Northern Lights Education Conference

Would you like to learn about Finnish Education while enjoying a real Finnish winter close to the Arctic Circle?
Join our next event, Northern Lights Education Conference in January 16th-17th 2019.
This year the theme is Special Needs and Inclusive Education.

The conference programme includes:

• Lectures
• Plenary Sessions
• Classroom Visits
• Discussions with Teacher Training School Teachers and Principals
• Welcoming Dinner, optional

Participants can apply to introduce their Research Papers and/or Pedagogical Practices.
Send your title + abstract (150-300 words) no later than December 29th 2018 to tts ( a t ) oulu.fi

More information will be updated to the event website.

Programme

Wednesday 16.1.2019

8.00 Bus transportation from City Centre 

8.30 Registration

9.00 Northern Lights Education Conference 2019 Opening

Welcoming words
Dr Kari Kumpulainen, Director of the Oulu University Teacher Training School
Dr Sari Räisänen, Vice-Principal of the Oulu University Teacher Training School

9.30 Special Needs in Inclusive Education
Dr. Marko Kielinen, University of Oulu, Finland

10.30 Q&A session about the Presentation

10.45 Break / Refreshments

11.00 A Glance on Current Research in the Field of Inclusion, Professor Dr. Marjatta Takala, University of Oulu, Finland

12.00 Q&A session about the Presentation

12.15 Lunch

13.15 Plenary Session 1

Choose one of the following. 

A. Research papers on Special Needs and Inclusive Education
B. Best practices in Special Needs and Inclusive Education

You can participate as a presenter or as an active listener.
Presenters (20 - 30 minutes each) are requested to send their title and abstract in English (150 - 300 words) no later than December 14th 2018 to tts@oulu.fi
More information will be updated to the event website www.oulu.fi/tts 

15.00 Refreshments

15.30 Plenary Session 2

Choose one of the following. 

A. Research papers on Special Needs and Inclusive Education
B. Best practices in Special Needs and Inclusive Education

16.30 Discussion and Practical Information

16.45 Bus transportation to the City Centre

19.00 Northern Lights Welcoming Dinner, optional, at the Sokeri-Jussi restaurant, offering traditional Finnish food at the old loghouse environment.

Thursday 17.1.2019

8.00 Bus transportation from City Centre

8.30 School Visits to Classrooms in the Primary, Secondary or Senior Secondary School of your choice.

10.30 Presentations about the Finnish Inclusion Practices 

• Inclusion in Teacher Education
• Language Aware Education in Practice
• Differentiation in Classroom
• Student Welfare

12.30 Lunch

13.30 Processes in Special Education 
Dr. Tuomo Vilppola, University of Oulu

14.30 Panel Discussion with Student Welfare Team of the Teacher Training School Principals, special education teachers, school nurse, psychologist, and school counsellor.

15.30 Certificate Ceremony with Coffee and Cake

16.00 Bus transportation to the City Centre

Optional programme

Additional, voluntary programme on a separate cost.

Friday 18.1.2019

8.30-16.00

Job Shadowing in Classrooms
40 euros

8.30 Bus transportation from City Centre

9.00 Job shadowing – Working Together with Finnish Teachers

12.00 Lunch

13.00 Discussions with the Principal and Teachers 

14.00 Bi-literal meetings amongst participants

16.00 Bus transportation to the City Centre

Saturday 19.1.2019

8.30-20.00

Visit to the Arctic Circle to meet with Santa Claus
245 euros, pay by cash to the Trip Organiser

Trip is organised in co-operation with our partner GoArctic.

Visit will be organised. 

8.30 Departure from Scandic Hotel, Oulu to SnowCastle of Kemi

10.00-11.30 Visit to the SnowCastle of Kemi. 

Guided tour and enjoying the wintery SnowCastle.

11.45-12.45 Lunch

12.45-14.15 Drive from the City of Kemi to the City of Rovaniemi, at the Arctic Circle to meet with the Santa Claus

14.30–16.00 Shopping and Refreshment 

16.30-17.30 Visit to a Reindeer Farm

17.30–20.00 Drive back to Oulu