Finland

What’s up with Finland? joebower.org

Pasi Sahlberg

Irmeli Halinen

Assessment is not a spreadsheet, it’s a conversation

Learning is done in a context and for a purpose

We need to reformulate learning difficulties as a problem for the curriculum rather than a problem of the child.

Finland Alberta sq km ~ 350,000 ~650,000 resources timber oil children in poverty 1 in 25 1 in 10 population ~ 5 million ~ 3.7 million

What has Finland *not* done:
increase school inspection
standardized testing
externally imposed learning standards
competition
choice

What has Finland done:
reduce class size
improve formative assessment practices
increasing teacher pay & notoriety
all teachers have masters degrees
curriculum and assessment are local responsibilities

Finnish Lessons by Pasi Sahlberg

Personalization
Setting a clear but flexible national framework for school-based curriculum planning
Encouraging local and individual solutions
Offering personal learning plans for those who have special needs

Focus on creative learning
Teaching and learning focus on deep, broad learning, giving equal value to all aspects of the growth of an individual’s personality, moral character, creativity, knowledge, and skills.

Encouraging risk-taking
School-based and teacher curricula facilitate finding novel approaches to teaching and learning, and encourage risk-taking and uncertainty in leadership, teaching and learning

Learning from the past and owning innovations
Teaching honors traditional pedagogical values, such as teacher’s professional role and relationship with students
Main sources of school improvement are proven good educational practices from past

Shared responsibility
Gradually building a culture of responsibility and trust within the education system that values teacher and principal professionalism in judging what is best for students
Targeting resources and support to schools and students who are at risk to fail or to be left behind
Sample-based student assessments.

Teach Less, Learn More

Test Less, Learn Better

More Equity Through Growing Diversity
equal educational opportunities for all
Ability groupings abolished in1985
no streaming or tracking until age 16
This required teachers to employ differentiated learning for different pupils. Led to lots of PD focusing on research-based teacher education.

Teacher Education
all teachers have a masters degree
3 year bachelor - 2 year masters
one major - two minors
1 out of 10 applicants are accepted to prepare to become a primary teacher
Exam scores + interview
teaching > doctor, lawyer, architect

Random Facts
All education is publicly financed
All teachers have masters degrees
There are no formal teacher evaluations
For every 45 minutes of classroom there is 15 minutes of recess
Teachers are not required to be at school if they have no classes

Random Facts
Do not employ standardized census-based tests to determine their progress or success
No strict national standards for or descriptions of student learning
Spend 6 times more on teacher professional development than testing.
No word Finnish word for accountability
Almost all graduate

www.joebower.org
[email_address]
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Finland

by bowerjj on Feb 11, 2012

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Finland — Presentation Transcript