by Guest Blogger Sarah
I am in Finland from January 31 through May 30 on a Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching grant. This grant is for k-12 teachers who are interested in doing research abroad. The program is running in 11 countries around the world this year. My research is about school libraries and information literacy instruction. I am living in Helsinki, but trying to visit schools around the country as much as I can. Inevitably, the conversations I am having with teachers lead us to the question everyone is asking…what is their secret?
It is interesting to be here amidst all the talk in the US (and everywhere, I suppose) about the fabulous Finnish school system. At the school I was at this week, there were visitors from:
Germany, France, England AND Japan. And then me. In Helsinki, and especially in the teacher training schools, they are used to people, from everywhere, coming and going all of the time. I have seen the 2 main schools I have visited, the teacher training schools, featured on many news clips about the “Finnish Phenomenon.”
So, what makes their education system work so well?
Important disclaimer…I am certainly not an expert of the Finnish Education system, and I have ony been here for 7 weeks, but I have tried to look at many types of classes, talk to students, teachers and principals whenever possible, and read about the national curriculum, PISA analysis, and anything else I can get my hands on. And, having taught for 15 years, I have my ideas about what does and doesn't work.
I think the Finns are really good at systems. I read an article yesterday about people who live in Finland from other countries, and every one of them mentioned that when they leave, they miss how things just seem to "work" in Finland. The free health care for all system is effective and reliable (which I can attest to. I saw a doctor on a Sunday, without at appointment, and only waited 20 mins), their snow removal (which I tried to share with everyone I know on Facebook via a CNN video…darn CNN International!) and their public transportation system (I have not had a bus late or early, and many bus shelters have readerboards telling you how many minutes until the next bus will arrive- important to know when it is -25c outside). I think the education system is another example of their systems working. They set out to create an educational system that educates all, provides many choices for students and respects teachers, students and learning. And they haven't changed course. They have stuck to their vision and goal. The pendulum swings that we all have experienced in American education don't seem to be here, and in fact, when I mention the idea of constantly moving targets, they look even more baffled than I!
Here are a few comments on what has struck me the most:
1. Teacher Training: only 10% of teaching school applicants get in to teaching school. It is very competitive- I even heard someone tell a story about their friend who didn’t get into teaching school after a couple of tries, so they went for law…and they got in. This is huge. In addition, there is a very structured training school model ("Teacher Training Schools" that are run by the university) that ensures that master teachers are qualified, that all lessons are observed by a master teacher, and that there is time for feedback and reflection. Student teachers also teach in pairs. They are never alone, they learn from each other and they are used to being observed. They don’t necessarily teach full-time for many weeks, but the teaching they do do is focused, reflective and very, very observed by master teachers. Master teachers are always in the classroom during the student teacher lessons. It is part of their job to observe every lesson and provide feedback to the student teachers.
2. Teachers are trusted. Teachers are not evaluated by principals, or really, by anyone formally. After the training, they are considered "prepared" and trusted to follow the national guidelines. They have autonomy to develop lessons on their own. They also have flexible schedules. Some terms, they work 3 days a week, some terms they work 5 days a week. No one's schedule is the same- some people start at 11am! It is based on the department needs, the student needs and school needs. And, class sizes in general are smaller, allowing for more individual contact. I have never seen a class more than 25, and most seem to be under 20, and under 15 is common (especially 6th grade and below). This allows teachers to observe, interact and monitor student understanding. In grades 1-6, teachers usually stick with students. According to a principal I spoke with, “One of the best things about being a teacher is having to grow and change with the students.” Being just a 3rd grade teacher isn’t acceptable, and as she said “how can you be a good 5th grade teacher without the experience teaching the earlier grades?”
But there is flexibility at the school level- if a teacher doesn’t like (or feel confident) teaching art, they can switch classes with another teacher, and teach their students PE. I asked a principal how she starts to plan the master schedule, and she said, “Well, I ask the teachers what will work best for them.” What an amazing place to start the planning process.
3. Students are trusted. Students are expected to take lots of notes, participate in classes and study at home. However, teachers don't do endless, exhaustive grading of their work. One teacher I spoke with has 5 grades in her gradebook in a term, and the final test. She observes their work in class, reads and comments on papers, but doesn't check their notes everyday and give points. Students know they will need to study for the test at the end of the term, and if they have taken notes and participated, they feel prepared. And they can re-do the test if they need to. Their schedules are somewhat flexible too- some students come to school later than others, and leave earlier based on their schedules. Students can be found reading in hallways, working on projects alone in classrooms, and checking out library books on their own, no adults present.
4. Lunch and free time: there is a free, hot lunch provided to all students, everyday. Some of the older students complain about it, but nearly all students eat it. It is healthy, homemade and you can eat as much as you want. The schools, especially the elementary schools, talk with students about “taking just what you can eat,” to minimize waste. Most schools compost and they use real silverware, plates and cups. There is little to no garbage. And there are longer breaks between classes. Most students have 15 minutes, and until 6th grade, students MUST go outside and get fresh air, and run around. This is a core concept in Finland- students need the break, and they need to be outside. They believe the students will be better students if they have a chance to run and play, even when it is -20c. The emphasis on exercise and being outside, regardless of the weather, helps provide students a break from school, a chance to get the "ya yas" out. The pace of students and teachers throughout the day is much more relaxed than in the US. I even see teachers just sitting and chatting in the teacher’s lounge, talking to each other, getting coffee, and recharging, something I rarely ever see at my school. A school I was at recently has a “Friday cake day” during the 30 min recess and teacher break on Fridays. The main rule? You can’t talk about school.
5. There is life beyond basic education. After students take the tests at the end of 9th grade (they are 16 at the end of 9th grade, since they don’t start school until they are 7), to earn the “leaving school diploma” they have choices and opportunities. Students can apply to get into the Upper Secondary Schools, or apply to Vocational Schools. The upper secondary schools generally prepare students for college, but if a student goes to vocational school and then decides they want to attend university, they can take the tests, and apply. Or they can go to the Polytechnic School for additional training. Either way…college is free. Students pay about 100euros and they have to pay for their housing, but otherwise…it is free. Lunches at college are even subsidized- students pay around 2euro for an entire hot lunch. I think students respect these opportunities, and in part, they work hard to take advantage of them. It is pretty competitive to get into different schools, however, if a student really wanted to go to college, there are colleges all over the country they could apply for, and likely, they could get into one somewhere.
I know many countries want to buy the Finnish education model, and I don't think it can be taken wholesale (there are many other factors that contribute- small population, long history of valuing education, the government model) but I think we can learn and use many of the strategies that have created a great system. The Finns seem really good at that!
Sarah is a National Board Certified Teacher Librarian from North Thurston Public Schools in Lacey, Washington.
In response to the question on teacher selectivity…
I don’t have any research based answers (those might exist though…) Teachers aren’t paid exceptionally well here, so the draw isn’t money. I think the working environment of teachers is very attractive. Teachers have a lot of autonomy to do their job. They also have a reasonable schedule- I have met teachers who are teaching full-time and work between 20 and 25 “lessons” (hours)a week. Teachers often have different schedules each teaching term, some terms working more, others less; some terms working at 8am on Monday, others at 10am on Monday. Teachers have more break time during the day and summers are actually 10 weeks long.
I believe they get applicants because potential teachers see the clear guidelines and expectations (national curriculum), the good working environment (teacher autonomy and well-funded education system overall) and culture of respect and honor that exists for teachers (teachers are held in high esteem by people in Finland) as reasons to pursue a challenging and wonderful profession.
(and don’t forget…college is free. No starting your first job with huge loans and having to wait tables at night to pay your bills…that doesn’t hurt!!)
How do the Finns attract enough teacher candidates to make selectivity possible? What reasons do teacher candidates give for why the attempt is worth the effort and the stress?
To respond to your questions, here is a link to some data about special education students:http://www.stat.fi/til/erop/2009/erop_2009_2010-06-11_tie_001_en.html
And Finland does have students who are learning Finnish as a second language. They are part of the EU, and thus expected to take a certain number of refugees into the country each year. They have refugees from Somalia, Afganistan and Iraq primarily, as well as from Russia, Sweden and countries near Finland. The language acquisition plan of instruction is really interesting here…and I will try to explain what I know. There are 2 national languages in Finland, Finnish and Swedish. Students start “mother tongue” instruction at the beginning of school. Everyone takes Finnish, but if Finnish isn’t their Mother Tongue, they are provided additional instruction in their Mother Tongue (so for example in Oulu I was told, they have 5 students with Greek as their Mother Tongue, so they are given instruction in Greek, usually after school, and usually all the students have to go to one school. There is a strong belief in the importance of being good at one’s “Mother Tongue” in order to be a successful student in other areas of study. Students then start English in 3rd grade, and it usually becomes their first foreign language. Then in 7th they start Swedish, and then in 8 or 9th (I think..) they often choose another language. So, FLL (new term!) are very common here, as is being a new language learner.
In addition, students who come to Finland without Finnish start in the “preparatory program” to get them up to speed- I think they spend 1 year in that program. Another Fulbright colleague is studying Immigrant Education in Finland…she will have more insight than me!
And, I agree, we are dealing with very different cultures when we compare the US and Finland. However, I think there are many things we can import to the US education system. Teacher selectivity and training could definitely be adopted, for example. I would like to see our schools be less “trendy” and more “vision oriented” like Finland. They have a national curriculum that they passed and adopted in 2004. It drives all of their teaching. They don’t try to gimmicks every year They stick to it. They also don’t feel the need to try gimmicks because they don’t test, evaluate and compare obsessively like we do. It is a very different construct. When I explain our habit of new initiative after new initiative year after year, they are very, very bewildered by it. As am I!
Interesting read, very interesting. A couple of questions…do the Finns educate all students including special ed and ell? I guess a better question is what percent of kids are special ed and do they even have an ELL population? I like what I read…hope you will write more about your experience. Yes, we have a lot to learn from them, too. Thank you!
I appreciate you articulating these differences between our system and the Finnish. It makes all the more clear how inappropriate the comparisons are: our context is utterly different.
The stat about the selective process for becoming a teacher is really telling as well.