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.