A brand new school open its doors this year in Helsinki, Finland, another example of the new wave of schools across Europe. These schools incorporate the ideas of collaborative and constructivist approaches to learning combined with architectural structures designed to facilitate a maximum flexibility in the use of time,space and new technology. The principal Tuula Matikainen, gave me a guided tour of this truely remarkable structure.
The elementary school, called Sun School, opened its doors for a fresh crop of 300 students last autumn. Already a year earlier, preschool classes (grades 0-2) started in the annex building called Sun Spot. The principal, Tuula Matikainen, along with her team believes that the cognitive skills can be taught, hence they all have committed to pursue Bright Start cognitive intervention programme for preschool pupils followed by Instrumental Enrichment programme for all the grades from 3 to 9 (9 to 16 year). These programmes provide tools for teachers to teach underlining that each child is able to learn if right methods are available.

The Sun School has its specialties apart from strong pedagogical involvement; thanks to a design competition, organised by the Helsinki Education Department, it has great architectural dimensions. It doesn’t only look modern and light with lot of class, steel and wooden structures, but it is designed to be fitted for collaborative classroom activities and techniques.

The school building has four units each comprised of 3 to 5 classrooms. This is called a “home cell”; the idea is to create community feeling in a small group of around 150, which is easier than in a group of 600. In the middle of the each unit there is an area with chairs and tables where students can study, do collaborative work, or find common activities for all the classes to share. Each unit has its own teachers'room to plan common activities.

A common place for all the students is the big open space in the middle of the school that run through all the three floors. Here students gather for lunch, and here is also a big scene for theatre plays and other common activities that can be followed from all the floors concurrently. On the open corridors surrounding this open space student can find 4-computer islands where they can carry out the work started in classroom. For the moment 2 computer islands are enough, but next year when new students are coming the wireless network will help to get connected.

Each teacher has their own laptop that they’ve got as a part of a computer-driving license programme organised by the Helsinki Education Department. In classrooms they can hook them up with a projector. Before starting at the school all the teachers had to follow a 40-hour course on the school’s pedagogies. What concerns computer skills, the computer driving licence is a requirement. Teacher’s room also has an extensive selection of pedagogical books to support daily teaching.

There are two curriculum programmes that pupils can choose from; “Craft and technology – tekno” and “Science and technology – logos”. The Tekno curriculum is designed for pupils who prefer learning by doing, although science is not forgotten and cognitive skills are essential, whereas “Logos curriculum” is designed for pupils who prefer theoretical problem solving, experiments are not forgotten.

The school is well equipped not only with computers and Internet connections, but in what comes to classes dedicated to subject teaching. Information and Communication Technologies are not the only ones taking a special part in the curriculum, also teaching handcraft as well as wood and metalwork is emphasised. Equally boys and girls receive education in traditional handcrafts. There is a class with lots of sewing machines and also a room for metal and woodwork. Also home economics have a special classroom ready to teach students about everyday home management.

There is an astronomy club to watch the night skies of Helsinki. A big telescope and a tall watchtower fit perfectly for the purpose. Astronomy is an activity that could bring a more international dimension to everyday teaching through contacts with other enthusiasts. The school has also an interesting blend of functional art in it, on a sunny day a one meter long prism, filled with water, casts a rainbow across the wall of the lunch room letting pupils discover the wonders of the light.

You can read more about Sunbay School and the philosophy behind their pedagogical approach at the school's website that includes a presentation in English. http://aurinkokoulu.net/

You can contact the principal, Tuula Matikainen by email tuula.matikainen@edu.hel.fi, and read more about her here

http://www.tiedonpuu.fi/bs.php, theoretical background based on Haywood, Piaget, Vygotsky and Feuerstein

Brief introduction to Feuerstein's Instrumental Enrichment Program http://www.wccld.org/Pages/What_is_IE.htm