Prior Learning Experience

At six o´clock in the morning...it should be easy to write something. Last night I slept with my son (who has fever 40 degrees by the way) until five o´clock when my husband came to change the shift so that I could have some rest. After changing the bed I couldn´t sleep longer. So here I am, sitting in front of the screen with my snoring dog and my cup of coffee (espresso as Italian style, I would say) trying to concentrate on what to write.

Without the support of my family these studies wouldn´t take place. I spent the last few years wondering, if I should apply or not to the Vocational Teacher Education - my Finnish written skills are too bad compared to a native - so when I heard that this year the studies would be in English I thought - now! So here I am, dealing with a totally new thing.

My formal education consists of a University Degree in Humanities, with History as a main subject. During my academic career I worked as a secretary in a small business and later - after my Erasmus project in France - as a security agent in the airport. The Erasmus project was a great experience and also the reason why I wanted to try again to go abroad, studying or working: in 2004 I landed in Rovaniemi with Ranua as a destination. 

My career in University started very well. I liked a lot about what I was studying. The environment was inspiring even though the method which the teacher used was the same as during my previous school career: passive learning and oral tests in June or July. The positive side: I learned to deal in my free time. In high school I never had just ONE oral test, but plenty of them during the year. Sometimes I had also written and oral tests in same subject in the same week. In the University - from the testing point of view – it was completely different. So I learned how to deal with the studies in a long term, I learned how to deal and divide my time in order to arrive to the summer test ready. My studies were individual studies; I dealt with myself and myself only. No group work, no discussions with others. I could of course have studied with my class mates, but we weren´t allowed to work together. I had also to deal with a new thing: the oral tests were public so - everybody could come and listen to my exam, not only my class mates. I still don´t know, if it was harder for me to learn to speak in front of an audience or the exam itself.

The way of studying and testing was unfair for those who weren´t visual learners since we had during the lessons so few possibilities to watch a video or a diagram. 

If  I have to think about a teacher who inspired me during my school career, I think about my high school Italian teacher: strong personality with really aggressive attitude but no one like her gave me (and not only to me) the passion for learning, the will to develop my curiosity. Her way to teach was rich in information and notions but she tried to build on our previous knowledge. Even though she built a scary atmosphere in the class, she was also able to understand what kind of learners she had in front of her.  I couldn´t deal with her method of billion questions in a minute so she was using a different method with me: asking me questions not directly but passively. Every time when someone else was dealing with her, she was asking my opinion or my ideas about something without torturing me. I was not in the center of the scene; I was supporting someone’s thesis, but I was not the person in charge. I adopted this way of teaching using it nowadays with those students that are too shy or too afraid to speak with/to me. She usually said: I am not expecting you to be what you are not. You just be yourself, it´s me who is trying to understand you. It´s my job to learn, who you are.

To be in charge was not my thing then and she understood it/me. I could still give something to my class without forcing my personality. Nowadays I am in a completely different situation: in a certain way of thinking I am the person in charge in the class. But I could observe how to do it and later on, with the help of my informal education I could see and experience things that my Italian teacher couldn´t give me. 

My formal education - like I mentioned - has been really theoretical. But when I started to discovered the world of informal education, it opened for me a completely new world.

The Italian high school (and also my elementary and junior high schools) used the methods of passive learning, repeating to the students things and testing (written and oral) their knowledge. In language learning for instance, since I remember, I didn´t hear once my English teacher speaking us in English. I was good in grammar but when I went to London for the first time I was a fish out of the water. 

The Italian teacher sometimes made us to work in groups. I remember one summer, when me and my four classmates we participating to "Pirandello´s conference for high school students": we read all Pirandello´s novels, made analyses (together) and wrote a presentation. It was one of the best moments as a learner. It was an entertaining way to learn, inspiring and... hard.    

In Italian schools we start very early, already in the first grade to speak using an argument or themes in front our classmates. I found always difficult not to look at the teacher but at my class mates (it was supposed to be like that). But at the end such skills became very handy, when I had my first job as a group leader.

The group leading job I experienced first time in Rome Airport, when I was working as a security agent. Even though it was the worst job experience I have ever had: no timetables at all, awful boss, noisy and crowded place, and working outside, no matter what the  weather or temperature were, I have to admit that I learned also there. My duties included security checks to the American Airlines (all of that) plus the Alitalia flights go to/from Tel Aviv and to/from London. It was right after 9/11 so you could imagine what kind of atmosphere we were breathing. After a year of standing in front of a plane door, checking who goes in and who goes out, I was one day again IN CHARGE of the luggage in transit. My duty was to deal with a lot of bags, communicate constantly with the supervisor in the checking area and coordinate the workers downstairs.

I had to make sure that they put the right luggage into the right containers.
That morning my flight supervisor explained me shortly how we were going to proceed. I was really confused even though I had seen the same procedure many times by others with more experience than me. 

I managed very well. In that very moment I understood: I learn only if I experience something  by doing myself.

My group leader’s job didn´t stop there. When I moved to Finland I was in EVS (European Voluntary Service) leading groups of youngsters. It was my daily routine in the youth house. And exactly there, in a small tiny Lappish village where I finally got it: I wanted to be with youngsters, give them inspiration, passion and support. 

Here you have a video of my experiences in Ranua as an EVS-worker (European Voluntary Service). I made this video on 2005 for my final EVS-report to give an idea of  activities where I participated: skiing competitions, daily trips in ski resorts, youth exchange, ice hockey and floorball tournaments, discos, summer camps, local festivals, activities in youth clubs and so on. It was my job to make contacts with youngsters (without knowing the Finnish language at all) and at the same time to build a group. My project name was "teaching internationally" and the best part was - teaching them just as being myself :)

I could succeed in my project with the help of my tutor and those responsible of the project. They gave me support and tools during my experience in Lapland.

Please understand that I tried to put two years of work in eight minutes. I hope you enjoyed it! 

I moved to Ranua in 2004. I really needed a break. I was still studying in the University and I decided to move to Finland to write there my thesis: "Finland during the Second World War"; a book of about 200 pages, with maps and long bibliography. It was hard to write such a "beast" in Ranua.

Connections and geographic position of the village were hard to face especially when you don´t have a car. It took a long time (more than one year) but at the end I had it done. During my studies and my writing I was working as a youth leader - as you probably saw already in the video. 

I had to figure out how to communicate with the youngsters without knowing a word of Finnish language...and here we are again. Italians, we are famous also for our gestures...so why not? I started with body language and at the same time I took a class of 50 hours of Finnish. It was a nightmare. The teacher spoke ONLY Finnish and the only thing I learnt from that class was...nothing. Wrong method?  Wrong chemistry? I certainly know that when I started to work with small kids I learned a lot.....they were speaking simply..."omppu, heppa, nenä, terve, hei, mitä..." and matching with simple pictures...and suddenly I discovered that Finnish language is not so hard as I thought it was. The teacher was just speaking to me, we didn´t have a book, she didn´t show me any pictures or videos....What I learn from that experience? ...

Learning by doing in Ranua was a real possibility for me. Meeting another culture didn´t lead me to a culture shock....yet. It came later when I moved to Oulu, when I really faced the reality. In Ranua I felt protected....I had always the support of my tutor of the project which helped me in hard moments. He was so helpful to me that he became my husband (sometimes I wonder if he is (still) tutoring me).

The experience in Ranua wasn´t my first experience abroad. I had a possibility to join also the Erasmus project in France, as I mentioned before a couple of years earlier than Finland.

I arrived in Tours, France on a rainy day. I didn´t have an accommodation, I spoke a little bit of French and in my luggage I had clothes, a camera and mocha machine (a breakfast without espresso wasn´t a breakfast for me). 

I cried at the station for 15 minutes like a little girl. Who told me to come here? Why didn´t I stay home where sun is shining and people are happy and friendly with me? Why did I want to come here and experience a new university system?
I still don´t know but I don´t regret what I have done. I took my luggage, spend a night in a hotel, survived from the complicated administration papers, found me an accommodation and  I was ready for my first day at the University Francois Rabelais, Tours.
To get to know a new university system was really complicated. At the first place I went to ask to the Erasmus association students if I could get some help. No chance, nobody was there and nobody showed up for a while. Patience is not my quality so I just decided to go for the adventure on my own. I went inside the first class with open door and sit there and tried to follow what was going on. This happens when you watch too much "Brave hearth" with Mel Gibson and hear too much time "Only the brave" line.
It was Modern History. A young teacher was sitting behind the desk with several books in front of him. He was sweating - a lot - and moving his hands, putting up every now and then his glasses. At the end of the lesson I went there and with my bad French language skills I asked if I could participate to the course. He answered me with a big smile and welcomed me to the class. After that I started to look after other courses and soon enough I noticed that, compared to my university in Italy nothing was different. Same methods of teaching: you go, sit, listen, write, read at home and go to the exam. The way how they were testing us was different from Italy: most of the tests were with closed door instead of Italy, where everything is public.
I didn´t have a tutor and I really needed one. I got it at the end of my experience, which ended prematurely. I met him once and he started to explain me the credit system (which I figured out by myself before long). 

I passed the exams I needed and went straight home without looking back.
Maybe one day I will be back there. It was the most difficult abroad experience I had. It was hard to build a net, it was hard to study and try to concentrate while sharing apartment with someone who liked to party every day. I was anyway ready to go abroad again and this time ready to learn from my mistakes. I decided to experience something only when I am ready to. 

Here is the link of the university, if you want to check out the place. Beautiful region anyway

University of Tours Francois Rabelais

What makes a group leader, a good group leader? I have been thinking that question for a long time, basically as long as I have done this job during holiday seasons.

To be with Italian or Finnish tourists is not always easy. You need a lot of patience, good organization skills, imagination, humor and self-control when you face difficult situations.

I travelled a lot since I was a young girl. My first trip abroad was with my father to New York when I was eight years old. He didn´t speak any English but once again - the typical Italian body language helped him a lot: he could even buy me a hat written I <3 NY!

When you are a group leader in a foreigner country you have to speak at least two languages: the language of the group and English. Knowing the language of the group also means that it is mandatory also to know the culture. You might face situations where you need to explain to the people, why in Italy  for instance we don´t drink milk with a meal, and why the waiter brings only one bill even though there is a large group eating.

You might explain why in Finland you go to sauna naked with your just-met-neighbor but still you are not allowed to hug or kiss him/her when he/she leaves (eventually without saying anything).

I have been working as a tour guide in Finland, Norway, Sweden, Estonia and Italy. In Northern Countries I lead Italians.  I usually go to Italy with Finns, most of the time they are my students. I try to organize for them a trip every year so that they can come and practice their skills. I am there if necessary, but I am not translating them anything. Learning on the field is the best way; you have to face the situation and improvise if necessary.

My experiences have taught me a lot. Besides those qualities I mentioned before, I have also learnt how to be the boss and give to the tourists good time. It wasn´t easy at first, but then I learnt the hard way what does it mean, if you don´t give the timetable to the group or if you forget to tell them to switch their watches one hour forward or back.

Dealing with people is hard, tiring and stimulating. While I was writing this post I read again an article which I wrote long time ago on 65 degrees northern latitude: Northern Finland Tour Guide Bliss.

This summer I led Finns in Rome and then in the North of Italy. At the end of the working experience nothing had changed since I wrote that article. Those qualities I mentioned are impressed in my mind and I try to learn from my mistakes. 

All my work experience and my formal and informal education have led me to my actual job: an Italian teacher for the Community Colleges in Oulu region. My job combines skills that I have obtained during these years in Italy, France and Finland.

I am working mostly with adults and from different kind of education backgrounds. Every year I meet new group, new people, new challenges. In addition: I travel a lot, about 800 kilometers a week. The working timetable is also hard: after I have spent time with my child during the daytime I go to work. I know that I won´t be at home reading him a fairy tale and giving the good night kiss.

My students are sometimes not so motivated, when they enter amongst the Italian language studies. Even though I try my best to teach them also the culture, it´s just a hobby for the most of them. Homework is not taken seriously and they would like to learn only the language they need for the week in Italy.

During my working experience in Community Colleges I have learnt how to deal with the culture gap and differences. How to organize lessons and still have space to improvise and be creative in order to stimulate the learning. How to read people in a few minutes (Did they have a good or a bad day or a hard day at work?) and try to teach them language and still have fun. Building a group is the first step I made during my really first day of elementary course. Usually I have good a source here: http://www.salto-youth.net/ I used the same source when I worked as a trainer for CIMO.

At the beginning students are really confused and maybe stressed about what will be happening? I have the feedback immediately: people who think that this method is not suitable for them just stop to come.

I have accepted during these years also the fact that people make choices and not everybody are ready to learn differently.

I think, I haven´t finished my project in Ranua yet; I am still "teaching internationally".

In my job there are also bad days and when I think I won´t make it, I watch this video which reminds me why I want to be an educator...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKVJzCRyGNM