At SFU, students can take an optional program called CO-OP. In CO-OP, students can experience working at jobs related to their program at SFU. Moreover, in CO-OP, students will alternate between their study and work semesters up to five work semesters. I believe that the CO-OP program is a very valuable program where students can apply the skills they have learnt from past courses related to that field of work. Furthermore, while the students develop the professional skills needed in the industry they have chosen, they will also add valuable experience to their resume for future job hunts. After comparing North America’s Education system with Finland’s, I have come to the conclusion of my own ideal education system. In my ideal education system, teachers will be a well-respected position in education whereas in North America, teachers are treated very …show more content…
For instance, I am currently enrolled in the Computer Science program here at SFU and I am considering in taking the Computer Science CO-OP program next year. During a working semester of your CO-OP program, it is important how much hands on experience you gain to apply the practical skills the instructor teaches. In addition, it is important to bring the practical skills and theory obtained from past computer science courses to the job improve their understanding of the industry they will work in. Furthermore, past working experiences related to your field of work, good critical thinking and problem solving skills will be very important to enrolling in a CO-OP program. After the working semester, CO-OP students will alternate to their academic semesters to study more materials that they will be able to apply in the next work semester. In a professional context, the CO-OP is an important asset to use at SFU to gain an advantage after
I am interested in the co-op management program as it can gain me valuable work experience before my graduation, which is in line with my focus on the combination of academic theory and practice. With my previous internship experience at Bank of China, I desire to get more practical chances. Besides its long history, the program will also allow students to work with the largest companies in Canada, and many students may become full-time employees during their placements. I hope my interest in management will be further refined at UTSC with the help of those highly responsible
In this Article, Partanen states the differences in America’s education system and Finland’s education system. She mentions that one of the leading Finnish authorities on Education reform, Pasi Sahlberg, visited the U.S. In this visit, there were many things revealed on how Finland has been so successful with their education,
UW’s co-op program is extremely compelling to me as it would provide me with a unique opportunity to integrate the technical skills and scientific knowledge gained in the classroom environment into real world situations. The experience that I would garner through this program would help me to excel in the field that I am passionate about.
Co-curricular experiences are a vital part of students’ development that complements our rigorous academic program. By challenging and inspiring students to grow in every dimension, we embody the Jesuit ideal of cura personalis – the education of the whole person.
Finland is a country with a well known reputation for excellent education. Finland is ranked twelfth in the world for education, whereas the United States of America is ranked fifteenth (Iceland is number one). (Human Development indices) Finland also has the highest PISA scores in the world. (Human Development Indices) The U.S. used to be the top, but now we are slowly falling behind. Perhaps the U.S. should examine the Finnish education system and use some of its ideas to revamp our system.
My first CO-OP work term was a variety of stresses, new experiences and incredible learning opportunities. It began rather pessimistically as I did not secure a job nor even obtain an interview until the end of April. Fortunately for me, I found myself working at Global Affairs Canada (GAC) - a very prestigious CO-OP placement for any and all aspiring International Development and Globalization students. My placement was spent with wonderful colleagues who made me feel included, important and above all, appreciated. Each colleague gave me priceless advice on pursuing a career in the field of international development and gave me many opportunities to grow. My role as a summer student with GAC involved predominately logistical and data compilation
Policy Claim: The United States of America should change its educational system to one similar to Finland’s.
Based on my experience at Mercury Marine, and reading through the other posts, I firmly believe that co-ops play a crucial role in the organization they work for. They bring in expertise that is sometimes lost over time and a unique/fresh perspective to solve problems. Co-ops can also help reduce the work load on senior engineers by serving as a helping hand on on-going projects. They can benefit an organization in the long term by creating awareness amongst other students about the company, and also by coming back to work as committed full-time
When an individual thinks about education, they would probably have some upper echelon colleges like Harvard or Princeton already in their mind. Now expand your thinking of education systems to a worldwide view. Most people would spring for The United Kingdom or Germany, but actually the smaller country of Finland outperforms all others. Their educational approach to the minds of the students is uncanny when compared side by side of our own. As well as allowing multiple breaks throughout the school day whether rain or shine.Another essential part about Finland’s teacher requirements blows ours out of the water; A masters in teaching is needed to even start bestowing knowledge upon the young minds of children that stand before them that day.
Other essential areas of growth for students include the development of social skills. A study conducted to determine the level of involvement students engaged in while in assigned learning groups found “students encourage and support each other, assume responsibility for their own and each other’s learning, employ group related social skills, and evaluate the group’s progress” (Silva et.al, 2016, p. 34) as they continue to work in collaborative learning groups. A second study indicates that a specific skill set evolves from the unique opportunity to cooperate:
“The work I've had in co-curriculars helped me learn how to conceptualize and execute projects from scratch, even before entering the so-called "real world". Working with a small team to create an event or product for hundreds or thousands is no easy feat, and co-curriculars allowed me to gain that experience which ultimately gave me the confidence and familiarity when entering the working world.”
The main aim of this essay is to analyse the different aspects of incorporation of cooperative learning (CL) or group work (GW) in an academic environment, specifically within an economic classroom. Furthermore, the contextualisation and definition of cooperative learning will be evaluated in order to speculate whether cooperative learning in a tertiary education institution’s economic department is beneficial or detrimental to the working, personal and studying ability of students. Included in this evaluation will be notable examples of CL or GW conducted by university students and the effects thereof. However, due to logical reasoning in which more can be achieved if people work towards a common goal, one could deduce that CL will have a beneficial effect on the working and studying ability of students, including within in economic context.
Although Finland’s education system was progressing after WWII, the system still faced many challenges that would lead to a call for reform in the 1970s. The article, “Ten Years On: Progress and Problems in Finland 's School Reform” provides eight features of the school system that were inadequate at the time and urged for reform. Some of the main issues at hand included but are not limited to social class separation in the school system, lack of connection between general and vocational institutions, and the low aspirations of the folkschool teachers. Along with the problems of the education system, the author also included the six propositions that were suggested for the objective of reforming the system. The propositions included: making the school structure comprehensive, more opportunities based on cognitive and ethical aims, a clarification of learners’ needs, the reform would need to be implemented through experimental trials, vocational education would need to be stressed as equivalent to general education, and for reform to spread from the north to the south. The call to action was declared by politicians, teachers’ unions, and the literate citizens. The legislation that was brought forth was the Basic Act of 1970 and it would require:
I am currently in the cooperative education stream of Arts and Business. Co-op is a tremendously intensive and competitive process. However, it pushed me to strive harder to reach my goals. Though this experience, I have learned valuable skills including resume and cover letter writing, interviewing etiquettes, time management, and many interpersonal and transferable skills that will help with any future endeavours whether at school and a workplace. Co-op has allowed me to work first hand in the field that I am interested in, while leading me to identify my goals and skills for the future after graduating. In the end, I have come to an appreciation that this opportunity was very unique and rewarding. During this process, I have learned to value that by surrounding myself with such talented and ambitious students because it has created an environment that will motivate me to do my best.
Finland has the same teacher every year. This is helpful because the teacher knows how each student's mindset works. Every year there is an average of twenty kids in each class. Having this smaller classroom size helps each student get one-on-one time with the teacher. US students getting a new teacher every year not only affects the students, but the teachers as well. The teachers have to get to know an average of over twenty kids each year. The students also have to get used to the different styles of teaching with a different teacher every year. However, the teachers in Finland are not allowed to get fired, they get a second chance. Now in the US teachers are allowed to get fired. Not only that, but Finland's teachers have an average pay of seventy thousand per year, while the US teachers only get an average pay of forty-five thousand per