Prior learning experiences of vocational education

The following is an assignment to be completed for the VOC1 unit.

Description of experiences of vocational education

I studied Russian and English interpretation, translation, and intercultural communication in former Joensuu university (nowadays University of Eastern Finland), in the Institute of Intercultural Communication in Savonlinna for 6 years. The years were interesting and somewhat leisurely. We carried out studies at individual pace, 5-6 years. Sometimes I would have classes only 3 days a week, since the school was small and the course range was limited. There was very little reading -I read about 10 books relating to studying, apart from Master's thesis. On the other hand, there was a lot of homework, preparation for simultaneous interpretation classes: learning vocabulary etc.

Learning methods

Practice and simulation

Studying was very practical. Interpretation lessons consisted of interpretation situations that we had prepared beforehand and that the teacher and fellow students evaluated and commented. In translation lessons we evaluated texts that we had translated at home. We also had lecture courses, but I can hardly remember anything from those. I guess the usual thing happened: the notes of the lecturer are transmitted/copied to the notes of the student without enter into either parties head (or understanding).

It was after the first year of studies that a friend of my grandmother told me: 'A teacher'. I did not know her, and she did not know anything about me, but she felt I would become a teacher one day. I did not pay much attention to this, and I definitely did not feel it was my cup of tea. One year before this I had returned from Thailand where I had taught Finnish primary school subjects during one year to two Finnish boys, who attended an American school. This was my first teaching experience. One of the boys was easy to work with and completed the tasks, while the younger one was much more interested in soccer and hanging out with his Thai friends than figuring out what strange Finnish words like 'löntystellä' (clumping or shuffling around) meant.

Up until recent years I had thought I am not teacher material. I prefer working independently and I don't consider myself very entertaining or engaging personality, whom the students would like (I thought this would be a prerequisite, and still I think it is one of the key factors for a teacher to enjoy his work). Ironically enough, adjacent to our university department and connected by corridors, was a teacher training faculty. Compared to our student body, they seemed outgoing and social, inspiring and energetic. They were talkative and loud and had a lot of parties and other social events. They had to read tons of books: in average 3 books per exam, while we had to read only the lecture notes. They graduated in a tight 4-year schedule, while we could take our time, and for most it took at least 5 years. The talked about portfolios : -), creative projects, and lesson plans. I had some good friends among the teachers-to-be, but I was glad I didn't have to do what they were required.

Teaching faculty

Part of our teaching staff was native English, German, and Russian teachers. I found the British lecturers quite easy-going and easiest to relate to. Our American professor was a member of city council and eco-green figure with a long beard and saggy clothes, but I loved this classes on Creative writing and American society. The Russian teachers, loyal to their own upbringing, were strict. They had lived in Finland over 10 years, but they did not speak any Finnish – a relic from the Soviet past, maybe. In other words, this was part of our cultural exposure.

The most boring courses were lead by a man who had published his own dictionary, Mr. Heikki Särkkä (sorry to say this; anyway, I still admire his expertise). The courses were, respectively, translating documents and lexicography (working with vocabulary and compiling dictionaries). I did learn on those courses, but he had not teaching skills or abilities to relate to students.

The worst experiences are credited to a Finnish teacher of English subjects. Her lecture course on the development of English language was enjoyable, but after the exam she turned into a wicked witch. None of the 16-20 students passed the test. She did not ask test questions on the lecture material, but extra reading she had hinted. I didn't pass the second test either. The third try was a personal oral examination. She was quite unhappy with my pronunciation and would have deserved an Oscar from her reactions to my answers: ”Ohh! Uhh! As if a knife have pierced my heart (when I heard your lousy answer)”. I passed the test finally, but the balance of horror continued on the technical translation course. None of the students dared to answer her questions on class, because the wrong answers triggered exaggerated expressions of unbelief and disgust. Everyone just stared at the desk, and she proclaimed: ”Oh, you are so innocent” (meaning: you are so stupid!) The questions did not concert translation, but basics of molecular chemistry and energy layers or details of paper making machinery, which, of course, every respectable student should have mastered. - I did not even have chemistry in high school, so I was deemed to take her courses twice. Her teaching method: humiliating students. Interestingly enough, my favourite subject was simultaneous interpretation, even though she happened to teach that course in English. I felt somewhat apprehensive towards the teacher, but I discovered one of my brightest talents right there.

Tutors and mentors - Power of positive feedback and trust

I had a teacher who played a big part in finding my strengths. It was one of my Russian teachers, who took notice of me. I didn't think there was anything special about me, but she certainly did. She had an unlimited belief in my abilities and skills, and on my opinion, her idea was way too optimistic. What made the difference, though, was that she believed in me and that I had a great potential. She urged me to apply to a special training programme, sponsored by the EU. I did, and was accepted. At that point I wanted to finish my studies, so I declined. When I submitted my thesis, written in Russian language, she invited me to her place. She paid the taxi and we toasted with champage.

It's all about relationships (Marilyn, principles of teaching)

After finishing my Master's degree, I began studying theology in an English programme. Our main teachers were an American couple, who had been teaching in Europe for about 10 years. Their teaching was based on the idea that 'it's all about relationships'. They had crafted the lessons with care, but they put a lot of effort into team building, grouping and team spirit. They invested their own time and financial means to create extra events, such as movie nights, birthday and other theme parties, a Thanksgiving dinner, Finnish evening and get-togethers complete with pop corn, soft drinks and homemade bakery products. They shared their own life with its joys and strugges with us and made personal friends with us. The lady became my mentor and she helped me in my inner journey in ways I could not have imagined. They poured love to us and make students changed for better as a result. I am indebted for that special year.

This beloved teacher lead a course called Principles of Teaching. It shaped my idea of teaching, and for the first time I could image teaching as something I COULD do.

Fellow students

One common denominator to most students was interest in languages and other cultures. Our department was quite small, consisting only of about 300 students and few dozens staff members. The English major students were most normal, and the Russian majors most unique, or personal. I was both. 70-80% of students were girls. I did not interact with other students very much, my friends were elsewhere. My best friend at university was a girl who was married to an Egyptian man. On our free time we played duets with flute and she cooked me exotic Egyptian dishes during Ramadan. My friend turned to Islam at some point, so she started wearing a veil and skirt, but this did not disturb me or cause any visible reactions by others.

I attended many events where I could socialize with international students. One semester I was a tutor to a French girl, but she was very independent and did not need much help. I got to know especially a few Japanese exchange students. One Japanese guys baked me Finnish pulla and Spanish potato omelets, I cooked him Korean seaweed soup and pulgogi, a marinated pork dish. A Japanese girl taught me to cook chicken in a Japanese way, and an Italian girl showed how to make pasta a la carbonara. Now in aftermath I could say that spending time abroad and with international people helped me deepen my understanding and offered real-life experiences of intercultural communication.

Positive and negative experiences

During my studies, I worked in Russia in the summertime in a cultural exchange project in a support team for foreign teams that lived in children's summer camps. I fell in love with Russia and Russians since the first 3-month term and returned back every summer. I worked together with Russians, Finns, Amercans, and Australians. On weekends, we would take an 'elektichka', a local train to St. Petersburg. Those were colourful and fun summers, even though we rarely took a day off.

I also spent 10 weeks in England, studying linguistics. I got a scholarship and joined an international student body. I made some Korean friends and learned some Korean, including the alphabet, on my free time.

During the school year I took up a part-time job at a hamburger restaurant. I also had some hobbies: modern dance, drama etc. It had not occurred to me that I could tire myself down, so gradually I became very exhausted and I was in the brink of burn out. I managed to get through my last years and accomplish everything, but I realized I had to slow down and start taking some time off. I tend to tire off easily and I have to take care of my well-being, but I recognize it is not always easy for several reasons. First of all, I am very active and love to learn and try out new things. Secondly, I am not very good at saying no. And third, I tend to pack my schedule too full of things, and as a very meticulous and try to do everything as well as can.

Learning on iVET program

My learning experience during the iVET program has been very different from the earlier ones. The learning methods are self-study and small group preparation of the materials, giving and attending presentations actively with discussing and other tasks in an e-learning environment. So far we have had 6 contact days, plus 2 during the optional Managing People course. We have covered a wide range of information in a very small time span. The downside is that I have not learned some of the material deeply as we only quickly scratch the surface. There simply is not much time to spend with an individual topic. A pro side is that the networking has been efficient and friendships are being developed, because we hold regular planning sessions in the internet. Certain friendships are probably deeper than during my university days. This is very valuable and I am sure that I will maintain these friendships after the program. I have used e-learning environment already before, but Optima is very confusing and frustrating. It takes too much time to navigate there and try to locate the correct materials or discussion threads. I have previous experience of Moodle, and it is much more flexible. There has been only minor technical difficulties during the virtual sessions, so it has not hindered learning. On the other hand, we are undergoing a massive renovation in my apartment, and we have not had Internet access for 4 weeks, which makes it difficult to attend planning sessions with my team, commenting e-mails, and even holding presentations. Already one I have had to attend the virtual session in a public space, and just as it was my turn to speak, refreshments were being served for a conference session downstairs, so there was background noise and distraction. I will face a similar situation next week, and I will see how that one goes. My best learning experiences so far has been EduTech and EduPreneur boot camps. The learning methods: innovation, debate, scavenger hunt, contest, etc. have been very creative and I have learned a lot. I want to apply these ideas to my teaching when ever they are applicable.