Home / Phenomenal Week
Visit to Finland
Five days of phenomenon-based learning for educators, school leaders, coordinators and whole teams. The theme is Finnish education. The outcome is a project of your own that you can run in your own school.
5 days · Helsinki · Groups of 20 to 32 · English, interpretation on request
How the week works
From Monday morning the participants work in small groups on a phenomenon of their own, and every lecture, workshop and school visit feeds it. On Friday they pitch it. This is a creative process, not a series of lectures.
Monday. After the introduction to the Finnish education model and Finnish teaching, each group chooses the theme it will work on all week. From there it runs through every session.
Finnish education, broad-based competencies, social and emotional learning, AI, and three school visits. Every session and every visit builds understanding and material for the groups.
Facilitated creativity workshops turn what they hear into a project they can actually run in their own school.
Friday. Working time to finish the project, a facilitated recap of the week, then the pitch and how to lead the transformation at home.
Before arrival: the pre-work. Participants complete an online orientation and the pre-reading material before they travel, so they arrive with the theory covered. Included in the fee. Broader courses can be arranged as an option, on a flipped learning basis.
The programme
Programme days run 09:00 to 16:00. The exact sequence and the trainer line-up are confirmed with you once the dates are fixed.
Day 01
Dr Kirsti Lonka and Sampo Lokki
Morning: the Finnish school system and school leadership model, and the phenomenon-based process begins, small groups choose their theme.
Afternoon: the first school visit.
Day 02
Dr Kirsti Lonka and team
Morning: a lecture on the Engaging Learning Model, phenomenon-based learning and broad-based competencies, inspired by the historical environment.
Afternoon: a guided tour through the history of Finnish education.
Day 03
A dedicated specialist in the field
Morning: the second school visit.
Afternoon: a social and emotional learning workshop on how a group becomes a team, and a creativity workshop on your own phenomenon.
Day 04
A dedicated specialist in the field
Morning: the third school visit, technology in daily practice.
Afternoon: Phenomenal learning when AI enters every classroom, and the honest limits of it.
Day 05
Sampo Lokki
Morning: working time to finish the projects and a facilitated recap of the week.
Afternoon: each group pitches its phenomenon, and a wrap up on how to lead the transformation at home.
Who leads the week
Larus Academia designs and facilitates the week. ELE Finland and Dr Kirsti Lonka's team deliver the research-based academic core, with leadership training sessions by Larus Academia.
Experienced keynote speaker and teacher trainer with global impact. Professor of educational psychology at the University of Helsinki. Researcher in innovative education, digital learning and motivation, cited over 18 000 times. Author of Phenomenal Learning from Finland, translated into eight languages.
Over 25 years in K-12 education leadership. Former VP at School Day Ltd and assistant principal in Helsinki. Has taught and developed schools in Europe, Africa, South America and the United States. M.Sc. Education, University of Tampere.
The social and emotional learning workshop and the technology day are led by a specialist from the ELE Finland trainer team, chosen to match what your group came to learn.
Where the week happens
The environment is part of the pedagogy. A purpose-built training space, a day in the historic faculty where Finnish teacher education was designed, three ordinary Helsinki schools, and evenings that are experienced rather than watched.
01
Our own training space in Pitajanmaki, a few minutes from Huopalahti station and twelve minutes from the city centre by train.
02
A full day in the historic faculty of educational sciences, opened by a guided tour from Senate Square with the history of Finnish education told through the places that made it.
03
Pre-arranged visits with host contacts, a structured observation protocol and a facilitated debrief on the same day, so what the group sees feeds their own project.
04
Sauna by the sea, Finnish nature, a science centre, or an art or music workshop. Arranged by us, or by your own organiser.
Investment
The price depends on which parts you choose and the level of service you want around them. Every programme is quoted individually.
€1 500per educator · excl. VAT
The five-day phenomenon-based programme with the pre-work, all learning materials, venues and a certificate of participation. Your own organiser handles travel, accommodation and the evenings.
Ask for a quote ▸By agreementscoped to group size
Adds the school visits with host arrangements and debriefs, the historical centre day and the guided tour, local transport on every programme day, lunches and a closing reception.
Ask for a quote ▸By agreementscoped to the level of service
A full service study visit and Finnish experience: everything above plus accommodation, transfers, meals and an evening programme built around what your group wants to see of Finland.
Ask for a quote ▸Indicative range: from €1 500 to about €4 000 per educator, depending on the level of service and additional programme. Prices exclude VAT. The final quote depends on the number of training days, how many school visits are included, the trainer line-up and group size. Flights to Finland are not included. Interpretation into your own language, a deeper online course before the visit and a follow-up webinar series are available as options.
Practicalities
Minimum 20 participants, optimal 22 to 28, maximum 32. Above 28 the design workshop runs as two facilitated tracks.
English throughout. All trainers work regularly with international groups. Interpretation into your own language can be arranged.
A Larus Academia certificate of participation, five-day programme, 30 contact hours, co-signed by ELE Finland. Digital badge included.
Finnish schools must be in session, so the best windows are March to May and September to November. Reserve dates at least six months ahead.
Also available
A shorter, fully organised visit for leadership teams rather than a full teaching week. Included with the Full Transformation programme, and bookable on its own.
Visits to Finland's top schools. See shared leadership, professional learning communities and teacher culture in daily practice, not in slides.
Expert sessions and discussions: why the Finnish model works, and specifically what can be transferred to your school.
Meetings with Finnish principals and education developers. Exchange of experiences and peer learning.
Three days, door to door. Accommodation, transfers, school access and programme are all arranged, so school leaders focus on learning. Included with the Full Transformation programme, or quoted separately.
Next step
On the call we confirm the profile of your group, two target date windows and whether interpretation is needed. Within ten working days of that call you receive an agreement followed by a dated day-by-day programme and instructions.
Book a call