BEST The Ultimate Benchmarking Event
Experience a unique Erasmus+ course in Finland, combining expert-led professional development, Finnish school visits, benchmarking, and cultural immersion. BEST – The Ultimate Benchmarking Event offers practical insights into Finland’s world-renowned education system, with a special excursion to Tallinn on 9 April, including a school visit in Estonia. Participants will explore innovative teaching methods, school leadership, inclusion, well-being, and educational innovation through workshops, peer exchange, and structured school visits. The Tallinn excursion adds an international comparison element while keeping the course based in Finland.
Alongside expert-led sessions, you’ll enjoy unforgettable cultural experiences: dip into a Baltic Sea ice-swim after a Finnish sauna, hike in Nuuksio National Park, and wander through the medieval streets of Tallinn’s Old Town. This course is a celebration of learning, sharing, and cultural discovery.
This professional development opportunity is offered as a course in Finland, including school visits, workshops, cultural activities, and a one-day excursion to Tallinn with a school visit.
What You’ll Learn:
You will explore innovative teaching methods and school leadership strategies used in Nordic and Baltic countries, with a focus on benchmarking, inclusion, well-being, and educational innovation. You’ll take part in structured school visit activities in Finnish and Estonian schools and compare educational practices through dialogue with teachers and principals. The course is ideal for sharing ideas, building partnerships, and reflecting on your own school development goals. This is a rare opportunity to connect with educators from across Europe in two inspiring locations.
- Learn how Finnish and Estonian schools foster innovation and equity.
- Gain insight into inclusive practices and student well-being strategies.
- Exchange experiences and ideas with peers across Europe.
- Strengthen your Erasmus+ partnerships through networking and collaboration.
Course Highlights:
- School Visits in Finland and Estonia: Gain firsthand experience of Finnish or Estonian schools and their approaches to high-quality, equitable education.
- Excursion to Estonia: Take part in a dedicated visit to Tallinn to get a close look.
- Exceptional cultural experiences: They are all included in the catering fee.
- Led by Finnish and Estonian education experts.
- Free access to Finnish Education Online Courses: Learn more about Finnish education before your visit.
This course combines top-level professional development with carefully curated cultural activities that enrich your understanding of local life. Whether you’re an experienced school leader or a dedicated teacher, you’ll return home inspired and better equipped to lead change in your institution.
Similar course: Christmas Special for All School Levels in Finland and/or Estonia
- Join a 7-day course in Finland, or
- Participate in a 3-day job shadowing in Estonia, or
- Combine them as a 10-day experience
Upcoming courses
Interested in a customized, on-demand version of this course for your group?
Learn more and tailor it to your team’s needs today!
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Tickets
All tickets includes:
- Event materials
- Certificate of attendance
- School visits
- Admission to all sessions
Catering and transportation package includes:
- Welcome brunch
- Two dinners
- Lunches
- Coffee and refreshments
- Ferry tickets
- Transportation during the program (no airport transfers)
Course price
For standard registrations / group registrations
Job shadowing price
For all registrations
Catering and transportation package
Welcome brunch, two dinners, lunches and refreshments, ferry tickets, transportation during the program (no airport transfers)
This is a provisional programme for the course, the finalized program will be shared with participants prior to the course.
Day 1, Monday
16:00 Relax at the Allas Sea Pool with a traditional Finnish sauna and Baltic Sea dip.
- Welcome brunch and introduction to Finland.
- Helsinki Walking Tour.
Day 2, Tuesday
08:30 First school visit – Choose from daycare, primary school, middle school, high school, or vocational education settings.
13:00 Workshops (topics to be confirmed).
Evening
- Free time for networking and informal discussions.
- Seminar: Basics of the Finnish Education System with Mr. Petri Ilmonen.
Day 3, Wednesday
08:30 Second school visit.
13:00 Visit the Suomenlinna Sea Fortress, a UNESCO World Heritage site, with hands-on activities from a student’s perspective.
19:00 Taste of Finland – Dinner at a local restaurant.
Day 4, Thursday
08:00 Nuuksio National Park excursion with hiking and Haltia exhibitions. Optional visit to a reindeer park.
13:00 Interactive seminar: Key takeaways from Finnish education.
Day 5, Friday
09:30 Third School visit.
12:00 Lunch break.
13:00 Workshop/Guest Speaker.
15:00 Workshop: Personal or team time for notes, diaries, and discussions.
Day 6, Saturday
09:30 Workshop.
11:00 Feedback and evaluation session.
12:00 Lunch break.
13:00 Departing for the excursion to Tallinn.
21:00 Medieval Feast at Olde Hansa restaurant in Tallinn.
Day 7, Sunday in Tallinn (streaming available)
9:30 Meeting with Mart in the lobby of Tallinn University.
9:40 A guided tour of Tallinn University.
10:00 Presentation on education system in Estonia (Mart Laanpere).
11:00 Coffee break.
11:30 What are the factors of Estonias PISA success (Mart Laanpere).
12:30 Lunch at the university cafeteria.
This is a provisional programme for the course in Estonia, the finalized program will be shared with participants prior to the course.
Day 1, Monday
16:00 Getting to know each other.
- Welcome brunch and introduction to Estonia.
- Guided tour in the Old Town.
Day 2, Tuesday
08:30 Introduction of the Education system in Estonia, visiting educational innovation labs in Tallinn University.
12:00 Lunch break.
13:00 What are the factors of Estonia’s PISA success (Mart Laanpere).
15:00 Sharing the best practices by the participants.
Day 3, Wednesday
08:30 Visiting a municipal school in the city centre (grade levels 1 – 12), lesson observations, discussion with teachers and pupils.
12:00 Lunch break.
13:00 Workshop: AI in education in the science museum.
19:00 Taste of Estonia – medieval-style dining in Tallinn’s Old Town.
Day 4, Thursday
08:00 Visiting the e-Estonia Demo Centre – learning about the digital governance and the use of AI in Estonian schools.
12:00 Lunch break.
13:00 Visiting the Agency of Education and Youth, learning about e-exams, curriculum reforms and other innovations in Estonian education.
Day 5, Friday
09:30 Visiting a Russian-language school that is in the process of switching to the Estonian language of instruction.
or
Visiting a vocational school, lesson observations, and discussion with teachers and pupils.
12:00 Lunch break.
13:00 Robotics workshop by students of the Russian-language school. Discussing the impact of the war in Ukraine on the Estonian education system.
or
Visiting the City Department of Education, learning about school improvement programmes on the city level.
15:00 Workshop: Personal or team time for notes, diaries, and discussions.
Day 6, Saturday
09:30 Bog walk in the national park Lahemaa.
11:00 Feedback and evaluation session.
12:00 Lunch break.
13:00 Departing for the excursion to Helsinki.
21:00 Taste of Finland – Dinner at a local restaurant.
Day 7, Sunday in Helsinki (streaming available)
9:30 Meeting with Tuovi in the central library Oodi.
9:40 A guided tour in Oodi.
10:40 Presentation on education system in Finland (Tuovi Ronkainen).
12:00 Lunch at the university cafeteria.
Day 1, Monday
Job shadowing in Finland/Estonia.
Day 2, Tuesday
Job shadowing in Finland/Estonia.
Day 3, Wednesday
Job shadowing in Finland/Estonia.
You will return with new ideas, practical tools, and cultural insights that you can apply immediately in your school or organisation.
- Develop concrete action plans for school improvement
- Understand the key principles behind Finnish and Estonian education success
- Apply benchmarking tools for your school development strategies
- Foster cross-border collaboration through networking and Erasmus+ exchange
This course is designed for teachers, school leaders, Erasmus+ coordinators, and education professionals interested in school development, benchmarking, and staff mobility.
A former principal of Akaa Secondary School, she is currently studying futures studies at the University of Turku and works as a future coach. With experience as a biology and geography teacher, she has coordinated Comenius and Erasmus+ projects in various schools and served as the network coordinator for the Baltic Sea Project under the National Board of Education. As a Project Ambassador for the European School Heads Association (ESHA), she has been actively involved in ecological projects nationally and internationally, focusing on future education and equipping students with skills to address complex challenges like climate change.
A professor at Tallinn University, Estonia, and Head of its R&D Centre for Educational Technology, he has a background as a mathematics and physics teacher and school principal. For over 20 years, he has been active in teacher education and educational technology research, contributing to international projects on mobile technology and social software in education. As a board member of Euneos, Finland, he also coordinates the “Digital Turn towards 1:1 Computing” project, funded by Samsung, and is an expert in school digital innovation and change.