Luma Center Oulu

University of Oulu

Visiting the University of Oulu in northern Finland for three days. Beautiful city, covered with fresh snow.  I attended a professional development activity on integrating different disciplines of science.

At the beginning we had coffee, salad, sandwich and some sweet bread for dessert. I did not talk to anyone while eating. The event was for biology, environmental science, physics  and math teachers. The theme was: how natural sciences and mathematics are connected to studies of environmental teachniques.

Lecture on Water Quality

We heard a lecture on water quality—1.  -does water protection have any effect on water quality. 2. Why do we need natural sciences 3. How to integrate math, physics, chemistry, biology and programming. 4.. Next we had a demo on how to purify water. The teacher used coffee and tried to clean it.. 5. Next was a lecture on thermodynamics by another professor.. He gave us a booklet on metallurgy.. It involved calculations. 

Presentation on Water Quality

Discussions with Kati Kyllonen, the Head of Luma Center in Oulu. 

The Luma center has existed for 10 years and this one networks with all the other Luma centers. Ministry of Education gives money to these centers, but they also need to get sponsors. Often cities support them too. Actually, the money goes first to universities and they pass the money further to Luma Centers.  Ministry hopes that these centers would be independent by 2020. Luma Oulu supports teacher professional development and runs math competition for 7^th graders. Students come to university for math club.

There is Maoli teacher education system. It stands for Mathematical subjects teacher union..

All the teaching is going to electronics. Luma centers consult teachers and they have professional development based on that. New High School law will be in use in 2019.

I need to translate  this .. http://minedu.fi/artikkeli/-/asset_publisher/esitys-uudeksi-lukiolaiksi-julki-vahvaa-yleissivistysta-tiivistyvaa-korkeakouluyhteistyota-ja-panostuksia-lukiolaisten-hyvinvointiin