Ville is a platform created and maintained by the University of Turku in Finland and used by Kriivari School. Ville is designed for primary school students and included web-based courses in mathematics, Finnish and programming. The subject content provided includes versatile materials for pupils and comprehensive learning analytics for teachers to provide individual guidance and assessment as well as the possibility for teachers to create courses of their own.

What was the purpose of the activity?

The purpose of the activity was to incorporate Ville as a permanent learning tool in Kriivari School for students aged 7 to 12-years-old. In the first stage of implementation was with three teachers and classes who received training on Ville, in the second stage these three teachers tutored the rest of the staff and classes. The result was that in the span of two school years, all six classes in Kriivari used Ville as a part of their classes.

Ville is used primarily to study mathematics and Finnish. The idea is that in the beginning of each week the teacher of the class opens a new round of exercises on the given subject for their students. The students have a week to complete the minimum amount of exercises required (the bronze level, 50% of all the exercises in that round), and the majority of the work is done at home as homework. Ville guides the students through the game-like exercises enabling students to advance relatively independently in their studies using Ville. The platform also provides ample opportunities for the teacher to differentiate for students by changing the level of difficulty of the exercises presented by Ville.

How the activity worked in the classroom?

There were positive outcomes when Ville was used as an active part of students’ studies, the teachers observed better academic results for mathematics and Finnish and a more positive attitude towards studying and doing exercises. Ville provided a simple and effective solution to help student become more interested in mathematics and Finnish as well as creating true meaning for the use of ICT in everyday schoolwork. Of course, there can be drawbacks, sometimes the internet connection is not working or an individual tablet or laptop is not functioning properly.

We gathered the views and opinions of the pupils who have been using Ville for two school year now. They included the following statements (positive and negative):

• I have learned things that were not in our school books.
• I learn a lot and more than I would with just a book.
• It’s easier for me to learn using Ville.
• If I’m bored I can play with Ville.
• It’s a new way to do things.
• I have learned math with Ville more than I have before with just a book.
• I don’t like to use books, but I do like using Ville and a computer
• Ville is fun and easy to use.
• We have more school work to do.
• The computer is working slowly at times and it wastes study time.
• It’s sometimes stressful to try and achieve the minimum level [students are required to do exercises to the bronze level weekly, e.g. half of the given course’s exercises]
• Some of the exercises are too hard.
• I’m busy and sometimes Ville is too much work.

How to develop the technology skills?

Teachers were trained by Ville team from the Turku University. Students learned to use Ville in a few classes at Kriivari School conducted by their own teacher together with a Ville instructor. Teachers were then able to train other teachers in the use of Ville and pass on their knowledge and experience.

What technology can be used?

Ville exercises are done using laptops, tablets and mobile phones. Ville works best with Google’s Chrome browser. Students are allowed to use their own devices, but during school hours the school provides the necessary equipment.
Ville is a custom solution made as part of a University’s research project, similar packages are available to schools commercially or in partnership with other organisations.