The Finnish educational system is widely regarded as one of the best in the world. Finland thrives to provide an education system that provides equal opportunities to all and at all levels. It is a modern and progressive country with a strong global reputation and high living standards.
Finland is one of the world’s most innovative, stable and well-educated countries. It is also routinely ranked as the happiest country in the world.
Surely this excites educators globally to know more about the Finnish education systems, their teaching techniques and their key pillars for providing effective learning. Consequently, a group of Maltese educators, namely Marica Grieco Falanga, Medeleine Agius Carbonaro, Josann Agius, Clare Meilak, Elaine Azzopardi, Raquel Bonnici and myself, accompanied by assistant heads Ruth Mansueto and Alexia Brincau, and head of school Kenneth Vella, embarked on a week-long study tour in Tampere, Finland, last month.
This was not the first time that Maltese educators from Mater Boni Consilii St Joseph School, Paola have visited Finland, and this affirms the positive experiences gained, both professionally and personally.
Throughout the week, experts Johanna Järvinen Taubert, Päivi Valtonen, Iris Taubert, Kati Keski Mäenpää, Satu Herrala, Kaisi Tuomarla and Jukka Miettunen hosted us during our observational visits in five different schools, as well as organised lectures at the Tampere University of Applied Sciences where diverse topics such as cooperation in basic education, leadership and management in schools, educational support and curriculum assessment, were addressed.
As argued by ECEC specialist Elena Chukhlantseva, in the book Finnish Education in practice, Finland’s education focuses on seeing “the child as a unity of their mental and physical health, social-emotional functioning and development, and learning potential”.
This has surely been adopted within Finnish education through the importance given to the early childhood and pre-primary years, and how their pedagogical approaches focus on transforming and shaping one’s character and giving value to the students’ well-being.
Through this inspiring study visit, my colleagues and I have observed how education is seen as a key towards one’s growth and well-being of the society. It was immediately evident how education in Finland focuses on lifelong learning, providing students with life skills and core knowledge of discipline, while allowing space for freedom and liberty to explore and develop their motor and cognitive skills from the earliest ages.
Finland is one of the world’s most innovative, stable and well-educated countries. It is also routinely ranked as the happiest country in the world
Most importantly, and tying everything together, is how close cooperation among the staff facilitates the implementation of the school’s educational goals. Emphasis is placed on strong communication and cooperation among teaching professionals, the school welfare team, parents and the students themselves.
While keeping the student in mind, Finnish schools focus on the implementation of what they consider major and key pillars in education.
One crucial pillar is having highly-trained teachers, who are respected, trusted and given autonomy within the classroom and with their decisions. Moreover, focus is directed to learning not testing; focusing on learner-centred pedagogies within versatile learning environments, with the first national level exam being held at matriculation level.
Another key pillar is that no importance is given to ranking – be it within the classroom itself, the school or on a national level. There is no competition throughout the educational sectors or appointed staff, but thorough collaboration for the benefit of the students.
A visibly implemented pedagogy is cooperation – within the classroom, with libraries, museums, NGOs and other organisations, to maximise use of resources.
Lastly, and possibly the most important pillar is how education is always a priority – where every student has a right to educational support, where phenomenon-based learning is implemented with use of outdoor and digital technology.
On a personal level, I was impressed by how despite the Finnish education ranks among the best educational systems in the world, it is not regarded as a reason to overlook current pedagogies being implemented. Rather, they continue to analyse their system and work on improving their methods, all the while implementing new educational practices that may improve the quality of student learning and well-being.
The tour was organised by Learning Scoop Finland, with the support of the European Union Programmes Agency (EUPA) through funding by the Erasmus Plus programme.
Julia Buttigieg is a primary teacher at Mater Boni Consilii St Joseph School, Paola.