Why do Finland's schools get the best results? - Page 2

[winwin]

How about this.

Finland has a two year parental leave.

It has universal daycare....really universal.

Formal schooling may start at 7 (the age of reason according Waldorf and many psychologists) but it has plenty of state run, play based activity before hand.

Finland really values education and respects teachers, unlike the US and Canada. I really think the respect for education is very important.

Teachers are very educated, Master's degrees, as mentioned before.

Yes the uniformity of culture may be a factor but I think that the universal daycare would catch all those kids that the social system may not...that's why we need it here so badly (US and Canada). Parents will almost always accept free, quality child care so they can work. Even if they choose not to work and send their kids there, it's still a win win for the state in the long run.

My two cents.

[sapphire_chan]

With, free, quality child care, the economic gaps might be lessened. Parents who have to work would have more of their income available for savings and/or not needing second or third jobs. They could devote more attention to their work and perhaps advance into higher paying positions more readily (vs. constantly searching for new daycare, cheaper daycare, all those headaches).

I'd feel annoyed if it were mandatory though.

[graceomalley]

Well it's gotta be an awesome place if you can play daredevil on the weekend, then still have your job on Monday! lol. Most teachers in other countries have contacts upholding them to certain standards (certainly no law breaking stunts). Teachers here in Australia have been cautioned that if their facebook profile shows them drinking / obviously drunk they can lose their job.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dudesons

I've studied the Finnish education system a little and it's hard to isolate the exact thing that makes it work - it seems to be a combination of things working together, not least the lack of formalised learning until they're 7. They don't have the need for academic 'catchup' programs (like Reading Recovery) or the social problems which plague many other school systems either.

[meco]

Originally Posted by graceomalley

I've studied the Finnish education system a little and it's hard to isolate the exact thing that makes it work - it seems to be a combination of things working together, not least the lack of formalised learning until they're 7. They don't have the need for academic 'catchup' programs (like Reading Recovery) or the social problems which plague many other school systems either.

I'd love to hear more of your thoughts on the topic. I have to admit I have not studied it at all, but education is an interest of mine and I found the topic and this thread to be fascinating.

[Proxi]

Check this link out: http://www.teachers.ab.ca/Quick%20Li...-Sahlberg.aspx

I think one of the main points is this: "Finland has a relatively small number of school days, and Finnish teachers teach less than 600 hours a year in the classroom. Teachers spend their remaining time developing curriculum and assessing and reporting student progress, for which they are solely responsible." Having that extra time to do assessment and to pinpoint where each child is having trouble can be a HUGE help.

[Annelina]

I'm from Finland and currently live in the U.S. It's a bit hard to say exactly why Finnish schools would be so much better than the rest, but here's some ideas.

People are rather similar, homogeneous. Similar backgrounds, similar social class, similar incomes, we even look oh so similar. I would say there's only a middle/working class, not really upper classes like here in the U.S. and much less of poor and homeless people. Not very much immigration except for the past few years.

The government offers social benefits that you can survive on: unemployment benefits, housing benefits, health care, free schooling, inexpensive child care, 3 years of paid maternity leave, paid paternity leave, free high school, free upper education (college, university, professional schools), student aid, retirement benefits. None of this makes you rich, and you're paying tons of taxes to maintain the system, but you can survive and try to fulfill your potential without having to be afraid that you'll be down and out and on the streets. Public transportation is awesome, people live in much smaller apartments than here in the U.S. and they don't expect to collect and own a huge amount of wealth and stuff, they just want to get by and live reasonably happy lives. Money is not the main thing in life.

Education is valued and at least when I was a student, I had a real sense of pride in my work. Your placement in a university or college is not automatic so you have to work very hard to get the grades to get into university and pass their tests. Money can't get you a good education, only intelligence and hard work can. Teachers are valued and I think they also value themselves appropriately.

Historically Finland has been kicked in the head by both the Russians and the Swedes (and others) and we are proud to have survived and fought our way through into a high-tech country. It created a strong national feeling that we all carry with us. Even though I've lived in the U.S. for 17 years I still consider myself primarily a Finn and would never give up my citizenship. Maybe this has helped us in our educational paths as well, to pull together rather than apart?

Also, Finns are not workaholics. In most cases, they work just 8 hours a day, 5 days a week and spend time with family on weekends and have long paid vacations (4-6 weeks). Work is not the center of their lives. Family is.

[ssh]

Sweden's educational system seems similar http://www.teachers.tv/videos/12090 .