29.1.2015
International Teacher Training
Ali Heikkilä
Mänttä-Vilppula is organizing an international teacher-training day on the 29th of January at Serlachius museum Gösta in Kivijärvi hall. This training is a part of the EU Regio project, Development Of Curricula and Teacher Training, which began in 2013 and is due to end in the summer of 2015. Mänttä-Vilppula Culture and Education Department is organizing for its teachers this training day, which will be focused on the curriculum and will be working jointly with Sangerdi city in Iceland. Topics at this event will include the renewal of the Finnish curriculum, as well as the visitors from Iceland will be presenting their anti-bullying program. Project members include two schools from Mänttä-Vilppula; Savosenmäen School and Vilppula coeducational school, as well as Serlachius museum, Mänttä hand-crafts center and Sammallammas company. Also taking part in the project are Sangerdi School and representatives from other parties.
2.2.2015 KMV
Lava stone and fish skin
Ali Heikkilä
Traditional materials that are often used in Iceland to make a number of different products include lava stone and fish skin. This became apparent at the training day event in Mänttä-Vilppula on Thursday the 29th of January, which was organized by Mänttä-Vilppula Culture and Education Department and the city of Sangerdi.
The Icelanders in turn, were able to get acquainted with traditional Finnish materials such as birch bark and crafted rings and strings of beads out of it. Birch bark as a material was quite unique to them as trees are scarce in Iceland.
“[Birch] bark is a very interesting material. We have very little bark in Iceland seeing as birch trees are so small,” said Elín Yngvadóttir, Sandgerdi schools’ vice-principal.
On display during the event were skins from different fish including: salmon, cod and catfish. The skin is treated in a special way and then used to make shoes, bags and accessories among other things.
Lava stone is used to make all sorts of decorative objects, but it is also used as insulation in building purposes because it is so light and dense.
Featured at the event was a jewel model that students would make, designed using both Finnish and Icelandic materials. Designing the jewel model were felt expert Eija Pirttilahti and Mänttä Knowledge centers’ Pirjo Hokkanen as well as some teachers.
Along at the day from Sandgerdi, Iceland were people from Grunnskóli School, Leikskólinn Sólborg nursery, Listatorg Lista Community Art Center, Náttúrustofa Suðvesturlands Nature Research Institute, Þekkingarsetur Suðurnesja Science and Learning Center and Educational director Gudjon Kristjánsson.
Topics during the day were the renewal of the Finnish curriculum and the visitors from Iceland talked about their anti-bullying program.
In Iceland they try to intervene in bullying immediately as well as in Finland. The situation is handled by talking. At the heart of it is trying to get students to understand their feelings and themselves as well as boost their self-confidence.
“We want our students to understand that there is meaning in everything that we do and that you can always choose a different way of doing things,” said Kristjánsson.