Student Business Camp turned teachers into coaches and gave the students a chance to learn by doing

Student Business Camp’s last day and ending ceremonies were held at TAMK Proakatemia on 27th September. On their last day, the students worked hard on finding solutions that would improve clothing companies towards circular economy, but also let loose with some Zumba. Before the ending ceremonies began, we also heard about many wonderful and innovative business ideas that the Chilean students had worked on.

Diego Vega and Francisca Pinto, who took part in Student Business Camp, shared their experiences and told about what they have learnt during their two weeks in Tampere. Diego said that he got to try things that were completely new to him, like recording a podcast series on creativity. Francisca enjoyed the teamwork she got to experience and commends the way the members of each team took care of each other.

Student Business Camp also taught a lot to Rodrigo Ebner, who teaches design at Universidad Diego Portales. To Rodrigo, the camp gave a new mindset and a way to view the difference between teaching and coaching.

– In projects like this camp, you get to perceive the student’s learning process in a very different way, Rodrigo says.

He also added that to him the biggest difference between teaching and coaching is in the way a coach participates in the group’s work.

– A coach’s role is to see that the group is proceeding, but how the group comes into conclusion or solves problems, is up to the group and their inventiveness and ways of acting.

Before everyone was handed their certificate and the Student Business Camp’s finale, our guests wanted to share all the things they learnt about Finnish culture during their stay. The students also told that they are very happy about the new kind of mentor-student-friendship that they feel they achieved with their teachers during the camp.