This experience is hard to describe with any words. When visiting the local ECEC centre we were impressed, how engaged and happy the children were. The same fact was easy to notice in the training of HPTC teachers. From the starting point of the training the teachers were openminded and enthusiastic. Every morning when we entered the classroom, where the training was kept, we saw happy faces and felt very welcome.
In the closing ceremony of the training the HPTC teachers shared the main points from Finnish ECEC that they are going to implement in Chinese ECEC pedagogy. The first one was to give children more opportunities to choose their daily activities. Secondly they were impressed of the fact that in Finland children are allowed to be children. They thought that by offering less learning activities for children and giving more space for free play, they in fact gain more.
The main points which we learned were the fact that we share the same values in ECEC in Finland and in China. There was no doubt that the best of the child is in the heart of ECEC in both countries. Chinese ECEC is very goal-orientated and therefore children learn in early age many skills. From Finnish point of view the activities are even too goal-orientated. Even though we think that in Finnish ECEC the level of goals could be a bit higher. Finnish children and also Finnish ECEC personnel could challenge themselves to put more effort on learning.
We can´t wait to see our colleagues and students from Degree Program of Social Services after summer holidays to share all that we learned and experienced in China. We saved a piece of China and Chinese ECEC in our hearts and we wish to see our Chinese colleagues soon again and to continue to learn both ways.
Text & images: Piia Roos and Petteri Väkiparta, Senior Lecturers, School of Social Services and Health Care
