Leadership receives training on new educational framework

A different perspective. That’s what Mr. Petteri Elo, a Finnish educator and international speaker, recently shared with the 47 members of Seneca Valley School District’s Leadership Team. In the United States for several speaking engagements, Mr. Elo spent his time at Seneca Valley presenting and discussing phenomenon-based learning and emotional learning from a systems approach.

The phenomenon-based learning framework offers a great perspective on how to increase student involvement, voice and choice in designing project-based learning experiences for students. Mr. Elo shared several examples of phenomenon-based learning and brainstormed with the group how to implement it in schools and through their Professional Learning Community (PLC), a team of educators who share ideas to enhance their teaching practice and create a learning environment where all students can reach their fullest potential.

“We were quite fortunate to have Mr. Elo speak to our Leadership Team and share his knowledge and educational insights with us,” said Dr. Tracy Vitale, Seneca Valley School District superintendent of schools. “I had the distinct pleasure of meeting and working with him previously. I’m thrilled he was able to provide an opportunity for our Leadership Team to reflect and discuss how these concepts might be applied.”

Mr. Elo is CEO, consultant/trainer of PedaNow Educational Consulting. He conducts presentations, workshops and consultations on educational issues such as curriculum development, curriculum implementation, phenomenon-based learning, teacher-student roles and high-quality pedagogy from different viewpoints.