PROGRAM

Fri 28th
10:00 – 19:00 Participating in Educa event (English program)

IMPORTANT! Educa-program will be streamed so you can also fly directly to Rovaniemi without missing the presentations.

Sat 29th
09:00 – 12:00 Educa continues (English program)
12:00 – 18:00 Traveling to Rovaniemi (according to individual flight options). Recommended visit before going to Rovaniemi: Oodi Library. 
19:00 – 22:00 Ice Restaurant Dinner Experience (optional). IMPORTANT! New time for Ice Restaurant Dinner Experience: Tue 1st, 19:00 – 22:00. 
19:00 – 21:30 Excursion to Aurora Borealis Camp (optional)

Sun 30th

08:00 – 09:00 Registration, coffee available at Scandic Pohjanhovi 
09:00 – 10:00 Opening, getting to know each other
10:00 – 12:00 Kristiina Volmari and Aulis Pitkälä: National and municipal level co-operation with schools and teachers
12:00 – 13:00 Jussi Kainulainen: Local implementations of the national curriculum – case Rovaniemi.
13:00 – 13:45 Lunch
13:45 – 17:00 Learning outside the classroom: Visiting Santa Claus Village; includes an optional visit and ride to Husky Park

Mon 31st
09:00 – 12:30 Kindergarten/School visits (incl. lunch)*
13:00 – 14:00 Socratic walk & wrap up of the school visit (Learning diary)
14:00 – 15:00 Jussi-Pekka Järvinen: The role of digital learning and teaching in exceptional circumstances. What did we learn in 2020 and 2021?
15:00 – 15:30 Coffee break
15:30 – 17:30 Optional Workshop: It’s the pedagogy, not the technology.
19:00 – 21:00 Rovaniemi City Reception

Tue 1st
09:00 – 12:30 Kindergarten/School visits (incl. lunch)*
13:00 – 14:00 Outdoor activities or after lunch quiet time 
15:00 – 17:00 Learning and teaching together workshop 1 
19:00 – 21:30 Excursion to Aurora Borealis Camp (optional) IMPORTANT: New time for Excursion to Aurora Borealis Camp: Sat 29th 19:00  – 21:30.
19:00 – 22:00 Ice Restaurant Dinner Experience (optional).

Wed 2nd
09:00 – 12:30 School visits (incl. lunch)*
13:00 – 14:00 Socratic walk & wrap up of the school visit (Learning diary)
14:00 – 16:00 VisitEDUfinn- & Euneos-Alumni stories: How have the insights from Finnish education been applied? Panel discussion with Marjaana Sall, Ambassador for Education in Finland.
19:00 – 21:00 Farewell Dinner at Scandic Pohjanhovi

Thu 3rd
09:00 – 11:30 Learning and teaching together workshop 2
11:30 – 12:00 Reflection & feedback, food for thought, closing
12:00 – 13:00 Lunch
14:00 – 17:00 Snowmobile Safari to Reindeer Farm (optional)

*There is a minimum number of participants per group, so unfortunately we cannot guarantee that you are able to join each day in your preferred age group.  

IMPORTANT! If there are differences between the brochure and the website, you can count on the website as it has updated information.

EDUCATIONAL EXPERTS IN ROVANIEMI

AULIS PITKÄLÄ

Aulis Pitkälä has an exceptional career in the field of education. During the years 2012-2016, Aulis responded to a valued task of Director General in the Finnish National Agency for Education. Afterward, he worked as a Deputy Mayor of Education and Cultural Services in the city of Espoo. In 2017, he was awarded the honorary title for his distinguished career in education by the President of the Republic of Finland.

KRISTIINA VOLMARI

Kristiina Volmari, Ph.D, worked for many years as Counsellor of Education and Head of Statistics and International Affairs at the Finnish National Board of Education. She has also worked as a teacher for 20 years at most levels of education and in vocational teacher education. Kristiina’s special interest and expertise areas are comparative international education data, teachers and trainers in vocational education, and training and leadership. In addition, she has a thorough knowledge and understanding of European and global education and training issues, having worked closely with European networks and working groups as well as participating in OECD studies and data collection.

JUSSI KAINULAINEN

Jussi Kainulainen has extensive experience in the Finnish education system. He has working experience from primary and secondary education as a class teacher, SEN teacher, and vice-principal. Jussi has also been engaged with school administration as a Development Manager in the City of Kokkola and currently as Pedagogical Director here in Rovaniemi, supporting education in local schools from early childhood education until secondary education. In addition, Jussi has international working experience from, e.g., Namibia and Laos, where he worked for two years within United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). After Laos, he acted as Programme Manager with EduCluster Finland’s leading Education Partnership Program (EPA) in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Before relocating back to Finland and Rovaniemi, Jussi worked in Malaysia to improve education in Malaysian government schools.

JUSSI-PEKKA JÄRVINEN

Jussi-Pekka Järvinen (M.Ed) currently works as a university teacher at the University of Turku. He teaches a minor subject (60 ECTS) in digital learning and teaching offered for both pre-service students at the department of teacher education and in-service teachers as a professional development program. Jussi-Pekka has previously worked in the field of technology and possesses a strong knowledge of pedagogy, technology, and the combination of these two for pedagogically relevant use of educational technology in teaching and learning. Jussi-Pekka was awarded as the teacher of the year in 2019 at the University of Turku alongside his colleague Aleksi Lahti.

MARJAANA SALL

Marjaana Sall has been an Ambassador for Education at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland since September 2019. Marjaana Sall has extensive experience in Africa, having served 12 years at diplomatic positions in Africa. She recently served as the European Union Ambassador to the Republic of Mauritius and the Republic of Seychelles. Ms. Sall was also responsible for the cooperation between the European Union and the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC). She was the first Finnish female EU Ambassador appointed by the Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy in 2015. Ms. Sall has also worked as Deputy Ambassador of the European Union to Kenya and as Deputy Ambassador of the Finnish Embassy to South Africa and Indonesia. She has also held a position at the Permanent Mission of Finland to the United Nations in New York.

LIFE2022 COORDINATOR AND FACILITATOR

SUVI KRISTA WESTLING
Suvi K. Westling is an expert on educational psychology with a broad view of education and a deep understanding of the human mind. She has graduated from and later taught students in an innovative program of educational psychology at the University of Helsinki. Her teaching has included lecturing, supervising pre-service teachers’ practice, and facilitating group processes and phenomenon-based group studies. In her research, she has studied the quality of regulation of students’ learning and activity both at school and at teacher education. She has worked as an expert in educational program design at an academic level as well as in few international organizations.

Suvi has also gained grassroots experience with children and teenagers while working as a classroom teacher, youth worker, and camp supervisor in various places at earlier phases of her life. She has developed an international mindset and understanding of different cultures by participating and working in different international communities and networks, living and studying in Latin America (Chile).

OPTIONAL WORKSHOP

Want to learn pedagogically appropriate ways for remote teaching? Would you like to be able to teach like Finnish teachers during the lockdown? Then, join this special workshop uniquely designed for LIFE2022 participants.

IT’S THE PEDAGOGY, NOT THE TECHNOLOGY
Date and time: Monday 31^st, 15:30 – 17:30
Place: Scandic Pohjanhovi
Group size: 10 – 50 persons
Price: 190€ (EXCL. VAT 24%) per participant
Trainer: Jussi-Pekka Järvinen
Booking: as part of the LIFE2022 online registration process

Introduction
During this 2-hour workshop we will look at a few examples of how Finnish teachers transferred to remote teaching in the course of just a few days during the spring of 2020, and how the pandemic changed their teaching in 2021. Focus will be on how innovative and experienced teachers were able to harness their pedagogical expertise to work with the tools they were given and successfully provide the essence of the Finnish education system to students in difficult circumstances. Through these cases we will focus on how some schools have tackled the issue of digitalization and providing teachers with the skills and tools needed to harness their pedagogical abilities for the 21st century. The attendees will get a glimpse at how in-service teacher training, digital tutoring and school-wide digital competency monitoring work together in practice and provide teachers, school leaders and students a clear picture of their strengths and needs for development.

JUSSI-PEKKA JÄRVINEN

Jussi-Pekka Järvinen (M.Ed) currently works as a university teacher at the University of Turku where he teaches a minor subject (60 ECTS) in the subject digital learning and teaching offered for both pre-service students at the department of teacher education, as well as in-service teachers as a professional development program. Jussi-Pekka has previously worked in the field of technology and possesses a strong knowledge of pedagogy, technology and the combination of these two for pedagogically relevant use of educational technology in teaching and learning. Jussi-Pekka was awarded as the teacher of the year in 2019 at the University of Turku alongside his colleague Aleksi Lahti.

SOCIAL PROGRAM

Visit to the Santa Claus Village 

Sunday 30 January at 14:00 – 17:00.

The bus will pick up avecs/accompanying persons from Scandic Pohjanhovi at 13:45.  

Price: Included in the registration fee for all attendees. Optional visit and ride in Husky Park for an additional fee of 30€ – 40€.

Rovaniemi City Reception and light dinner

Monday 31 January at 19:00 – 21:00

Rovaniemi City Reception in Rovaniemi City Hall (Hallituskatu 7). There is a 10-minute walk from the Scandic Pohjanhovi. LIFE2022 organizers will lead the participants to the City Hall and back to the hotel. 

Price: Included in the registration fee for all attendees.

Farewell Dinner

Wednesday 2 February at 19:00 – 21:00

The farewell dinner is organized at the LIFE2022 venue Scandic Pohjanhovi in the city center. 

Price: Included in the registration fee for all attendees. 

Winter Activities

Saturday 29 January at 19:00 – 22:00
Tuesday 1 February at 19:00 – 21:30
Thursday 3 February at 14:00 – 17:00.

For both LIFE2022 participants and avecs/accompanying persons, we have organized an exclusive winter activity program in the surrounding areas of Rovaniemi. More information is in Winter Activities -tab. 

Price: NOT Included in the registration fee for all attendees. 

WINTER ACTIVITIES

To get inspired, you can have a look at www.laplandsafaris.com. For both LIFE2022 participants and avecs/accompanying persons, we have organized an exclusive winter activity program. To participate in these activities, please register before January 21st, 2022, using the following link:

REGISTER FOR LIFE2022 WINTER ACTIVITIES

GENERAL INFORMATION

Rovaniemi is the administrative capital and commercial center of Finland’s Lapland.

The city is about 800 km north of Helsinki, the capital of Finland. In the past few decades, Rovaniemi has grown into a busy and active town with now more than 63.000 inhabitants. Rovaniemi is also the educational center of Lapland, and there are two universities located in Rovaniemi. The University of Lapland is the northernmost university in Finland and the European Union. Lapland University for Applied Sciences has its home base in Rovaniemi. The unique location of Rovaniemi on the Arctic Circle has attracted more than 400.000 tourists each year from all over the world. Visit Rovaniemi‘s website for more information.

How to get there

Despite its northern location, Rovaniemi is well connected to the rest of the world. From abroad, the town is easiest to get to by about one hour flight via Helsinki. Daily flights between Rovaniemi and Helsinki are operated by Finnair throughout the year. In addition, more and more airlines offer direct flights to Rovaniemi.

Finnair
Norwegian

Train
Having problems finding proper flights between Helsinki and Rovaniemi? Night train and sleeping compartment can be an interesting, exotic, economical, and sustainable option for those who don’t want to stay an extra night in Helsinki or Rovaniemi. There are two night trains available every day, and the trains during the daylight offer a good opportunity to see more of Finland. Visit VR for more information.

How to get from the airport/railway station to the hotels

Airport Express – bus from the airport to the city center and back – drives to all the central hotels and bus station in, approx.. 15 minutes for price 7-12€ per person. Airport Express departs from the airport after every flight arrival. Check your hotel reception about the pickup time from your hotel back to the airport. For further information call +358 (0)16 – 362 222. 

Normal Taxi: Price from the airport to the city center is approx.. 20€.

The railway station is located about 1.5 kilometers from the city center. There is no direct bus connection. The easiest way to get to the hotel is to either walk or take a taxi. 

Taxi

Finnish taxis are reliable and accept credit cards. The following taxi companies operate in Rovaniemi:

Rovaniemi Taxi Service

Lähitaksi Rovaniemi

Menevä

Car rentals

All major car rentals have an office in Rovaniemi for those interested in traveling around the surrounding areas and Lapland by themselves. 

Weather in Rovaniemi

In January-February, the average temperatures are around -11 degrees (Celsius). So have that in mind when choosing your clothing. For the winter activities, however, there is always proper clothing available for the participants. Please visit the Finnish Meteorological Institute’s website for updated news on weather in Rovaniemi.

Language

The official languages in Finland are Finnish and Swedish, but practically everyone knows basic English; especially the people involved in tourism speak excellent English. LIFE2022 language is English.

Currency

The Finnish currency unit is the Euro. There are numerous cash machines (ATMs) open around the clock and accepting all major credit cards. Besides, Visa and Mastercard are widely accepted almost everywhere (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 UTC/GMT+2