![Compulsory Education ( Peruskoulu)
This includes grades 1-9 and is designed for all
students 7-16 years old.
Grades 1-6 of peruskoulu are referred to as
Primary Education;
Grades 7-9 are referred to as Lower Secondary
Education. [A year of preschool (for students 6
years old ) is offered prior to the peruskoulu;
however, the text does not indicate that preschool
is part of compulsory education.]](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/finnishlessonssummary-160331072557/85/Finnish-lessons-summary-23-320.jpg)
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Finnish lessons summary
Finland's education system has undergone significant reforms since the 1960s-1970s. It moved from a tracked system with mediocre outcomes to a comprehensive school model with equity and inclusion as guiding principles. This led to improved performance over time. The book outlines key aspects of Finland's education system including 9 years of compulsory schooling, student-centered learning, well-trained teachers with master's degrees, school autonomy, less emphasis on standardized testing, and equitable access to education for all students. One of the book's main messages is that, unlike many other systems, the Finnish system has not been influenced by market-based competition or high-stakes testing.
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Finnish lessons summary
- 1. Some Impressionistic takesfrom the book of “Pasi Sahlberg -“Finnish Lessons” by Ramki – ramaddster@gmail.com
- 2. About the Author Pasi Sahlberg is visiting professor at Harvard University's Graduate School of Education in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He is former Director General of CIMO (of the Ministry of Education and Culture) in Helsinki, Finland. He has experience in classroom teaching, training teachers and leaders, coaching schools to change and advising education policy- makers around the world. He is an international speaker and writer who has given more than 250 keynote speeches and published over 100 articles, chapters and books on educational change. Pasi has lived and worked in England (King's College), the United States (World Bank in Washington DC) and Italy (European Training Foundation in Torino) and worked in 50 countries all around the world. He earned his PhD from the University of Jyväskylä (Finland) in 1996. Pasi is a member of the Board of Directors of ASCD (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development) & IASCE (International Association for the Study of Cooperation in education) in the U.S. & Adjunct Professor at the University of Helsinki and the University of Oulu. Pasi's book "Finnish Lessons: What can the world learn from educational change in Finland?" (2011) won the 2013 Grawemeyer Award and he received the Upton Sinclair Award in 2011 and Annual Education Award 2012 in Finland.
- 3. Prelude This Book,by Pasi Sahlberg (2011) starts with the thesis of the success of the Finnish education system. The introduction explains some of the reasons for the success story that is being presented in the five chapters of the book. Among those reasons are: Young people learn well in schools with low performance differences; Teaching is a prestigious profession which attracts many young people; Finnish teachers education is most competitive in the world; teachers have professional autonomy; Those who join the profession stay in it for a life; Before leaving comprehensive schools more than half of the pupils get some kind of educational support. Standard testing, competition, privatization, etc. which are common in other countries are not considered in the Finnish school system. .
- 4. Prelude The authorprovides a historical background of the education system with specific emphasis on the introduction of the comprehensive school reform. Because of its inclusiveness and the principles that all can learn if they get the necessary support, the comprehensive school or Peruskoulu reform of the 1960s and 1970s was the foundation for the later success of the Finnish education system. The book gives a brief background of the Finnish education system and the reforms of the 1960s and 1970s. It further provides the multidimensional reforms of the last three decades which led to the success story of the education system.
- 5. One of thekey messages of this book is that unlike many other contemporary systems of education, the Finnish system is not been infected by market-like competition & high stakes testing policies.
- 6.
- 7. 1790 2010 About Finland Between theWest & the East
- 8. About Finland Population5.5 Million From the 13th century a part of Sweden In 1809 ceded to Russia an as autonomous Grand Duchy Independent parliamentary democracy since 1917 Member of EU since 1995 Two official languages – Finnish & Swedish Monetary unit Euro Public Service – 32%,Manufacturing-18% Finance & business- 14%, Trade- 16% Construction- 7% Agriculture & Forestry- 5% Competitive Market Economy Low income Equality
- 9. 3 Things youneed to know Finland has not been always been a high performer
- 10. 3 Things youneed to know The Most Trusted Public Institutions Police -90% Education System -89% Army -83% Health Care-72% Legal -72%
- 11. 3 Things youneed to know Finland is performing well in many other areas well
- 12. Finland- Education SectorProgress
- 13. During the next10 years about 1.2 billion young 1-to-30 year olds will be entering the job market & with the means now at our disposal about 300 million will get a job. What will we offer these young, about a billion of them? I think this is one of the greatest challenges if we want to achieve peaceful development & hope for these young Martti Ahitisaari-Former President of Finland- 1994-2000
- 14. In the1970s, Finland’s educational system was very similar to that of the U.S. Mediocre and inequitable Top-down testing Extensive tracking Highly variable teachers Government Reboot/Economic Recovery Plan All teachers must have a government paid-for Master’s Degree 96% of all teachers are unionized Highly desirable and respected field, along with doctors and lawyers History of Reform Source Anderson, “From Finland, an Intriguing School-Reform Model” New York Times
- 15. In 2000,the first results of the Program for International Students Assessment (PISA) were published. The assessment is a standardized test given to 15 year- olds in more than 40 “global venues”. Finnish youth were revealed to be the best young readers in the world. In 2003, the Finnish youth led the pack in math. In 2006, Finland was in first science, out of 57 countries. The world began to take notice of their educational reform methods, especially the US, whose scores barely changed in more than ten years. History of Reform Source Anderson, “From Finland, an Intriguing School-Reform Model” New York Times
- 16. 1945- 1970–Enhancing equal opportunities for education by way of transition from a Northern agricultural nation to an industrialized society. 1965- 1990 – Creating a public comprehensive school system by way of a Nordic welfare society with a growing service sector and increasing levels of technology & technological innovation. 2010- Improving the quality of basic education & expanding higher education in keeping with Finland’s new identity as a high-tech knowledge based economy History of Reform
- 17. Structure of EducationSystem in Finland before 1970
- 18. Structure of EducationSystem in Finland since1970
- 19. 3 Phases ofEducational Change Rethinking the Theoretical & Methodological foundations- 1980s. Improvement through Networking & self-regulation- 1990s. Enhancing efficiency of Structures & Administration – 2000- the present.
- 20. 3 Phases ofEducational change in Finland since the 1980s
- 21.
- 22. % of varianceof student reading performance due to socio-- ‐economic status The Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) is a worldwide study by the Organization for Economic Co-operation & Development (OECD) in member & non-member nations of 15-year- old school pupils' scholastic performance on mathematics, science, & reading.
- 23. Compulsory Education (Peruskoulu) This includes grades 1-9 and is designed for all students 7-16 years old. Grades 1-6 of peruskoulu are referred to as Primary Education; Grades 7-9 are referred to as Lower Secondary Education. [A year of preschool (for students 6 years old ) is offered prior to the peruskoulu; however, the text does not indicate that preschool is part of compulsory education.]
- 24. PARENTS CHOOSE Private daycare SUPERVISED PLAY ACTIVITIES Morning& afternoon activities for schoolchildren Basic education starts at age 7 Pre-school for 6-year-olds Parents care for Children/ arrange daycare Municipal supplements Private child care allowance Municipal supplements Child home care allowance Municipal Purchased services Daycare arranged by municipality Early Childhood Education & Care System (ECEC-system)
- 25. Child-Centered Early Education “We havelearned so much about child development and the science of teaching and learning from American education researchers.” ~ Pasi Sahlberg
- 26. Basic education isprovided free of charge comprising all learning materials and a warm lunch daily. The school year stretches to 190 working days, starting in mid August and ending in early June. The maximum duration of a school day is five lessons during the first two years and up to seven lessons from 3rd to 9th year (19 – 30 lessons per week). Basic Education
- 27. The Joy ofLearning
- 28. Non-Compulsory Education-Secondary Education 3Options to the Students 10th grade Option for the students choosing not to immediately enter upper- secondary education or employment. Curriculum includes Arts, crafts and manual trades. 35% after completing grade 10 go on to general-upper secondary school 48% go on to Vocational upper secondary schools. General Upper-Secondary school Secondary school option is about 3- 3.5 years duration Requires completion of 75 courses of 38 lessons each 50 courses focus on the study of 18 required subjects 25 courses are student selected. Students who successfully completes all course work gets a Upper-secondary education diploma
- 29. Upper Secondary Education Half of the age group chooses the Upper Secondary School; the other half continues to vocational studies. The National Matriculation Examination consists of exams in the mother tongue, the second national language (FIN/SWE), foreign languages, mathematics, humanities and sciences. Four of the exams have to be passed for the matriculation certificate, which provides eligibility for universities and higher vocational education
- 30. General & Vocational General Upper-Secondary school Student access to individual courses offered by a Vocational Upper secondary school is possible. Student can transfer from General Upper secondary school to Vocational upper secondary school. Students completing all 50 required courses take the National Matriculation Exam – required for entrance into higher education. Graduates of general upper secondary may apply to either polytechnics or universities. Vocational Upper-secondary school This option is also for 3-3.5 years Completion of 120 credits selected from 130 programs of study is required for each of 52 “ Vocational Qualifications”. Of the 120 units of study, 30 are devoted to general or elective courses and 20 are on-the job training.
- 31. Vocational Vocational Upper-secondaryschool- Contd …. Student access to individual courses offered by a General Upper-Secondary school is possible . Student can transfer from vocational Upper-secondary school to general upper-school. Vocational upper-secondary school graduates have the option of taking the National Matriculation Examination. Graduates of Vocational Upper Secondary school may apply to either polytechnics or universities.
- 32. Higher Education Finlandprovides two alternatives Vocational College ( Polytechnic) -This option requires about 3- 3.5 years of study. The length of a polytechnic program appears to depend upon the specific field being pursued. University- The University option requires about 3-6 years of study. Again, the length of a university program appears to depend upon the specific field being pursued and , perhaps the level of the degree sought.
- 33. 3500 schools,60,000 teachers 5.9% of National wealth ( GDP) goes to Education A primary school student costs USD7100 per annum 99% of all education publicly funded All teachers must hold a master’s degree 95% teachers and principals unionized Finland-Education Indicators
- 34. Long-term &consistent A vision of a knowledge-based society Responsibility and decision-making at local level Culture of trust No national exams No inspectors No public ranking of schools Equality and equity in education Cornerstones of Finnish Education Policy
- 35. Compulsory fromthe age of 7 to 16 Supportive measures Free, no tuition fees Free lunches Free books and other materials Free school health care Free transportation to school Equality & Equity in Finnish Education
- 36. Comparison of Finnish& Global ‘Ed’ Reform Policy
- 39. As a nationof modest people, Finland never actually intended to be the best in the world of education
- 40. To Summarize thissection Finnish students start formal schooling at age 7. There is compulsory schooling of 9 years for every child. All education is publically funded, & there are no fee paying schools Equity in education for all is the ideal. Finnish students study much less hours in the classroom. They also have less homework. Usually not more than ½ hour a day. They usually finish this before going home. The general finding is that countries with more formal teaching time have less academic achievement!
- 41. To Summarize thissection No management approach to education. Educationists decide all aspects of education and education management. Autonomy to schools and teachers. However schools have after-school activities and educational or recreational clubs after school hours. There is high membership of Youth and Sports Clubs. This contributes significantly to holistic development of students. Finnish students are among the least stressed
- 42. Adult-Child ratio inday care centers 1 to 7 for 3-6 year-olds 1 to 4 for children under 3 years Minimum Secondary level degree 1 in 3 post secondary level degree Adult-Child ratio in family day care 1 to 4 Appropriate training Staffing
- 43.
- 44. Principals : 1Head & 1 Deputy Head Directorate Group – ( Principals+4 Teachers) 4 Team: Every teacher is member of one team – Meetings every Thursday 8 to 9 Student welfare team 50 Teachers 15 Other personnel Staff for 500 Grade 1-6 Students
- 45. Curriculum Sports and naturalsciences are emphasized in the lower stage curriculum Elective subjects for the 8th and 9th grade (6 elective lessons weekly in sports, art, home economics, crafts, German/French language, music, etc. ) Elective lessons 1st, 2nd, 5th and 7th grades in art, sports, music, etc. Three periods/ year in upper grade
- 46. Special Assistance forLearning Difficulties Clinic-type Teachers Extra funds to prevent the marginalization, about Euro 80,000 per year Two-assistant teachers for grade 1-6 Two Teachers for special needs of the student 3 Special education Teachers 1 School psychologist, 1 Curator ( 3 days/week) 1 health nurse ( 5 days per week)
- 47. Finnish Teacher Education Fiveteaching categories in Finland Pre-school teachers, majoring in educational sciences Class teachers, majoring in educational sciences Subject teachers, majoring in various school inputs Special education teachers, separate degree requirements Vocational education teachers separate degree requirements Entry to teaching is competitive, only 10-15% of the applicants are accepted on national level
- 48. The Finnish Advantage–The Teachers
- 49. 1. Seven thingsyou need to know The most popular profession Strong social mission Masters level education Less classroom time Professional autonomy Principals are teachers Parents trust schools Number of teaching hours per year 0 200 400 600 800 1000 Primary Lower secondary Upper secondary Japan OECD average Finland Total annual teaching time in 60-minute hours
- 50. 2. Becoming ateacher (1) 0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Female Male Applicants to primary teacher education programs in Finnish universities 2001-2010 Accepted
- 51. 2. Becoming ateacher (2) Subject teacher education Municipal Field Schools Faculty of Science Faculty of Humanities Faculty of Medicine Faculty of Technology Faculty of Economics Faculty of Education Research Coordination Units Independent Units Regional Units Administration Board Teacher Training School Teacher Training School Faculties with teacher education
- 52. 3. Professional development Schoolis a Professional Learning Community Curriculum development Student assessment School improvement Individual and collective effectiveness Finnish schools No teacher evaluation No merit-pay No census-based standardized tests No ranking of schools
- 53. Quality at entryto teacher education Only the most able will be accepted (school-leaving examination) Test of basic knowledge in education (unified entrance test) Demonstration of skills and commitment (interview) High academic requirements at exit Evaluated teaching practice Rigid academic study and course work Masters degree with research thesis 4. Teacher effectiveness
- 54. 5. Accountability inEducation system High degree of trust Shared responsibility Intelligent accountability
- 55. 6. Equity inEducation system Inclusive education and early support Equal educational opportunities System-wide equity
- 56. 7. Conclusions andFuture Challenges Conclusions Finland assures high quality teaching by attracting the most able and committed to teaching profession Finland retains teachers in their jobs by maintaining respectful and inspiring professional conditions in schools for them. Challenges Preparing teachers for changing Finnish society Continuous professional development for all teachers Weakening economic situation or/and strengthening accountability policies may jeopardize current good situation
- 57. Teachers in Finlandpossess a strong sense of being esteemed professional similar to a medical doctor, engineer or economists
- 58. To Summarize thissection Teachers in Finland teach for less hours than most other countries This provides them time to focus on school improvement, curriculum planning and professional development, during school hours. Besides teaching, they have many responsibilities, including: Development of their school curriculum & Student assessment Providing remedial support & Participation in school health activities Most schools are truly professional learning communities where teaching is a holistic profession, which involves work with students and collaboration with colleagues. The variation in learning across schools is only about 5% Highly educated teachers , Good infrastructure Large autonomy enjoyed by schools Little interference from central education administration in day to day running Systematic methods for addressing student problems & Targeted professional help for students in need
- 59. Paradox # 1 TeachLess ,Learn More
- 60. Year 2008study of intended instructional hours for students aged 7-14 in 19 selected OECD countries (not including the U.S.) identified Finland as having the least total number of hours of instruction (about 5400); the Netherlands had the most (about 7900). Finnish students are free to go home after their shorter days of instruction, but they also may participate in voluntary after-school activities and "clubs" that are judged to contribute to their social and personal development and, hence, to their educational performance. Finnish teachers use their non-teaching time to attend to such duties as assessing students' achievement and overall progress, developing their school's curriculum, and providing remedial help to individual students. Finnish educators do not believe in homework that focuses on routine and intellectually unchallenging drill. Finnish students rarely get more than 30 minutes of homework per day; most are able to complete that before leaving school. Teach Less , Learn More
- 61. The 2008OECD study found that students aged 7-14 in Italy (about 7500 total hours of instruction) had about 2 more years of schooling than did Finns. Estimates from some U.S. states placed the number of hours at about 7500 -- the same as Italy. Moreover, since many U.S. students begin school at age 5, such students would, by age 15, have had 4 years more years of schooling than their Finnish counterparts. In comparing instructional time in the lower secondary school (grades 7-9) of Finland with that in grades 7-9 in the United States, the text found that the American teacher of grades 7-9 engages in about 1.75 times the number of annual hours of instruction as a Finnish teacher at that level. The data of Figure 3.2 (page 91) present slightly different U.S./Finnish ratios of annual instructional hours, ratios that increase across of three levels of schooling: 1.60 in grades 1-6; 1.81 in grades 7-9; and 1.95 in secondary school Teach Less , Learn More
- 62. Total number ofintended instructions hours in primary & lower secondary schools in 2012 – OECD Countries Big differences in total number of intended instruction hours in Public institutions between the ages of 7- 14 years in OECD countries. Formal teaching as a driver of student learning ( Finland, Korea, Estonia). Lower level of academic achievement –Spain, Israel, France. Finland children start school at the age of 7, where as in Australia children start school at the age 5. Finnish 15 year old students spend less time on homework than any other peers nations Finland-children learn in unsupervised environment
- 63. Number of Teachinghours/ year in Primary, Lower-secondary & Upper Secondary Schools in OECD countries- 2012 Lower-Secondary teachers total weekly working time in Finland- 31.6 hours Australia – 42.7 hours USA- 44.8 hours England- 45.9 hours Singapore- 47.6 hours 34 countries Average – 38.3 hours On an average 80% of lower secondary teacher’s working time is spent teaching & learning with students.
- 66. Paradox # 2 TestLess, Learn More
- 67. Finland doesnot engage in standardized-test based accountability. PISA data in three testing years (2000, 2003, 2006) showed that PISA mathematics performance scores in accountability-policy nations were in decline. Mean scores on those assessments of U.S.15-year-olds declined from about 490 to about 475. Finnish scores increased from about 535 to about 545. This suggests that frequent standardized testing is not a necessary or sufficient condition for improving education. The Finnish education system does include a three-part assessment component: 1. Teacher-designed classroom-based diagnostic, formative, and summative assessment; 2. Semi-annual comprehensive evaluation of each student's progress as a collective judgment of the student's teachers; and 3. A 3-to-4 year cycle of sample-based (about 10% per age cohort) national assessment to measure students' learning in reading, mathematics, science, and other subjects. Schools not included in the national sample may purchase the tests. While classroom assessment occupies "a significant amount of out-of-classroom working time" of teachers, the total annual cost of national assessment is less than $5 million. Test Less , Learn More
- 69. Paradox # 3 MoreEquity through growing diversity
- 70. More Equity throughgrowing diversity Ethnic diversity in Finland is increasing. In 1980, about 12,850 residents were foreign-born. In 2010, that number had increased 19-fold to about 248,100 and accounted for 4.7% of Finland's inhabitants. In the peruskoulu of Helsinki, 10% of students are immigrants; 40 languages are spoken. The main policy goal behind the development of the peruskoulu was equal education for all. Therefore, all students are placed in regular schools unless there is a specific reason to do otherwise. Research on the effect of increased ethnic diversity found: PISA data prior to 2009 showed that immigrant students perform significantly better in Finnish schools than in other countries; and Overall classroom performance in Finland began to decline when the proportion of foreign students reached 20%.
- 71. Poverty (definedas family income that is 50% below the national average) effects teaching and learning. The poverty rate in Finland is 3.4%; in the U.S., it is 21.7%. Finland gives systemic attention to social justice and early intervention for those in need. The level of student performance has continuously increased and variation in student performance has decreased during a period when Finnish society has become more culturally diverse and socially complex. More Equity through growing diversity
- 72.
- 73. 1 Finland has aneducation system in which young people learn well and performance differences among schools are small -- and all with reasonable cost and human effort 2 The above has not always been so
- 74. 3 Teaching is widelyviewed as a prestigious profession
- 75. 4 Finland has oneof the World’s most competitive teacher- preparation systems
- 76. 5 Finnish Teachers havea great deal of professional autonomy and lifelong access to purposeful professional development. 6 Those who are lucky enough to become teachers normally are teachers for life.
- 77. 7 Almost half ofthe 16-year olds, when they leave comprehensive school have been engaged in some sort of special education, personalized help, or individual guidance.
- 78. 8 In Finland, teachersteach less and students spend less time studying both in and out of school than their peers in other countries.
- 79. 9 Finnish schools donot engage in standardized testing, test preparation, or private tutorting.
- 80. 10 All of thefactors that are behind the Finnish success seem to be the opposite of what is taking place in the United States and much of the rest of the world, where competition, test- based accountability, standardization, and privatization seem to dominate
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- 87. Meaning of FinnishLessons 1. Teachers Policy- Professionalization 2. Accountability Policy-Trust based Responsibility 3. Testing Policy- Purposeful Assessment
- 88. The current, andhighly effective Finnish system of education is the result of decades of determined and continuous refinement of policies and practices. Finland did not attempt to simply transplant the ideas of education into the Finnish system; rather it modified promising ideas to fit the Finnish context. Neither did the process for improving education Finland jump from one "big idea" to another; rather, it committed to informed, long-term refinement of policies and practices based upon educators' evaluation of the effects of those policies and practices on student learning.
- 89. Reforming School isa complex & slow process. To rush this process is to ruin it. The story of Finland’s education transformation makes this clear
- 90. How Finnish Lessonscan help India’s Education Reform ?
- 91. 1 Excellence through Equalityof educational opportunity
- 92. Equitable funding ofEducation
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- 96. Compulsory Play forall Children
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- 99. More Time forCollaboration
- 100. Less Class roomhours
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- 102. More time toPlay
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- 105. Teaching is adesired way of life
- 106. What is theChange we require Indian Education Sector’s vision for the future is to "Create a community of learners that provides the conditions that allow all young people to discover their talent." Such would require the following “Themes of change.“ Development of Personal road maps for learning Less classroom-based teaching Development of interpersonal skills & problem solving Engagement and Creativity as pointers of success Importance & promoting Teaching as a Profession for Quality education
- 107. About 50%students must go into vocational education after high school Vocational education must be as rigorous and respected as academic streams There must be possibilities of transfer between the 2 streams There must be focus on holistic development of child and not just academics. Shift away from rote learning and testing, to problem solving and analytical skills is key For this, the examination/tests system has to change Different learning styles must be understood, appreciated & supported. Mapping of each child has to be done and each child supported as needed The quality of education across schools has to be made similar, by raising the quality in the public system. There must be discouragement of private, paid for tuitions and other supports which are essentially unfair to children from different economic strata. Some thoughts on Change
- 108. Mail your commentsto ramaddster@gmail.com