Finland schools

"When we want the elephant to grow we don't measure it, we feed it." -a typical Finland School response to comparison with American education.

Pat Bassett's report on Finland Schools was fascinating, adding a great deal to my own understanding, and most of what I share here is based on what Pat reported at the ISACS conference. Here in the US, teachers are drawn from the bottom 3rd of college graduates, but in Finland teachers come from the top 10%. How can a small nation be so effective at bringing its best and brightest into schools?

First, it is not the money (teachers aren't paid that much) but rather, teaching is afforded a high status in Finnish society. Teachers are highly trained with a masters degree being required. Then, teachers are given a great deal of autonomy in the classroom. They design their own curriculum to fit the loose national guidelines. In other words, you hire the best, and then trust them to do the noble work of educating the nation.

Actually, what Pat reported about Finland Schools is a lot like what we already have here at Clear Spring School, so educators could save a great deal of money by coming here instead. The first similarity is the trust and autonomy given the teaching staff. They are given the opportunity to become excited about their work as a creative art form. Students in classrooms are divided 3 age groups to a class, allowing the teacher to fine tune and personalize lessons to meet a variety of comprehension levels within the same class. This alleviates the concerns some children may face of being left behind in particular subject areas. It also means that an individual teacher has a greater opportunity to know each child's distinct learning needs. In Finland, as in Clear Spring School few text books are used, and the teachers are trusted to plan flexible lessons to capture and follow innate student interests.

And now we get down to the important part. Play. Finland schools recognize the value of play. Even in the worst weather (bitter cold) and during the long winter (dark even at noon) Finland students play out of doors for 30 minutes each day during school hours, and then attend after school recreation centers. Educators in Finland better understand the workings of the brain and know that physical activity is required to anchor intellectual concepts. Here in the US, our schools have little time for play and have nearly completely forgotten its value in learning. In some schools, recess has been eliminated to provide more time for classroom studies. We are often too busy measuring the elephant as required by No Child Left Behind legislation to allow its feeding and growth. While we are pushing hard for kindergarten students to read, Finland students start at age 8 and far surpass American students by 8th grade while American students are spinning wheels and wasting time that could have been better spent in developmental play and creative activities.

And I can't help but say something more about the hands. In Finland, kindergarten teachers are taught at the university to incorporate woodworking in their lesson, and craft (sloyd or käsityön) activities are an important part of the school curriculum throughout grades 1 through 9.