Seinäjoki Adult Education Centre

TOPICAL:FinTandem

FinTandem is a language course model where two people with different mother tongues take turns to speak their native languages in order to learn the language of each other. The partners agree about their own goals. One may want to learn vocabulary and grammar and the other to cope with everyday situations and to learn to understand the culture of the partner.
Both need to have at least basic skills in the tandem language in order to be able to communicate. They can meet for example once a week and speak one language for an hour and the other language for the next hour.The time and meeting place can vary and it can be for example a café, a home, a museum or a shopping centre.
You can sign up by filling in a registration form in internet or in the office of the Adult Education Centre of Seinäjoki. The course fee is to be paid only if the tandem partner is found. We will inform you in the beginning of October of the partners found by then.
On Friday 7th of October we will have an information session for those who have found a partner as well as anyone who is interested in FinTandem. The gathering takes place in the Adult Education Centre of Seinäjoki, classroom 212 from 6 pm to 7.30 pm.
During the school year 2011-12, there will be four gatherings where the students are given hints and advice for teaching and learning a language. At the last meeting in May we will have a picnic together.
For more information please contact the office of Adult Education Centre.

Seinäjoen kansalaisopisto
is an adult education centre offering non-formal inexpensive general interest courses mainly for adults. However, there are courses also for children and even babies with their mother/father.
Seinäjoen kansalaisopisto was established in 1945 and is now among the largest adult education centres in Finland. In 2010-2011 there were 7495 students and 28 700 lessons. The main aims are to activate the citizens and support the students´ life-long learning process.

The academic year is divided into two terms. The autumn term begins in September and ends at the end of November. The spring term begins in January and finishes in April. Anyone can attend the courses irrespective their age, profession, gender, religion or educational background. Most of our courses begin in September or in January, but not all. There might be a course starting tomorrow.

Check out our study programme. It is delivered in every household in Seinäjoki region in August. You can always get one at the library or our office, too. In our study programme you can find a wide range of courses. The courses are of varied duration: one year, one term, one week, few days. Courses, lectures and special events are provided in many subjects:

Languages
Literature and drama
Music and dance
Visual arts: painting, lead-glasswork, icon painting, pottery, sculpture
Handicrafts: patchwork, needlework, dressmaking, weaving, embroidery, lace making, woodwork, ceramics
Computing
Digital photography
Health and fitness
Navigation
Social and community studies
Open university courses/lectures

Many of the courses are in the evenings but some groups meet in the mornings or in the afternoons or at weekends. Every course has its own fee. You do not have to pay big sums, for example a course of 50 lessons costs normally 35 euros. You can sign up by phone, by e-mail or by visiting our office. We take our students for the courses in order of the registration. You can join many courses even if your Finnish skills are not very good or non-existent- you can learn Finnish by doing on lessons like cooking, arts, handicrafts and other. We have also special courses for immigrants where you can learn Finnish and computer skills.

An information session for students taking Finnish language courses for foreigners is held on autumns at the main building Vapaudentie 83. The teachers of Finnish will give course counselling to help to choose the course that best corresponds to the student’s language level. Students will also be informed about how the courses will help them pass the national certificate of language proficiency test (Yleiset kielitutkinnot) at the elementary/ intermediate level. For info on language proficiency testing, see www.oph.fi/english/

Our administrative office is situated at Vapaudentie 83. We are open from Monday to Thursday from 9 am to 7 pm and on Friday from 9 am to 4 pm. Courses are mainly held at Vapaudentie 83 but also in more than 100 different places in the Seinäjoki region. Perhaps right next to you.

Call us (06 - 416 2893) or send email, please, and find out more.