European Innovative Teaching Award (EITA) given to Espoon yhteislyseo general upper secondary school

The Espoon yhteislyseo general upper secondary school’s Erasmus+ project “Not Yet – What I don’t know yet, I can learn tomorrow if I consider learning to be possible” originated in the conversations that teacher Annele Rantavuori, who was the supervising teacher of the student union at the time, had with the students. The board of the student union highlighted the importance of well-being in learning. The student union had noticed that the students were more stressed out than before. Both students and teachers immediately agreed on the importance of the topic and its selection as the project theme. “The students brought up this topic, which resonated with many and was timely,” teacher Marjo Inkala says.

“From the very beginning, the project was built on the spirit of working and brainstorming together, which made it pleasant and rewarding to coordinate,” says Annele Rantavuori.

The aim of the Not Yet project was to improve students’ well-being and understanding of the importance of their own actions and motivation – especially when they want to achieve a particular goal. The basis for this was Carol Dweck’s theory of the importance of attitude in learning.

“Many students are afraid to admit to themselves that they have difficulties in their studies. Improvement is not possible if you are afraid to ask for help,” Marjo Inkala says.

During the mobility periods of the project, different subjects were combined with each other, because an interdisciplinary approach is valued at the Espoon yhteislyseo general upper secondary school.  “We already had a period of phenomenon-based learning in 2016. We are pioneers in upper secondary school education,” Inkala says.

The mobility periods were made to Iceland (the partner school was Menntaskólinn í Kópavogi in Kópavogur), Estonia (the partner school was Miina Härma Gümnaasium in Tartu) and Norway (the partner school was Stavanger Katedralskole in Stavanger). Each period lasted about a week and involved 8–10 students (different students for different mobility periods). Each mobility period had a different perspective on well-being.

In Iceland, the project studied the impact of the environment and art on well-being. In Estonia, the project carried out surveys on the amount of sleep, use of social media and physical activity for Finnish and Estonian students. The project programme for Norway was created in cooperation with students on the basis of a well-being theme; personal well-being means different things, depending on the person.

Annele Rantavuori was involved in the mobility period in Iceland: “The trip to Iceland was an unforgettable adventure in the wonderful nature of Iceland, and we thought a lot about how the environment and a person’s situation affect their well-being. New friendships were also formed during the trip, thanks to shared experiences.”

Marjo Inkala was part of the mobility period in Estonia: “A great success of the project was that the students were able to carry out scientific research and analyse the results during the project.”

“A thank you to the working group for their active approach!” Initiative, courage and an encouraging working atmosphere are the strengths of the Espoon yhteislyseo general upper secondary school. Here, studying is always a buzz. We have great students and teachers who are eager to get involved in different projects. The award was given to the right school. Congratulations to everyone once again!” says Helena Mielikäinen, deputy principal of the Espoon yhteislyseo general upper secondary school.

Even before this project, well-being has been an important theme at the Espoon yhteislyseo general upper secondary school. The upper secondary school has organised wellness weeks, which have included both Studia Generalia-style lectures and activities planned by students.