Skip to main content

Four pillars of Finnish education part 1



My school visits have finally started. In fact, they are almost over. I only have one more to go for my class on Finnish Education. But the two that I have had have been very informative and four broad themes have emerged that seem to define Finnish education: equity, independence, trust and freedom.
Flow chart of the Finnish education system (taken from http://www.lamk.fi/english/about/finnish-education-system/Sivut/default.aspx)

Equity:

The Finnish education system has been evolving for many years but the foundation can be said to have been laid out in the 1970’s when the first major reform occurred. During this reform, it was decided that equity was the primary goal of education. Finns wanted everyone to have access to a good education, regardless of social class, family background or what school you went to. As a result, there are very few private schools in the entire country and everything the school provides is free, from the textbooks, to school meals to field trips. There are selective schools— for example, a school for students interested in music—but all students have an equal chance to get into them, making them equitable.
A lower secondary classroom at Katariinan, the special education school

This focus on equity was not always present. Prior to the 1970’s, higher education was not available to all and was heavily biased toward the upper class. People began calling for equal education for all, however and the Ministry of Education began the process of changing education to make it more egalitarian.  

You can see equity in society in general, Finns want everyone to have equal opportunity. All students receive life skills and career counseling throughout the compulsory basic education (grades 1-9) to ensure that all are able to pick a career that suitable for them. As a result, 94% of students go on to complete their general upper secondary or vocational upper secondary education (10-12 grades are not compulsory in Finland). And 93 % of students who go on to upper secondary graduate (Statistics from Finnish Lessons by Pasi Sahlberg).

Independence:

One of the first things that struck me during my first school visit was how independent students were. The student council had organized a short skit for us that the rest of the school also came to watch. They organized this on their own, without the aid of a teacher. And the skit, we were later told (it was in Finnish) was about how the student council could get more students involved in school activities. This is apparently the new goal for Finnish schools: getting students more involved.

An elementary classroom in Katariinan
Even within the classes though we could see how independent students were. Out of the 6 or 7 classes we peeked our heads into, only one was a lecture. In the rest students were working on their own while the teacher helped out when needed. In an art class it looked like the students were making mugs out of clay. One student decided to make a sword and proudly showed it to the teacher, who enthusiastically admired it. In the US, one of my classmates pointed out, he would likely have been suspended.



Stay tuned for trust and freedom. And for the wonders of Finnish special education!

Nähädään!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Waltz

At a Finnish wedding, the tradition is for the newlyweds to dance to a wedding waltz during their reception. It doesn’t matter what kind of wedding it is, the waltz is an essential part of the program. I hate the waltz. Compared to the Latin dances that I have been learning, the waltz is too stately and prudish to be of much fun. So I have jokingly told my boyfriend that at our wedding we will not be dancing the waltz. In part this is to gauge his response to my presumption that we are getting married (a bit sneaky, I know). In part it is also to make sure he knows that I am most definitely not Finnish (though I tell him that I am 50% Finnish, 50% Indian and 40% American). When I last told him there would be no waltz at our wedding, my boyfriend didn’t flinch at this challenge, to his immense credit. He just laughed. At which point I realized I didn’t even know how to waltz, which only made him laugh even more. Somehow, after this exchange, he decided to put on some wa...
Post a Comment
Read more

Reflections On Becoming A Teacher

This is something I wrote just trying to think about some of the things we have been learning and thinking about. My classes this semester are much more interesting and leave me feeling like connections are coming at me left right and center but the only way for me to process these connections is to write. So here is the first of (hopefully) many where I synthesize the ideas that are going through my head. I invite you to think with me and grow with me by commenting below (I do see your comments! I may even reply :) ) I want to spend some time reflecting on what I have been learning lately. My classes have been converging towards the practical spaces, realities and pedagogies that go into creating a multicultural, anti-racist educational system. I am drawing on three readings in this reflection that came from the same course. All were about teacher education. Two were easy to contrast. One was called the pedagogy of difference and the other was called the pedagogy of fear. The fi...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Simple Joys

Central Park My answer to people when they ask me how I like New York is to say something diplomatic like “I’m glad it’s only for five years” or “I’ll get used to it” or “It’s the complete opposite of Turku.” This last answer is my favorite to think about. Turku was quiet, peaceful, homogeneous, clean, easy-going. New York is loud, aggressive, diverse, dirty and rushed. I felt at home in Turku, I do not feel at home here. (Though diversity is one thing that New York has going for it over Turku) But there are small pleasures I have discovered and so I will devote this post to those small moments of joy in my new, temporary home. My version of coffee 1.      Coffee. This is not unique to New York— in fact, I actually make it at home so I could make it anywhere—but I have found that nothing compares to making a cup of Indian style cappuccino (hand whipped instant coffee with lots of sugar and only milk) while I read articles...
Post a Comment
Read more