Mentor Programme

Mentor programme for the Internationalization of General Education

The objective of the program is to create a nationwide network of experts of international projects covering all types of schools in general education. This network will support the creation of regional networks of local international project coordinators.

Through the networks the schools and municipalities will be able to get peer-to-peer mentoring, guidance and assistance in developing their internationalization strategies and launching international activities and projects integrated in the local curricula.

As the new framework of the national curriculum and local curricula are being created in 2012-1016, the aim of the mentor programme is also to develop the national, regional and local curricula in such a way that international activities will be an integral part of education and every day activities at school.

Focus on Internationalization at Home

The mainstreaming of international education requires that mobility becomes a minor (though important) part of the international activities at school. International education will be carried out in the classroom education in cooperation with different kinds of partners in Finland and abroad (schools, organizations, businesses, immigrants). Most of the activities will take place in local workshops and field trips or online in virtual environments.

Quality Recommendations

The development of the quality of international activities and global education at school is based on the Quality Recommendation for International Education in General Education published by the Finnish National Board of Education.

The quality criteria

• International operations are implemented and developed, as well as estimated on the basis of curricula.
• The training and the school's international activity plans guide the internationalization of the school according to set objectives and the students’ needs.
• Students' individual skills, previous knowledge and learning and the special characteristics of the project are respected when choosing different activities and in the evaluation of the process.
• The school's learning environments are exploited in international activities meaningfully in diverse ways. 
• A diverse variety of teaching methods and ways of working are implemented and various tools (ICT) used in international activities.
• The international expertise of the whole staff is used and developed in a systematic manner.
• The school has established practices for the monitoring and continuous development of international activities.