1. The Frigid North
Chapter 1 The Frigid North My double prop plane touches down in eastern Finland forty-five miles from Russia, it is the dead of winter, the sky is overcast, and the trees and ground are covered with snow. It’s a little past noon and the sun is already low on the horizon. Yesterday I was living in sunny […]
2. Nine-Year-Olds with Power Tools
“If you have (a) main target, everybody learns.” Chapter 2 Down a short and gentle wheelchair ramp I enter a wide corridor into Joensuu Normal School. This is one of the teacher training schools at the University of Eastern Finland. On my left is the school cafeteria and on the right, a stuffed Finnish bear — one meter […]
4. Bridges, Chairs and Machines
“Problem solving probably takes place every day in the classrooms in Finland….” Chapter 4 Adjacent to the wood shop and next to the fireplace is a science lab with a ceiling two stories high. An image of the Joensuu night sky spreads across the ceiling and pinpricks of light shine as stars when the hanging room lights are turned off. […]