Finland - the last school visit

Finland Blog - Day 4 & 5
Visit to Saunalahti Maininki School Grades 1-9

We are leaving Helsinki today to head back to the states, and it has been a very fulfilling journey both personally and professionally.

Yesterday we made our last school visit to the city of Espoo, a city that borders Helsinki.  Espoo is the second largest city and municipality in Finland, with a population of 248,000 people.  We were guests at the Saunalahti Maininki School, which houses grades 1-9.  The size of Finnish schools has been one of the biggest differences we have seen in our travels this week and our hosts were quite surprised to hear of the large enrollments at many of our U.S. schools.  In McHenry County, where Johnsburg High School is located, our enrollment is one of the lowest at 690 students.  Saunalahti Maininki School is currently the 3^rd largest school in Espo with 500 students.

This school was by far the most diverse we visited during our time in Finland.  We were broken up into groups of two, and 9th grade student leaders led us through the building, showing us various classrooms and common areas.  When asked what their favorite class was, it was overwhelmingly Home Economics, because they could eat.

We were shown both elementary classrooms and secondary classrooms, which looked very similar to classrooms in the U.S.  Manipulatives were much more common in early elementary classes we saw, with workbooks being a common sight in upper elementary and secondary classrooms.

It was interesting to see doors like this in each school we visited.

At first when we visited schools that were older in age, I thought the bomb shelter doors were something that was part of the ancient history of the school.  However, this school was the newest construction we had seen, and I learned that having a bomb shelter was something required of all schools.  When I asked our student tour guides their perspective on the need for a bomb shelter, one of them just shrugged and said, "Russia?"

The secondary classes included Home Economics and a Vocational Class that included woodworking and circuitry.  We watched as students made their own circuit boards, and then showed them off to us.

As I continue to process the experience of seeing these schools and meeting students, teachers and administrators I am sure I will continue to have "aha moments" on connections that can be made with our own schools back in the U.S.  However, the biggest positive that I saw was how well versed in different languages every person I met in Finland was.  It didn't matter who it was, they were able to transition from one language to another very smoothly and all were able to handle most conversations well, with some folks being so fluent that they would have fit easily into an American classroom without anyone knowing they were from Finland.  

I again am appreciative of the team of administrators I have gotten to know on this trip, and I look forward to keeping in touch with them as we look to connect what we have learned to our own personal and professional lives.   

Kevin Shelton's Finland Blog - Day 3

Finland Visit – Day 3

Visit to Sipoo School – Rural

Grades 7-9 school and Grades 10-12 school

I have really enjoyed getting to know our team of administrators that make up our NASSP delegation here in Finland.  They have made my experience in a new country so much more fulfilling than if I had made this visit individually.  Their educational perspectives, friendly banter, and constant humor have truly made this trip both educational and enjoyable.  Having the opportunity to debrief on various aspects of our visit has been a blessing, and while I have only known these folks for a short time, I know I will miss them when I head back to Johnsburg, IL.  If you get a chance, take a look at the blog that G.A. Buie, the NASSP President, has been contributing to throughout our visit.  His blog can be found at http://gabuie.edublogs.org/, and he has done an exceptional job of not only leading our delegation, but providing a great perspective of our visit to Finland. 

Today, our team took a ride out into the country (about 45 minutes outside of Helsinki) to visit the Sipoo Schools.  One houses grades 7-9 and one houses grades 10-12, and they were located about a block away from each other.  

The kindness of the teachers, students and administration from these schools and their willingness to share their story was very much appreciated.  In the three schools we have visited, here are some general insights to share from my own perspective, as well as from the perspective from the educational professionals and students we encountered in our visits.  Some are academic in nature, while others are more general observations:

•      Trust continues to be a theme heard in each building we visit.  Teachers are trusted to deliver the curriculum appropriately to students, following the national curriculum, but in whatever way they determine in their classrooms. 
•        When the principal was asked today about the national review of the curriculum every 10 years, she stated that it would be nice to see if the curriculum the students had started with in first grade was effective or not by the time they “graduated”, rather than changing it without knowing its effectiveness or not.
•        In my personal opinion, in each classroom we have visited, the students have been very active, if not voracious, note takers. 
•        So far, the common day seems similar in each school and is made up of around 5 periods that usually last 75 minutes (with some towards the end of the day potentially lasting up to 90 minutes) which means student attendance from around 8:00 AM to around 2:00-2:30 PM.

o   Teachers do not have a prep period during this time.

o   Teachers schedules and student schedules seem to vary each day, with some days being a full schedule, some days not having a full schedule, and today the principal mentioned that some days a teacher might not have any classes scheduled and so they would not need to come in to the school on that day.

•        Teachers are not formally evaluated.  The principal today stated that she will observe one lesson a year, and have a conversation with each teacher about that lesson, but there was no formal evaluation form or process.  She stated that the main thing she looks for is student engagement. 

o   She also stated that there are times when parents or students will bring concerns to her attention regarding a teacher’s performance.  If necessary, she will then speak with the teacher regarding these concerns.

o   When asked about the effectiveness of this approach, the principal stated that there is a social/cultural norm or expectation for teacher to change if there are problems brought up by students and parents.

o   Parents can visit classroom at any time, just need to make arrangements.

•      The teachers in Finland are unionized. 

o   Erin Richards wrote an article for the The Wall Street Journal in 2011 that had the following information on the national teacher union in Finland:

§  Most teachers belong to the Trade Union of Education, or the OAJ, which negotiates the length of the school year (190 days) and other binding agreements between the teachers and their municipalities (such as working hours and minimum salaries).

§  Nina Lahtinen, Development manager for the OAJ, states in this article, “We have a philosophy: happy pupil, happy parent, happy teacher.”

§  "I think unions have a totally different role in the States; here it's a body that's considered a helpful tool," said Olli Määttä, upper secondary school principal at the Normal Lyceum of Helsinki.  He said the union helps negotiate policies that are turned into state law, such as what the school curriculum looks like, so those matters don't have to be worked out in separate schools or cities.  "That leaves us more time to concentrate on the important things at the school level."

•         Many principals teach in addition to their leadership duties.  Today, the principal used the term “lead teacher” when referring to her role, more than she used the term principal or school administrator. 

o   She stated there really wasn’t any required ongoing professional development for principals.

•        There are after school clubs in areas such as art and physical education, and there are athletics such as volleyball, basketball, floorball, track and field, orienteering, cycling, golf, and cross-country skiing.

o   Schools do not have mascots or school colors.  Students do not wear any sort of “spirit wear” designating their sport, activity, club or school on a sweatshirt, t-shirt, etc…

o   According to the principal we met with today, when her school competes against another school, the coaches will talk ahead of time to determine who will wear what color to designate one team from the other. 

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•      Each municipality is in charge of the school system in their area, and the principal has multiple meetings with various officials from the municipality as part of their job description.
•        Finnish schools sometimes struggle to fill teaching positions with teachers who have completed the required teaching degree.  When this happens, they try to find the most qualified candidate outside of the normal teacher pool.
•        Lunchrooms are set up with actual silverware, washable cups and plates, etc…  When asked about this, our guide (a former teacher herself) stated that Finland is very conscious about the environment, so they try to avoid using items (plastic cups, milk cartons, plastic silverware, etc…) that create more trash. 
•        Teachers eat lunch in the same lunchroom as the students.
•        Today we talked more about student discipline, a topic we really didn’t touch on at the last school we visited. Not much time spent with discipline –mostly supported by parents.

o   Four different ways to discipline by law in Finland.

·      Discussion with student regarding the infraction.  This will usually happen with a teacher or school coach (not athletics) and the student, with the parent being informed of this discussion taking place.  Parents can be asked to join this discussion as well.

·      Detention.  Students can be told to stay after school, and recently schools have been given permission to match the time spent to the infraction.  An example given was if a student was defacing property, they could be made to clean during this time.  However, we were told most schools don’t use detention any more, because schools must provide transportation home. 

·      Written warning (we were told this was a stronger message than a detention).  Parents are required to come and meet with principal to personally receive this written warning.

·      Suspension.  Does not happen often.  The principal we spoke with today stated she could remember one suspension in the last 17 years. 

o   Schools are required to provide the meals a student would miss when away from school and make sure the student does not miss out on any of the information. 

I continue to appreciate all the information our delegation is receiving from our visits, however I know it is going to be an ongoing process to digest the the information we are receiving as to what aspects have the most potential for practical application in our schools in the United States.  The blogs and websites from Tim Walker and Christine McCartney at http://www.taughtbyfinland.com/. and www.christinemccartney.net are new to me.  However, I am really looking forward to comparing my own experience of visiting schools in Finland to their first hand experience as teachers within the Finnish educational system.  

Tomorrow is our last day to visit schools here in Finland, and I am looking forward to another enlightening experience with my colleagues.

Finland Day 2 - A Visit to Lauttassaari Yhteisoulu and the University of Helsinki

Today, we made our first school visits to the Lauttasaaren Yhteiskoulu school and the University of Helsinki.

If you are looking to get a closer look at a typical makeup of what a junior high/high school looks like in Finland, both in pictures and in program description, please visit their website at http://www.lauttasaarenyhteiskoulu.fi/.  I would strongly recommend Google translate to help you make it more understandable. We were treated incredibly well by their administration, teachers, and students throughout our visit. We had an opportunity to see classes in action such as physics, English, and Russian (where the students were given my name in Russian and had to translate it into English).

The classes and school were smaller than I am used to back in Johnsburg, Illinois.  Most classrooms had projectors and document cameras, but students did not have any sort of technology with them at their desks.

Our guide for the day (who also teaches foreign language) was a great resource for understanding the intricacies of their school day (5 period day, with 75 minute classes), their culture (churches notify community members that they can come and eat lunch at the school, if they need an affordable, hot meal), and their challenges ( with large concerns such as declining enrollment and finances, or the daily "universal" concerns such as a broken copier).

We also were exposed to the positive energy in the school from teachers, students and administration from the moment we walked in.  Students are very similar to those in the states, as many were on their cell phones in the hallways between classes, hanging out in groups.  One teacher even brought her dog to her classroom, as this was allowed as long as no student was allergic.  

We also visited the teacher work room where all teachers kept their "home base" as most teacher's did not have their own classroom.

As we visit more schools in the next few days, I hope to learn even more about the Finnish academic structure and will be providing more details on this school and others regarding their program of studies/curriculum and how this and other aspects of their schools compare to those in the US.   A big thank you to the teachers, students and administration at the Lauttasaaren Yhteiskoulu School for your hospitality!

In the afternoon, we then went to our meeting with three University of Helsinki representatives, where we learned more about how teachers and administrators are prepared for their roles in the education system.  They focused in on what educational path teachers must take, showing us the number of hours students studying to be teachers needed to take in their major subject, minor subject, pedagogical studies and communication and language studies.  As shown in the graph below, a teacher must complete a thesis three times (one undergraduate and two masters level) in their major subject as well as in their pedagogical studies. Also, only 10 % of all applicants to the teaching program get in.

We also heard from these representatives that Finland follows their own National Core Curriculum for grades 1-9, and there are very few rules about assessment, goals and targets for this curriculum.

They also stressed that Finland is very dedicated to a strategy of prevention when it comes to Special Education services.  Pasi Sahlberg, who also wrote the book Finnish Lessons, has a video on Youtube you can access at this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsdFi8zMrYI to learn more about the Finnish strategy of prevention vs. the strategy of repair that most of the international education community currently employs.  

They also shared with us some important websites and books, that are either part of the process of training their teachers, or that offered more insight into their educational system.  

The Miracle of Education: The Principles and Practices of Teaching and Learning in Finnish Schools.

Finnish Lessons

The website for the Finnish Board of Education is http://www.oph.fi/english.  This site has more information on their National Core Curriculum that is followed by each school, but each teacher has the ability to adapt their teaching style and resources to follow this curriculum.  The word "trust" has been used multiple times in our brief time in Helsinki in reference to how the teachers will deliver this curriculum.  

They also shared with us perspectives from American teachers Tim Walker and Christine McCartney. Tim is an American teacher who is now teaching in Finland.  His blog can be found at the following link http://www.taughtbyfinland.com/.

Christine McCartney is described on her website, www.christinemccartney.net, as currently at the University of Tempere in Finland through a Distinguished Fulbright Award in Teaching to complete an action-based research project.  During this time , she will be studying how Finnish teachers utilize ongoing, formative assessments to inform their practice.  She has put together a great video on the history of both Finnish and American education and comparing how they progressed from the 1950's to today.  This video can be accessed at this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9RJ50IePHU.  While she is currently still researching, she has stated"...now that I have been intricately looking at Finnish schools, I am realizing that there are definitely aspects that can be pulled towards our classrooms in the United States… none of them are the silver bullet that we Americans love to search for, but they are practical changes that teachers and schools can implement…"

With our first day of meeting with actual schools and their representatives being completed, our group can't wait to visit our next school tomorrow which will be in a more rural location.   

Kevin Shelton, JHS Principal, Finland Blog - Day 1

On November 8th, I left Johnsburg, IL to meet up with a small delegation of principals traveling to Helsinki, Finland to visit their National Board of Education, The Association of Finnish Principals, and to visit multiple schools first hand to learn more about how their educational system. The National Association of Secondary School Principals facilitated this trip, and G.A. Buie, the current President of NASSP, has been our delegation leader.  In addition to G.A and myself, the delegation itself is made up of the following individuals:

• Diane Cooper, Principal, St. Joseph Academy, St. Louis, MO
• Ann Davis, Clinical Assistant Professor, University of North Carolina in Greensboro
• Carol Rigby, Headmaster, Taveres and Apopka Middle/High School, Gallman, MS
• Bill Truesdale, Principal, Chicago Public Schools

It is a phenomenal group of individuals, and NASSP and IPA are represented well by these administrators. Bill Truesdale is a fellow IPA member, so 2 of the 6 delegates here in Helsinki are members of the Illinois Principal Association.  It has been nice to have another IPA member to share first hand how the information we are receiving could be applied to our educational system back in Illinois. 

Our first meeting today, Monday, November 10 with Leo Pahkin, Councilor of Education at the Finnish National Board of Education.  We were there for three hours, and the time flew as shared the different aspects that make up the foundation of their educational system.  The link to the Prezi that was used for his presentation to us is here.  If for some reason the hyperlink doesn't work, the web address is https://prezi.com/jnm83nw9fob3/education-system/.  He was warm, engaging, and very passionate about how they have approached education in his country, and the positive results that have occurred as a result of this approach.

I would encourage you to look at the Prezi, but I have also included some quick notes from our time with him below:

• 8-9 different political parties in Finland from left to right wing, yet education is not a big debate.  It remains constant despite elections.
  
  
• Students need to be prepared when they leave school to do something in the work force with their hands or with heads.
  
  
• Totally free education for students from when they are born.  Government pays for pre-school (four hours a day) from birth to 6 years old if parents cannot afford it.  These pre-school teachers are trained in universities.
  
  
• Students attend their basic education from ages 7-16.  Then they must take a test and make a choice between the traditional upper secondary schools or a vocational school.  Both paths can lead to going to a university, and the students choosing the traditional vs. vocational track is almost 50/50.  Students take the PISA test before they make this choice in tracks.
  
  
• In the late 60’s & 70’s PISA scores were not good.  In 1985, they switched their classrooms from lower, middle and upper level classes to all students in the same classroom.   Students started to be given more autonomy to work at their own speed (faster or slower), with the teacher being more of a guide to help students.
  
  
• They struggle with male students in getting them to read more. 
  
  
• They use distance learning for smaller, rural schools with different content areas.
  
  
• They have a framework curriculum that they started in 1994 (updated in 2003), and teachers get to choose how to meet that framework in their classroom.  Some use textbooks, some use the Internet, but whatever resources they use in class, the teacher chooses them. 
  
  
• Their classes are set up to consist of 38 lessons that are 45 minutes each (HS can be longer – more minutes).   
  
  
• There are 24 Universities in Finland, and the same number of Polytechnic Universities/Schools.
  
  
• 4,000-5,000 students want to become teachers, and only 700-800 are chosen.  The government looks at how many teaching jobs they anticipate will be open, and limit the number of students going into this profession at their universities.  Boys struggle more in this area, as girls more communicative and are traditionally better readers overall.   
  
  
• After 3-4 years of HS education, students must move on to adult education, which is now in evening classes.
  
  
• Look at the Prezi for the five cornerstones of their educational policy. 
  
  
• They offer EXTENSIVE special education in grades 1-2 for reading, writing and math.  He used an example of a dyslexic student and how important it was to get them the tools they need as early as possible so they can use these tools throughout their educational career (because it will be a lifetime disability they will have to compensate for).  Special education decreases in their schools, as the students get older.
  
  
• They don’t standardize test their students very often.  Only the PISA and their matriculation test (that determines traditional or vocational track when they are 16) are the major tests that students see.  Students see these tests as being very meaningful to them.

I will have more information to share as this experience continues.  My greatest hope is that all administrators attending this opportunity in Finland will be able to bring back practical ideas to share with our state and national principal associations so we can analyze what aspects can be practically applied to our own educational systems at the local, state and national levels. 
Tomorrow we start our school visits, and I will be sharing more of what our delegation has learned here in Finland.   

Kind regards,

Kevin Shelton
Principal, Johnsburg High School
IPA NASSP Coordinator