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| From Finland National Board of Education |
Finland has been receiving high marks around the world for the
past few years on the quality of education. The society is very homogeneous and
receives very few immigrants, which makes it easier to get every child on the
same page. There are several things that Finland has been doing that we can
learn from:
1.
Children do not enter school until the age of 7. Finland’s
economy allows a parent, usually the mother, to stay home and teach and raise
the child before entering school. Based on neurological research, the US may be
pushing it’s youngsters into the system too soon. Our economy does not support
a single wage earning family to be successful. It is something to think about.
2.
Teacher’s are required to have a Master’s Degree. Unlike
America, Finland is highly selective in who enters the teacher training
program. If you do get in, it is paid for by the government. I encourage you to
read this article from
Education Week for further details.
3.
Political parties agreed to be bipartisan when it comes to
education. Finland placed education and a culture of education based
on feedback from corporations, such as Nokia, as to what kind of employee they
would be looking for to fulfill the high tech and industry roles of today and
the future.
4.
The school environment is safe, relaxed, and informal. Teachers
are called by their first name! Comfort is a priority in the school systems for
students and teachers. It reminds me of a private school in Massachusetts that
was relaxed. Students would not wear pajamas or call their teacher by their
first name but it was not unusual to see the kids in the classroom without
shoes on or laying on the carpet reading a book. It was structured without
being constrictive.
Visit this six minute BBC video about
Finland’s education system and let’s start thinking out of the box!
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