Finnish Lessons 2.0

Sahlberg, P., Ravitch, D., Hargreaves, A., & Robinson, K. (2015). Finnish lessons 2.0 what can the world learn from educational change in Finland? New York, NY: Teachers College Press

Recap

• Finland's education system used to be less-than-stellar
• Schooling focused more on moral development, less on cognitive and social development
• New policies focused on: equality, individuality, and preparing students for the future

More recap

• Finnish schools are different from American schools in a few ways:
• Stronger emphasis in early childhood education
• Less standarized testing
• More emphasis on careers and preparing for the future

According to the critics:

• Finland's schools are too exceptional/different for anyone else to learn from them
• Finland is a compartively homogeneous country, unlike the US, UK, etc.

Chapter 2: The Finnish Paradox

• Main questions: Has Finland always been a top performer in education?
• What does a 'successful education system' really mean?

"The key lesson from Finland is: There are alternative ways to build good public education systems that differ from those commonly offered in world education policy forums"

Changes in policy

• "Increased levels of educational attainment of the adult population"
• "Widespread equity in terms of learning outcomes and performance of schools"
• "Improved student learning as measured by international student assessments"
• "Efficiency in using human and financial resources, almost solely from public resources"

The paradoxes of finland

• Teach less, learn more--less formal learning time, more fun for kids and professional development for teachers
• Test less, learn more
• Enhanced equity through growing diversity

chapter 3: The finnish advantage

• In Finland, teachers are seen as integral members of society, who create the core values and culture of Finland
• Teachers are considered some of the most respected members of society
• Teaching is seen as a 'dream job', along with being a doctor or lawyer
• Becoming a teacher is highly competitive--only 1 out of every 10 applicants gets in

Becoming a teacher

• Applying for a teacher education program in Finland is extremely competitive. Only one out of every ten students is accecpted
• Phase One--take a written exam. Past grades and performance are not taken into account; only test scores matter
• Phase Two--individual interviews to determine knowledge, skills, and moral committment to teach

Why teach in finland?

• Finnish teachers are morally committed to their work; thus, they are given professional autonomy
• Example--teachers often create their own curriculum. External assessments and impositions are rare
• Salary is based on merit, performance, and longetivity

tEACHER EDUCATION

• Heavy focus on pedagogy
• Centers on balancing personal and professional competencies
• Research based education culminates in a master's thesis about the student's respective subject

What makes finland's teachers unique

• Talented and motivated individuals go into teaching
• There is close collaboration between subject faculties and departents of teacher education in Finnish research universities
• Teacher education is research-based