Special Features of the Finnish Education System: Curriculum Development in Finland

Irmeli Halinen, Head of preschool and basic education development at the Finnish National Board of Education, gave a speech entitled curriculum development in Finland.

Here are the notes:

Basic principles of education

• equity
  
• equality
• high quality
• inclusiveness
• try to take care of all students and their needs

Finnish education system

• 6 year olds
• optional 10th year for those who need more support
• can do vocational upper-secondary education and the matriculation qualifications
  
• allows for individual choices/paths

Learning culture intertwines:

1. the education system -- comprehensive, inclusive, coherent, trust and support
2. teachers -- good, valued, high quality of teacher education
3. individual support -- early intervention plays an active role

History of the education system

• comprehensive reform from 1970-1977
• upper secondary school started 1975
• renewed the national core curriculum in 1985, 1994, 2003-2004

Reforms

• coherent and consistent (even with different governments)
• first national curriculum 1970 -- centralized system (ability grouping grades 7-9, lowest groups did not go to university/upper-secondary school), detailed goals, content, guidelines
  
• core curriculum 1985 -- made the municipality more important, ability grouping abolished, eligibility to further studies for everyone
• revolution/paradigm shift 1994 -- no more school inspection, inspection of teaching materials, delegation of power to municipalities and schools, cooperative learning, "thin" core curriculum
• 2004 -- method of cooperation, feedback from schools, moved "backwards" - strengthened support and guidance, municipalities getting too large, more core curriculum, new lessons hours, emphasis on goals rather than content

Culture of coherence, trust, and support

• commonly accepted values, goals, expectations
• support and cooperation instead of control
• trust in municipality
• interaction at/with all levels e.g. municipal, school, state
• teacher status

Reading comprehension

• 1965 and 2005 -- lowest performing students doing much better in 2005 than in 1965
• Finland higher than the OECD average, especially at the lowest performing level
  

Quality of Finnish education

• good outcomes -- PISA, low class repetition (2%), low drop out rate during compulsory school (0.5%), 96% to upper-secondary education
• high trust in education
• equality of provision/quality
• effective use of resources e.g. 190 days, 4-7 hours per day, moderate homework, 6% of GDP to education

Math scores

• student and score level -- Finland higher than OECD average, especially at the low level

Time in mathematics

• moderate amount of time/homework
• huge difference e.g. Korea and Finland, especially time out of/after school

Curriculum strategy

• curriculum - national
• municipal curricula
• school curricula
• curriculum is an ongoing process
• principals and teachers in curriculum development
• parents and students too
• national agreement of participation of other sectors, e.g. health and social care

Steering system

• paradigm change -- teaching and learning on top, most important; national curriculum a good base of support

Coherence

• interaction and common direction
• e.g. national, municipal, school level
• e.g. teacher education, curriculum, study materials

Curriculum

• inclusive and supportive
• broad
• inclusive for all students
• balance between academic achievement and student welfare
• more attention/emphasis on holistic development of the child
• PISA showed that the academics are good, but a need for more holistic education
• school culture and environment is open, flexible, accepting
• future-oriented, competence-based thinking
• curriculum a tool for leadership and professional and school development

Roles and tasks of the school curriculum

• school curriculum involves:

1. school's plan
2. teachers' plan
3. individual study plan
4. municipal strategies
5. parents
6. other schools
7. individual study
8. special education

Basic Education Act

• "Education shall be provided according to the student's age and capabilities and so as to promote all students' healthy growth and development"
• starting point
• take differences into account
• minimum and maximum hours in school
• organization of teaching and learning: Basic Education Act and Decree, Government's Decree, National Core Curriculum, municipal/school curriculum
• distribution of hours
• integrative, cross-curricular themes in lower secondary education, e.g. growth as a person, citizenship
• organizing teaching and learning
• flexibility and school/teacher autonomy
• importance of goals
• goals expressed as competencies (large competencies, not detailed)
• teachers encouraged o take into account students' needs
• emphasis/importance of good basic competencies

Concept of learning (the PISA secret?)

• is it old-fashioned in Finland?
  
• teachers see students as responsible for their own learning
• learning process is individual and cooperative

Teachers are the key

• McKinsey -- need the right people, development, and best instruction to be good teachers
• "the only way to improve outcomes is to improve instruction"

Quality of instruction

• respecting pupils
• high expectations
• individual learning
• friendly atmosphere
• combination of individual, group, community -- a process
• support of teachers
• flexible teaching
• pedagogical leadership

Assessment

• parent-teacher conferences
  
• e.g. goals for the child