Unlocking Finnish Secrets: Going Deeper for School Transformation

I used to think that grabbing ideas from Finnish schools would absolutely speed up my school transformation efforts. I mean, these ideas worked to good effect in Finland, catapulting them to be the best education system on the planet. Strategies like more outdoor time, less homework, more interdisciplinary work, more recess, fewer tests, and more emphasis on social-emotional skills, among others, were going to be the secret sauce to transform the schools I was working on.

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I remember the moment when I realized I was wrong.

I was reflecting on my time opening a school in Norway and how different the culture was. There was a greater emphasis on outdoor play, less pressure on students to perform, and fewer tests, to name a few differences. I thought of my time in Japan as a teacher where I was treated with such respect (that was a nice change); there was huge pressure on students to perform academically, play was very structured, and evening classes (“jukus”) for my third graders into the evening were common.

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I considered all six countries I have lived and taught in, from my homeland South Africa, including England, Australia, and the USA, and recognized that culture had played a huge part in the education system. It gave me pause to consider what was really going on in Finnish schools and what could, in fact, be transferred to American schools.

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I learned through research and the brilliant book “In Teachers We Trust” that the essence of the Finnish model is less about what is happening in schools and more about what is happening outside of schools.

The core of Finnish education success is trust in the teachers.

It is the heart and soul of the model. However, I do believe there are transferable ideas that, if implemented in the USA, could have a profound effect on transforming schools from an outdated factory model to one that fully serves the needs of students and society now and in the future.

If this advice isn’t heeded, our schools will remain relics of the past.

They will be places where fear and accountability rule, and where students are disengaged and disenfranchised, and teachers are disenchanted. The unfortunate results will mean more students every day are moving through a school system that fails to offer anything in the way of future-ready skills. Students will remain focused on taking standardized tests, measuring retention content, and offering nothing at all in the way of creativity, collaboration, innovation, and the confidence to solve real problems.

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But, if we do take on some of these ideas from Finland, I reckon we have a good chance at creating schools where teachers and students feel empowered and capable of thinking deeply, collaborating globally, and taking on some big challenges that, when accomplished, make a difference in the world. Now, isn’t that an education system to get excited about? I think it is, and I believe thousands of students would agree with me.

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Here are three of the seven ideas “In Teachers We Trust” shares for system-wide transformation:

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1. Educate teachers to think:

Teachers are highly trained and trained well. Knowing that universities can’t teach them everything, they focus on teaching teachers how to think and "become reflective practitioners who can trust their own professional judgment." There is more time to practice and integrate the craft of teaching than found in most American teacher education programs.

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2. Mentor the next generation:

Highly experienced university staff provide mentoring and guidance to student teaching. Theory is not divorced from real-life practice in schools. The “emphasis is on guidance – it is about helping the students to teach well as they think carefully about their practice.” Feedback is forward-focused, helping students glean what they have learned and apply it to the next lesson.

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3. Free within a framework:

Teachers in Finland have far more professional autonomy than teachers in the USA. Finnish teachers are steered by a flexible national framework and assess what they think is most appropriate. There is more time outside the classroom for teachers to collaborate, which is a recipe for high-quality teaching.

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Don’t think we can take the surface of what is happening in Finnish schools and apply them here. It goes much deeper. Trust in the profession and in each other is at the core. While that can’t be changed overnight, we can work in our schools and universities to build much stronger, more relevant teacher education programs and give teachers in-school time to think, prepare, and collaborate!

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?? If you're passionate about shaping the future of education, “In Teachers We Trust” by Pasi Sahlberg and Timothy D. Walker is important reading for all teachers, administrators, and parents.

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#EducationRevolution #InnovationInEducation #LeadershipJourney

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At The PDL Group, we free schools from an outdated model of education. We strategically advise schools, coach leaders, develop managers, and train teachers to redesign schools that meet the needs of students in the 21st century. We create Future Ready Schools.