Can we learn from Finland ? Finland performs much better than England and the USA in the PISA test. In this international test the students have to apply their knowledge in novel situations. It seems that their average pupils achieve comparatively higher scores than those in other countries. Does this reflect Goverment directives, the headteacher, the teachers, teaching methods, continual assessment, revision methods or parental involvement? At the Government level ... The Government in Finland introduced a law so that all children have a 15 minute break after 45 minutes of teaching. The Government decided on mixed ability classes. The Government sets out a curriculum that is short with only a few pages of text per subject. The curriculum is not overwhelming, leaving time in the year for teachers to plan local activities and innovate. The Government approves science and mathematics textbooks that have been tried and tested in schools. Textbooks have teacher guides and these provide lesson plans for teachers for every term. They also contain extension material, printouts and projects. Textbooks are supplemented with free internet material. The Government directs examination boards to set questions that assess the understanding of concepts and their application in novel situations rather than just factual recall. The application of knowledge (problem solving) is a higher order of skill in Blooms Taxonomy of Learning. There is a minimum reliance on multiple choice questions as these are viewed as only useful for testing factual recall. The Government believes that SATs testing is unnecessary as continual assessment provides sufficient data about pupil attainment. The Government is now reviewing the curriculum to periodically introduce topics that require strategies which are needed in modern industry, such as working together and creativity. At the Headteacher level... The school day is organised with one hour periods and each period includes a lesson of 45 minutes and a 15 minute break. There are also morning and afternoon 15 minute coffee breaks and a lunch hour. The Head meets with teachers in an interview every term to discuss class progress, any problems with individual pupils, innovations, new topics etc. There are no heads of department and one teacher is given responsibility for ordering equipment, materials etc. The Head is responsible for standards and these are checked yearly by the government who give an examination to a few pupils in a year group. School inspectors can visit if results are unsatisfactory. Poorly performing pupils or gifted pupils are interviewed with their parents, the class teacher, a school psychologist and a social worker present. The Head provides an academic route or a vocational route for pupils aged 16. The Head insists that good discipline is introduced quickly in the school and is effective at an early age. Head teachers believe that learning cannot occur if minor disruption occurs in lessons. At the teacher level... Teachers enjoy their jobs and few leave teaching. Some teachers are only qualified to teach pupils between the ages of 7 to 13. They teach all subjects in a mixed ability class with less than 20 pupils. They keep the same class from year to year and soon know the pupils that need extra support. Other teachers are subject specialists and teach pupils aged 13 Teachers on exchange visits comment that lessons are not drastically different to those in their countries and comment that Finnish teachers are not ‘super teachers’. A common lesson format is a period of teacher talk followed by the pupil reading the textbook and answering some factual recall and problem solving questions. A short test is then used to monitor learning in the lesson. In summary, passive learning is followed by active learning and a short test gives immediate feedback. Teacher talk probably accounts for 15 minutes in the lesson. Teachers are trained to monitor learning effectively with short tests in every lesson and termly tests. The results for the latter are used for grades (these are entered into a national database). This is continual assessment. Teachers keep a portfolio of children’s work and comment on this frequently. New targets are set after a discussion with the pupil. Teachers set a short homework every week and pupils mark their own homework in class as the teacher goes through the marking scheme. Pupils have to comment on their results and results are entered into the national database. If no homework is done this is also recorded. Teachers use textbooks and the lesson plans in the teacher guides. They feel there is no need to ‘reinvent the wheel’. Teachers are expected to design a new topic for lessons at the end of the year and show their creativity to the Headteacher. At the pupil level... Pupils enter the classroom and take off their shoes. Pupils listen, read their textbook and answer questions, write summaries and are tested in every lesson. Pupils keep a portfolio of work and are self critical about their own work using a proforma. Pupils say they appreciate the regular 15 minute breaks every hour. Pupils work well and quietly in class for 45 minutes. Pupils conduct peer to peer tests as a revision process before end of term tests. A bright pupil is paired with a less able pupil. Each pupil has to explain a concept to the other pupil and they persist until mastery is achieved. Older pupils do online guided projects using school computers and use a special program that has prompts. Some homework involves using the internet for research. Parents... Parents receive a form at the end of term which provides the grade for the end of term tests. They have to sign this and return it to the school. Parents attend parents’ evenings. Parents are satisfied that homework is brief (sometimes less than 30 minutes per week) and realise that children need time to have hobbies and interests. Some parents do not like the idea of peer to peer revision as it seems that the bright pupil is being used as a teacher. They want their bright pupils to do extra studies. Schools believe that this method benefits both abilities. Parents can see test results on a national database. Parents can be contacted by teachers using mobile phone messages if progress is slow or behaviour is poor. Parents buy school workbooks and textbooks. These are used daily in class and parents can see that their children are getting a broad, balanced and relevant curriculum. Parents pay for examination entries. Parents do not make sandwiches for their children. Pupils receive a free meal at school and they are not allowed off site to buy junk food. Comment... It would seem that there are many similarities and differences between Finnish education and that of other countries. There is certainly no one silver bullet for success. Finnish success has been achieved by implementing a complex well organised system. The major factors are:- 1. At the classroom level the most obvious factor is the typical lesson plan which is composed of a short teacher talk phase (15 mins), an active learning phase using textbook questions to enhance learning and a short test phase to provide feedback to the learner and the teacher. 3. The use of continuous assessment is another important factor in that Finnish pupils are regularly made accountable for their own learning through lesson tests, termly tests, portfolios and self assessment proformas. 5. Finnish examination questions have a standard format. Copious text is initially provided before questions and this must be carefully read and analysed by pupils. Questions then require the pupil to apply the concepts they know to the novel context. Teachers incorporate this type of question into their lessons as examination preparation and problem solving becomes a regular learning activity for pupils. Such questions are similar to PISA questions. The three factors above could easily be implemented in any country that is considering curriculum change. I believe that they are fundamental to the success of Finland in PISA. Further reading... ‘Cleverlands’ by Lucy Crehan on Kindle. Lucy Crehan was a science teacher who taught in several countries to understand their success. She wrote a book called ‘Cleverlands’ and there is a long chapter on the Finnish educational system.
Kenneth Rotheram !! I’m students in liberty University and my future plans to go Finland 🇫🇮 studying more !! But I need to reading more book about Finland education systems Would you like to introduce to me ? I am appreciate it !
I read your book "teach like finland" and i wish i can see how things are going in finnish school. So i'm grad i find your youtube channel and maybe you can give us more video s of things you wrote on your book.
Hi mr. Walker, i read your book in Indonesian translate, "teach like findland", but i need a videos sampling 1 day school in findland and the lesson plan. Can i got it?. Sorry if there are mistake in my english. And thank you
Courses are taught based on the chapters of the workbook. At the end of each chapter there is a short test (1x A4 usually) which summarizes the main points of that chapter, be they grammar, mathematical knowledge, biological concept etc. At the end of the semester there will be a larger test in each subject, which has at least one question from each chapter that has been completed during that semester. The last question of the test is usually more difficult than the others, which requires that the student has fully understood a key concept of the course and can apply it to a problem that they have never seen before. We used to lovingly call these questions "The tenner killer question" (tenner - number 10, the highest score you can get on a scale from 4 to 10), since you could only get a perfect score in the test if you got that one right. edit: All of the tests are part of your final grade. Different parts of studying may be weighed differently. An example: Attendance: 10% Homework: 20% Small tests: 30% Final test: 40% Final grade: 100% (Some courses weigh homework more, some may have additional categories. It's all up to the teacher.) In this way it is clear that you can't just bank on the final test if you want to get a good score. You'll have to do your homework (preferably without mistakes) and take the small tests too. The attendance part has never been actually explained to me, I have always just thought that it's there for the people who don't really get what is taught so that they'd get their 5 out of pity, if they behaved well enough during the lessons.
Ichigoeki Thank you for this detailed explanation. It seems a good way to give regular feedback to the student, rather than waiting for a big test at the end of the year.
Hi Tim I am Pankaj from India. I heard lot about Finland education system. How can I connect with over email or WhatsApp so that I can also help my kids. Thanks for posting such videos
Have you ever heard "Rally English"? Most of the Finns speaks rally english. Tim, can you say, that most of the americans speaks any other language than motherlanguage? As a Finnish person I have to study at least 3 different languages. SUOMI, RUOTSI ja ENGLANTI.
You are amazing!
Can we learn from Finland ?
Finland performs much better than England and the USA in the PISA test. In this international test the students have to apply their knowledge in novel situations. It seems that their average pupils achieve comparatively higher scores than those in other countries. Does this reflect Goverment directives, the headteacher, the teachers, teaching methods, continual assessment, revision methods or parental involvement?
At the Government level ...
The Government in Finland introduced a law so that all children have a 15 minute break after 45 minutes of teaching.
The Government decided on mixed ability classes.
The Government sets out a curriculum that is short with only a few pages of text per subject. The curriculum is not overwhelming, leaving time in the year for teachers to plan local activities and innovate.
The Government approves science and mathematics textbooks that have been tried and tested in schools. Textbooks have teacher guides and these provide lesson plans for teachers for every term. They also contain extension material, printouts and projects. Textbooks are supplemented with free internet material.
The Government directs examination boards to set questions that assess the understanding of concepts and their application in novel situations rather than just factual recall. The application of knowledge (problem solving) is a higher order of skill in Blooms Taxonomy of Learning. There is a minimum reliance on multiple choice questions as these are viewed as only useful for testing factual recall.
The Government believes that SATs testing is unnecessary as continual assessment provides sufficient data about pupil attainment.
The Government is now reviewing the curriculum to periodically introduce topics that require strategies which are needed in modern industry, such as working together and creativity.
At the Headteacher level...
The school day is organised with one hour periods and each period includes a lesson of 45 minutes and a 15 minute break. There are also morning and afternoon 15 minute coffee breaks and a lunch hour.
The Head meets with teachers in an interview every term to discuss class progress, any problems with individual pupils, innovations, new topics etc.
There are no heads of department and one teacher is given responsibility for ordering equipment, materials etc.
The Head is responsible for standards and these are checked yearly by the government who give an examination to a few pupils in a year group. School inspectors can visit if results are unsatisfactory.
Poorly performing pupils or gifted pupils are interviewed with their parents, the class teacher, a school psychologist and a social worker present.
The Head provides an academic route or a vocational route for pupils aged 16.
The Head insists that good discipline is introduced quickly in the school and is effective at an early age. Head teachers believe that learning cannot occur if minor disruption occurs in lessons.
At the teacher level...
Teachers enjoy their jobs and few leave teaching.
Some teachers are only qualified to teach pupils between the ages of 7 to 13. They teach all subjects in a mixed ability class with less than 20 pupils. They keep the same class from year to year and soon know the pupils that need extra support.
Other teachers are subject specialists and teach pupils aged 13
Teachers on exchange visits comment that lessons are not drastically different to those in their countries and comment that Finnish teachers are not ‘super teachers’.
A common lesson format is a period of teacher talk followed by the pupil reading the textbook and answering some factual recall and problem solving questions. A short test is then used to monitor learning in the lesson. In summary, passive learning is followed by active learning and a short test gives immediate feedback. Teacher talk probably accounts for 15 minutes in the lesson.
Teachers are trained to monitor learning effectively with short tests in every lesson and termly tests. The results for the latter are used for grades (these are entered into a national database). This is continual assessment.
Teachers keep a portfolio of children’s work and comment on this frequently. New targets are set after a discussion with the pupil.
Teachers set a short homework every week and pupils mark their own homework in class as the teacher goes through the marking scheme. Pupils have to comment on their results and results are entered into the national database. If no homework is done this is also recorded.
Teachers use textbooks and the lesson plans in the teacher guides. They feel there is no need to ‘reinvent the wheel’.
Teachers are expected to design a new topic for lessons at the end of the year and show their creativity to the Headteacher.
At the pupil level...
Pupils enter the classroom and take off their shoes.
Pupils listen, read their textbook and answer questions, write summaries and are tested in every lesson.
Pupils keep a portfolio of work and are self critical about their own work using a proforma.
Pupils say they appreciate the regular 15 minute breaks every hour.
Pupils work well and quietly in class for 45 minutes.
Pupils conduct peer to peer tests as a revision process before end of term tests. A bright pupil is paired with a less able pupil. Each pupil has to explain a concept to the other pupil and they persist until mastery is achieved.
Older pupils do online guided projects using school computers and use a special program that has prompts. Some homework involves using the internet for research.
Parents...
Parents receive a form at the end of term which provides the grade for the end of term tests. They have to sign this and return it to the school.
Parents attend parents’ evenings.
Parents are satisfied that homework is brief (sometimes less than 30 minutes per week) and realise that children need time to have hobbies and interests.
Some parents do not like the idea of peer to peer revision as it seems that the bright pupil is being used as a teacher. They want their bright pupils to do extra studies. Schools believe that this method benefits both abilities.
Parents can see test results on a national database.
Parents can be contacted by teachers using mobile phone messages if progress is slow or behaviour is poor.
Parents buy school workbooks and textbooks. These are used daily in class and parents can see that their children are getting a broad, balanced and relevant curriculum.
Parents pay for examination entries.
Parents do not make sandwiches for their children. Pupils receive a free meal at school and they are not allowed off site to buy junk food.
Comment...
It would seem that there are many similarities and differences between Finnish education and that of other countries. There is certainly no one silver bullet for success. Finnish success has been achieved by implementing a complex well organised system. The major factors are:-
1. At the classroom level the most obvious factor is the typical lesson plan which is composed of a short teacher talk phase (15 mins), an active learning phase using textbook questions to enhance learning and a short test phase to provide feedback to the learner and the teacher.
3. The use of continuous assessment is another important factor in that Finnish pupils are regularly made accountable for their own learning through lesson tests, termly tests, portfolios and self assessment proformas.
5. Finnish examination questions have a standard format. Copious text is initially provided before questions and this must be carefully read and analysed by pupils. Questions then require the pupil to apply the concepts they know to the novel context. Teachers incorporate this type of question into their lessons as examination preparation and problem solving becomes a regular learning activity for pupils. Such questions are similar to PISA questions.
The three factors above could easily be implemented in any country that is considering curriculum change. I believe that they are fundamental to the success of Finland in PISA.
Further reading...
‘Cleverlands’ by Lucy Crehan on Kindle.
Lucy Crehan was a science teacher who taught in several countries to understand their success. She wrote a book called ‘Cleverlands’ and there is a long chapter on the Finnish educational system.
OMG ! That’s so helpful for me ☺️☺️
I’m pleased to hear that. Are you a student or in education?
Kenneth Rotheram !! I’m students in liberty University and my future plans to go Finland 🇫🇮 studying more !! But I need to reading more book about Finland education systems
Would you like to introduce to me ? I am appreciate it !
@@lylynguyen6981 I hope you get to Finland and see how the system works. I look forward to hearing about your visit and comments😀
I read ur book "teach like finland" it's awesome!
Thank you, Gita!
I buy your book i am from Indonesia. I hope you keep going to make education content
I read your book "teach like finland" and i wish i can see how things are going in finnish school. So i'm grad i find your youtube channel and maybe you can give us more video s of things you wrote on your book.
Tim Its me. Im that boy whit green hoodie in Kuopio. You are awasome and cool😀👌🏻
And Dave The camera man😂👍🏻
"Whit" i think you meaned *with
Urpot XD
Hey, Tino! Thanks, man! We appreciate the shout out! Great to visit you and your classmates. :)
Hi mr. Walker, i read your book in Indonesian translate, "teach like findland", but i need a videos sampling 1 day school in findland and the lesson plan. Can i got it?. Sorry if there are mistake in my english. And thank you
yoo all these clips are recorded in my old school
Can you tell me how continuous assessment works in Finland please ?
Courses are taught based on the chapters of the workbook. At the end of each chapter there is a short test (1x A4 usually) which summarizes the main points of that chapter, be they grammar, mathematical knowledge, biological concept etc. At the end of the semester there will be a larger test in each subject, which has at least one question from each chapter that has been completed during that semester. The last question of the test is usually more difficult than the others, which requires that the student has fully understood a key concept of the course and can apply it to a problem that they have never seen before. We used to lovingly call these questions "The tenner killer question" (tenner - number 10, the highest score you can get on a scale from 4 to 10), since you could only get a perfect score in the test if you got that one right.
edit: All of the tests are part of your final grade. Different parts of studying may be weighed differently. An example:
Attendance: 10%
Homework: 20%
Small tests: 30%
Final test: 40%
Final grade: 100%
(Some courses weigh homework more, some may have additional categories. It's all up to the teacher.)
In this way it is clear that you can't just bank on the final test if you want to get a good score. You'll have to do your homework (preferably without mistakes) and take the small tests too. The attendance part has never been actually explained to me, I have always just thought that it's there for the people who don't really get what is taught so that they'd get their 5 out of pity, if they behaved well enough during the lessons.
Ichigoeki Thank you for this detailed explanation. It seems a good way to give regular feedback to the student, rather than waiting for a big test at the end of the year.
Hi Tim I am Pankaj from India. I heard lot about Finland education system. How can I connect with over email or WhatsApp so that I can also help my kids. Thanks for posting such videos
Yo wassup Tim and Dave
We're doing well, thanks! How are you?
Tim Walker Oh im doing great. When is the expected time for that video to come out? Im waiting for it ;)
how to teach like finland
Have you ever heard "Rally English"? Most of the Finns speaks rally english. Tim, can you say, that most of the americans speaks any other language than motherlanguage? As a Finnish person I have to study at least 3 different languages. SUOMI, RUOTSI ja ENGLANTI.
Hi, Aki -- very cool that you're studying three languages!
I'm a big fan of rally Finnish. But do you really think most Finns speak that way? :)
Can you tell me how continuous assessment works in Finland please ?
Aki Nevanoja Most Finns don't even speak "rally English"... Maybe some older people do, but even then I doubt it's the MOST.