In October, a member of the Department of Adapted Physical Activities at the Faculty of Physical Culture PU, Ladislav Baloun, travelled to Finland to participate in an event called International Teacher Week, which was organized for the first time by our long-standing partner institution Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences. Check out the short travel report that Ladislav wrote to promote this attractive week-long programme among the faculty members.
“On 2nd – 6th October 2023, the first run of International Teacher Week (ITW) took place at prestigious Finnish institution, Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences. And I was lucky enough to be able to participate in this event, thanks to the Erasmus+ funding for international teaching mobility.
“A week-long adventure in the land of a thousand lakes began in the capital, Helsinki. All international participants met on Monday morning, October 2 at the Pasila campus. After a welcome and a short introduction, the main coordinator Elin Andersson introduced us to Finnish history and culture in the form of a presentation. This was followed by networking among the participants using dating games. A total of 18 educators from the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Slovakia and the Czech Republic participated in the event. The lunch was followed by a lecture on the competencies of the academic staff at universities in the 21st century. In the late afternoon, the organizers prepared a guided tour of the centre of Helsinki for us, and we ended the day with dinner in a stylish restaurant, the interior of which is inspired by the historical Finnish culture of the 19th century.
“On the second day, I had to travel approximately 120 km through Lahti to the campus in Vierumäki, which is the base for the students of coaching and sports study programmes. The tension on the bus was heightened by the fact that in Finland they stop at all stops only on request. But the Vierumäki campus itself is not easily overlooked, as it is home to the Sports Institute and the Olympic Training Center. The coordinator for international students, Noora Viljanen, took care of me since the start, and showed me around the entire campus.
“During three days, I gave theoretical and practical lectures for bachelor students on the following topics:
- Field Exercises and Judo for People with Visual and Physical Disabilities;
- Replication Crisis in Science: Introduction to the Issue;
- Adapted Physical Activities at Palacký University Olomouc and Their Transfer into Practice.
“I also had the opportunity to participate in the regular lectures and to talk to Czech and Slovak students who were staying in Vierumäki. An interesting fact is that some were regular bachelor degree students (not via Erasmus+).
“A huge benefit for students and academics is the possibility of free access to all sports facilities, such as the gym, swimming pool, sauna, tennis courts, hockey arena, sports hall, and in winter there are also illuminated ski tracks for cross-country skiers nearby. Thanks to this, there is always a lot to do in the campus, which is located deep in the woods. The biggest advantage, though, is a local canteen, where as a student (3 EUR) or an academic (8 EUR) you can enjoy a large selection of lunch courses and fresh food in unlimited quantities.
“On Friday, October 6, I travelled back to the Pasila campus, where the final workshop, feedback and farewell to the organizers and other educators took place. Despite being stereotyped as a 'cold' nation, the Finns took on their role as hosts in exquisite style. Visiting Finland and their ITW was a lovely experience that I can recommend to all our academics and students.”
