Finnish Adult Virtual Discussion Circles offer a more relaxed language and cultural experience in a real-time interactive small group setting. You will take a cultural and linguistic journey through food, stories, historical recordings and so much more — all designed to increase your Finnish skills. Asynchronous activities for you to complete at home will be provided to extend learning.
Join Tiina Watts for a six-week intermediate-advanced level weekly virtual discussion circle on Zoom. The discussion circle will meet on Tuesdays from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Central and focuses on conversation, with grammar, vocabulary, games, songs and culture mixed in. If you are a beginner, you can take the Suomen mestari 1 Finnish class.
We will focus on using Finnish in real-world situations as we become more adept at creating with the language, asking and answering questions and narrating and describing in various time frames. Each lesson will have some grammar instruction, interspersed with large group discussion, one-on-one conversation in breakout rooms and cultural lessons through songs, videos and stories. Tule puhumaan suomea!
Tiina Watts has been teaching Finnish at Salolampi Adult Weeks and Family Fun Weekends since 2003. Her seven children and her husband, Ed, have all attended many Salolampi programs and two of them have been summer counselors. Salolampi is a magical place for the whole Watts family.
Tiina’s Finnish mother, Lea Antsola Mahoney, taught her children Finnish songs and culture, but unfortunately not how to speak her mother tongue. Tiina had the chance to learn it later as a teenager living in Helsinki for three years with her family and then as a church missionary for a year and a half in the ’80s. Tiina also spent a summer in Finland working at the Alvar Aalto museum and the Jyväskylä library. She loves the Finnish language and especially its grammar —with her main goal being to help others love and speak the language, too.
Tiina’s other passion is Finnish music; she plays guitar and piano and loves singing. Her language lessons are full of singing, movement, games, interaction, speaking, listening, writing activities, grammar and lots of variety. Learning a language should be fun!
Tiina recently completed master's degree in Second Language Teaching from Brigham Young University (BYU)at the age of 60 and works as a Finnish instructor and Scandinavian Languages Coordinator at BYU. She is continually working to improve the language curriculum and programming at Salolampi through her research and experience, while also incorporating suggestions and ideas from former adult week participants. In addition to making sure adult weeks always have great instructors, Tiina is committed to bringing the best cultural presenters, crafters and musicians in the state, and the country, to Salolampi.Tulekatsomaan ja oppimaan!
