Reflections on Yrityskylä from a Finnish Teacher’s Perspective
by Miika Lehtovaara (Teacher at the International School of Tampere, Finland)
As a teacher, I find the Yrityskylä concept to be a very important part of sixth-grade studies due to its diversity and engaging nature. The topics discussed before and during Yrityskylä day are crucial for becoming a member of society in practice, and the Yrityskylä concept makes learning about them both engaging and seamless when embedded within the school curriculum.
The Importance of Preparing for the Yrityskylä Day
The materials provided to schools in advance make it easy to motivate students to explore and learn about society, working life, and the economy. It helps them connect these topics, which can sometimes seem quite distant, to their own everyday lives. Talking about the purpose of taxes, how banks operate, interest rates on loans, money management, saving, the circular economy, and entrepreneurship in the classroom opens important factors related to becoming a member of society for students. Additionally, for example, researching and calculating tax rates brings mathematical concepts familiar from math classes into everyday life. Studying the circular economy brings the content of environmental studies concretely to the fore as part of society's and the individual's responsibility. Furthermore, studying the functioning and structures of society opens social studies concepts in the society surrounding the student. Feedback from parents has been very positive over the years and has often sparked discussions about these topics in homes as well.
Preparing for one's own profession requires familiarizing oneself with the company's values and job duties, and it helps in writing one's own job application. I personally particularly like the recommendation letter that is to be returned as an attachment to the job application, which the students create together with their guardians or adult acquaintances. All of this strengthens the students' ability to adopt the role required for performing tasks on Yrityskylä Day and motivates them to ponder their own strengths and abilities. I have seen admirable dedication in students to their own profession and tasks.
The preparatory material also includes group work where, in one's own work community, the rules of teamwork are agreed upon, common goals are set for the activities, and one's own role in the company's operations and achieving the goals is considered. The teamwork skills learned at school are thus also practiced in everyday life extending beyond school. Students in leadership positions, with the help from their teams, prepare a speech to be held at the beginning of the Yrityskylä Day for the entire Yrityskylä Village, where they present their own company and personnel, as well as the goals they have set for the Yrityskylä Day. This in turn prepares students to work together and share responsibility.
Yrityskylä Day – Completing own work tasks and planning time and money usage
During the Yrityskylä day, students have various responsibilities as individuals and as members of the community with tasks to complete on time. This helps them understand the responsibilities associated with their work, including time management. One task during the day is to take part in voting. This year the voting topic was how to use the tax revenue of the Yrityskylä Village. This kind of practicing of cooperation and responsibility also strengthens students' teamwork skills both in school and outside of it. Communication skills are also a significant part of Enterprise Day, as several classes from other schools in the Tampere area often participate in the day, so students collaborate with new acquaintances as well.
In feedback from students, it often emerges that the Yrityskylä day is a great way to try out skills learned in school in a completely new environment. Students feel they learned a lot in practice about their profession, about their own skills and abilities and about themselves as workers and responsible individuals in society. This often transfers to studies after Yrityskylä Day, as the subjects studied are perceived as more meaningful and useful when their connection to everyday life becomes clearer.
After the Yrityskylä day, there is often a feeling that it would be beneficial to repeat the experience after some time to reinforce the learned concepts and perhaps try a different approach to work.
This post complements the interview with Elin, a pupil the Finnish International School of Tampere. We are grateful to Elin and Miika for sharing their experiences of Yrityskylä for our members.
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