Collaboration between actors in Finland
Photo:
Getty Images / Luis Alvarez
Collaboration with local stakeholders, including educators, policymakers, parents and the private sector, is critical in ensuring the successful implementation of education practices and solutions in a new context. This collaboration can help to identify the unique challenges and opportunities of the context, and ensure that the innovations are culturally relevant and acceptable.
Teachers
Teachers are the key to promoting the digital competences of learners and in supporting them in navigating the digital world. This requires continuous professional development and a constant will to explore new territory. Teachers need the ability to adapt and learn new things because of the strong foundation of their own education.
Parents
Parents want their children to thrive, achieve their fullest potential, be happy and self-sufficient. This means equal access to educational opportunities and the acquisition of relevant competences for life and work, including digital skills.
Implementor/Adaptor
In the digital education space, an implementor or adaptor of a practice or a solution could refer to anyone who is responsible for executing or carrying out an education idea or initiative. These include teachers, administrators, edtech companies, and non-profit organisations.
Local authorities
Local authorities like the Finnish municipalities make digital platforms available, for the purpose of sharing ideas and best practices.
Society
Collaboration is at the core in developing education in Finland. Stakeholders cooperate to translate common goals into curricula and plans of action that today include digital solutions. Finland is also happy to work with other countries, assisting in the mapping out and implementation of digital education programs.
National education organisations
The Ministry of Education and Culture, Finnish National Agency for Education (EDUFI), and the National Audio-Visual Institute (KAVI) all play key roles in deciding the framework of curricula, which is then interpreted by local municipalities, schools, and teachers to best fit the needs of the students.
Solution providers
Finland aims to strengthen the connections here, opening up opportunities for building multi-level scaffolding for the success of the entire digital educational ecosystem.
Collaboration between actors in your country?
Reflect on your context:
What kind of decision-makers are needed in different phases? What tasks must these decision-makers complete at each phase? What resources or expertise must they have?
Below you can find some resources for education collaboration in Finland. Are they useful for you?
What kind of decision-makers are needed in different phases? What tasks must these decision-makers complete at each phase? What resources or expertise must they have?
Below you can find some resources for education collaboration in Finland. Are they useful for you?
Resources for Education Innovation Collaboration in Finland
Higher education Partnership Programme
The Higher Education Partnership Programme (HEP/HEI ICI) supports cooperation projects between higher education institutions in Finland and in the Global South. HEP/HEI ICI works with higher education institutions in developing their subject-specific, methodological, educational and administrative capacities. Examples of projects with a focus on digital learning:
GINTL - Global Innovation Network for Teaching and Learning
GINTL brings dedicated researchers and practitioners from Finland together with their partners from China, India, and the African continent.
University Of Turku Centre for Learning Analytics
The Centre is a research group focused on different learning technologies and digital learning solutions.
Helsinki Education Hub
Helsinki Education Hub is an organisation that serves to connect stakeholders and provide a forum for innovation to be explored and take place for the betterment of the digital education ecosystem in Finland.
xEdu
xEdu is a business accelerator for edtech startups creating transformative learning solutions with pedagogical impact. The organisation also organises the annual innovation event XcitED.
Edtech Finland
A national not for profit association is strengthening the conditions of doing business in learning and education technology. They connect the Finnish EdTech industry with the European Edtech Alliance members.