LIFE Shadowing Experience
Immerse yourself in Finland’s renowned education system and the enchanting landscapes of Lapland with our comprehensive course. This program offers a unique opportunity to observe Finnish teaching practices, engage with educators worldwide, and experience the cultural richness of Finland. Beginning with participation in the Educa event in Helsinki, the journey continues to Rovaniemi, providing a holistic view of Finnish educational excellence.
Theme for the 10th edition of LIFE: Supporting digital wellbeing in schools – Safer online habits and positive digital experiences
What You’ll Learn:
This course provides an in-depth understanding of collaborative teaching methodologies and their impact on student learning. Through direct classroom observations and interactive workshops, you’ll gain insights into the Finnish approach to education, focusing on co-teaching, student engagement, and inclusive practices. Key areas of exploration include:
- Observe Finnish teachers’ daily work and learning environments through school visits/job shadowing.
- Gain insights into student-centred learning and collaborative methods.
- Explore good practices in digital safety, digital wellbeing, and the responsible use of technology in education.
- Reflect on observed educational practices and identify ideas that can be adapted to your own context.
Course Highlights:
- Educa Event Participation: Engage with Finland’s largest education and training sector event in Helsinki.
- School Visits in Rovaniemi: Shadow Finnish teachers and observe classroom dynamics firsthand.
- Cultural Immersion: Experience the unique culture of Lapland, including local traditions and natural beauty.
- Expert-Led Workshops: Participate in sessions led by experienced Finnish educators and researchers.
- Networking Opportunities: Connect with international educators to share experiences and best practices.
- Free access to Finnish Education Online Courses: Learn more about Finnish education before your visit.
This program combines theoretical knowledge with practical experiences, offering a comprehensive understanding of Finland’s educational practices.
LIFE is also an international educational event
LIFE is offered by Euneos as an Erasmus+ teacher training course. The same programme is presented by our sister company VisitEDUfinn as the international educational event Lapland International Forum for Education™, open to education professionals from around the world.
For more detailed information about the complete LIFE experience — including school visits, social programme, winter activities, experts, afterlife experience workshop, accommodation options, and practical information about Helsinki and Rovaniemi — visit the LIFE event page on VisitEDUfinn.
Upcoming courses
Register for Winter Activities
What our clients say
Tickets
Standard/group price includes:
- Event materials
- School visits
- Visit to Santa Claus Village
- Ice swimming or sled slides
- Ticket to Arktikum
- Admission to all sessions
- Event materials
- Certificate of attendance
Standard price
Early bird/normal/late registration prices
Group price
Discounted price for groups of 5 or more
Catering and transportation package
Five lunches and refreshments, two dinners, and transportation during the program
This is a preliminary program – final schedule will be confirmed before the event.
PROGRAM
This is a preliminary program – please note that changes are possible. There will be small changes as we confirm next year’s speakers and add new elements.
The fundamental part of LIFE2027 is to observe daily life at local schools. You can choose the age range to ensure it is relevant to you. If you want to observe pre-primary education, it is typically conducted in kindergartens. Here are the age ranges for each visit:
- Daycare / Kindergarten (ages 1–6)
- Primary & lower secondary school (ages 7-15)
- Teacher Training School (ages 7–12)
- High School/Vocational School (ages 16–18)
During the shadowing, you will be observing teachers in their activities and talking about their daily teaching practices.
Special opportunity: We offer approximately 20 participants the chance to swap one of their chosen visits for a principals’ shadowing. This will be offered to all registered participants later, and the fastest to respond will secure a spot.
Based on your suggestions, we will also have a Stage Free session where you can share your own work. During one afternoon, we offer a Stage Free session where participants can present their own projects, research, or ideas in short 15-minute talks, followed by a brief Q&A. A separate sign-up for presenters will be collected in advance. This session is a unique chance to gain visibility, exchange experiences, and build future partnerships. Presenting here can also strengthen the training dimension of your Erasmus+ mobility.
LIFE2027 offers engaging expert presentations, workshops focusing on different aspects of Finnish education, and learning outside the classroom “on the move”. The event also aspires to create an output. This involves working individually or in groups on a concrete project, such as composing new initiatives for your own school.
Friday, Jan 29
10:00 – 19:00 Participating in Educa event (English program). You can join an optional Educa School Visit.
Saturday, Jan 30
10:00 – 17:00 Educa continues (English program)
Traveling to Rovaniemi (according to individual flight options). Recommended visit before going to Rovaniemi: Oodi Library.
NOTE! Educa program will be streamed so you can also fly directly to Rovaniemi without missing the presentations.
Sunday, Jan 31
08:30 – 09:00 Registration at Santa’s Hotel Santa Claus
09:00 – 09:45 Conference opening,
09:45 – 10:15 Educa event reflections
10:15 – 10:30 Coffee break
10:30 – 11:00 Module A: Introduction to Finnish pre-education & care
11:00 – 11:30 Module B: Introduction to primary & secondary education (including special education), Ms. Tuovi Ronkainen
12:00 – 17:00 Visiting Santa Claus Village; includes an optional ride in Husky Park
19:00 – 22:00 Ice Restaurant Dinner Experience (optional)
Monday, Feb 1
08:30 – 13:00 School visits (including lunch)
- Daycare / Kindergarten
- Primary & lower secondary school
- Teacher Training School (only 20 seats available!)
13:00 – 14:30 Outdoor activities/ participants’ recess
14:45 Coffee served in the conference room
15:00-17:00 Program in the conference room at Hotel Santa Claus:
- 15:00-15:15 Greetings from schools
- 15:15-16:00 Working in small groups
- 16:00- 17:00 Mr. Jussi Kainulainen: Local implementations of the national curriculum – case Rovaniemi.
19:00 – 21:00 City Reception
Tuesday, Feb 2
08:30 – 13:00 School visits (including lunch)
- Primary & lower secondary school
- High school (there is an exam week, so this visit does not include so much lesson observation)
- Vocational school
14:30 – 15:00 Coffee break
15:00 – 17:30 Program at the hotel, GROUP A
- Presentation: Supporting digital wellbeing in schools – Safer online habits and positive digital experiences
- Stage Free session where participants can present their own projects, research, or ideas in short 15-minute talks, followed by a brief Q&A.A separate sign-up for presenters will be collected in advance.
OR
15:00 – 18:00 ‘Be a student’ – lesson simulations in a Finnish school, GROUP B
- Sport (snowshoeing)
- Nature pedagogy
- Home economics
- Handcrafts
- Welfare pedagogy
19:00 – 21:30 Northern Lights Hunting (optional)
Wednesday, Feb 3
08:30 – 13:00 Discovering building blocks of active citizenship at PILKE and Arktikum, workshops and lectures in small groups
14:30 – 15:00 Coffee break
15:00 – 18:00 ‘Be a student’ – lesson simulations in a Finnish school*, GROUP A
- Sport (snowshoeing)
- Nature pedagogy
- Home economics
- Handcrafts
- Welfare pedagogy
OR
15:00 – 17:30 Program at the hotel, GROUP B
- Presentation: Supporting digital wellbeing in schools – Safer online habits and positive digital experiences
- Stage Free session where participants can present their own projects, research, or ideas in short 15-minute talks, followed by a brief Q&A. A separate sign-up for presenters will be collected in advance.
19:00 – 21:00 Farewell Dinner at Santa’s Hotel Santa Claus (some surprise program)
Thursday, Feb 4
08:30 – 10:30 Educational Administration
- Behind the scenes: decisions and work that make a happy school possible
- Guest speaker: Ms. Heljä Misukka
11:00 – 11:45 Working on the action plans.
12:00 – 12:30 Closing words, feedback
12:30 – 13.30 Lunch
14:00 – 17:00 Snowmobile Safari to Reindeer Farm (optional)
AFTERLIFE EXPERIENCE: optional with an extra fee
Friday, Feb 5
09:00 – 13:00 A hands-on workshop: Learning through and about nature
We have combined three different elements in one package. You get
- to experience Finnish nature education in the role of a student.
- to learn about Lappish lifestyle and survival skills needed in
Arctic environment. - concrete tools to use in your work.
This nature pedagogy workshop is designed and conducted by Kimmo Tuunala from Finncredible.
* IMPORTANT! All the school visits and lesson simulations have a minimum and maximum group size. The earlier you book, the more options you will have!
By the end of this course, you will be equipped to:
- By the end of this course, you will be able to:
- Analyze and apply Finnish co-teaching and collaborative learning strategies.
- Develop tools for planning and evaluating collaborative learning.
- Implement models for cooperative learning and team teaching.
- Support students with special needs through effective collaboration.
- Enhance 21st-century skills through collaborative learning approaches.
This course is ideal for school management, kindergarten and school educators, special education teachers, and other professionals in school education, adult education, and vocational education and training (VET) seeking to enhance their understanding of innovative teaching practices.
Suvi is an expert in educational psychology with a broad understanding of education and a deep insight into the human mind and learning. She holds a Master’s degree in Education from the University of Helsinki and has taught students in an innovative educational psychology program. Suvi’s teaching experience includes lecturing, supervising pre-service teachers, and facilitating group processes in phenomenon-based learning. Her research has focused on teacher-student interaction, and she has also studied media education as part of her teacher training. With grassroots experience as a classroom teacher, youth worker, and camp supervisor, she brings practical knowledge of working with children and teenagers to her work in teacher education and training.