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
  

Finnish perceptions of PISA Success: Previous Research, Part Nine - Comprehensive School

The comprehensive school of Finland, which has roots in the Nordic principle of equality, also influences the Finnish PISA outcomes.  The comprehensive school has many features that provide a supportive environment for all students, regardless of academic talent.

The comprehensive school provides a good foundation for the education system, with philosophy of equity, support of students through heterogeneous grouping, special education, individual attention, and inclusion.  The comprehensive school allows all students to attend the same school with their peers, despite any difficulties the students may have.  

Nearly all students attend the comprehensive school until the age of sixteen, but the school will adapt to each child's needs.  The schools use teacher-planned curriculum for a student-centered, inclusive environment.  The ethos of inclusion allows for vast support for weaker students through a very developed special education program.  

The comprehensive school, a non-selective school, calls for support for those with difficulties.  Only 2% of students need to repeat a grade and only 0.5% of students fail to earn a comprehensive school degree.  

Finnish perceptions of PISA Success: Previous Research, Part One

Finland's success in PISA has led to publications both within and outside Finland addressing the issue.

The University of Jyvaskyla, a respected university in Finland, and especially respected for the caliber of the Department of Education, released two articles on the matter.

A document entitled "The Finnish Success in PISA -- And Some Reasons Behind It: PISA 2000" was written in 2002 by Professors Valijarvi, Linnakyla, Kupari, Reinikainen, and Arffman. A similar document addressed entitled "The Finnish Success in PISA -- And Some Reasons Behind It 2" was released in 2007 and was written by Professors Valijarvi, Kupari, Linnakyla, Reinikainen, Sulkunen, Tornroos, and Arffman.

The second document described the Finnish reaction to high outcomes in PISA and the paradigm shift of educational interest that occurred after the release of PISA results:

The outstanding success of Finnish students in PISA has been a great joy but at the same time a somewhat puzzling experience to all those responsible for and making decisions about education in Finland. At a single stroke, PISA has transformed our conceptions of the quality of the work done at our comprehensive school and of the foundations it has laid for Finland's future civilisation and development of knowledge. Traditionally, we have been used to thinking that the models for educational reforms have to be taken from abroad. This sudden change in role from a country following the example of others to one serving as a model for others reforming school has prompted us to recognise and think seriously about the special characteristics and strengths of our comprehensive school (Valijarvi, et al., 2007, p. 3).