major, she is passionate about lifelong learning and the Finnish education system. She believes in change through education. In addition, Ms. Rauhala loves to learn new languages. She completed an Erasmus + university exchange in Spain as a part of her studies and wants to work toward everyone getting international learning opportunities. Ms. Rauhala is working for VisitEDUfinn part-time while finishing her studies.
Contact:
melina.rauhala@visitedufinn.com
