FINLAND
// POWERHOUSE IN EDUCATION
Helsinki
Olympics was held in 1952.- July 19 to August 3. It was the XV Olympiad. It
marked the first Summer Games after World War II where the Soviet Union
participated for the first time and competed with USA for the top medal spot.
These games followed the cancelled 1940 Olympics slated for Helsinki.
Helsinki
is the capital of Finland, a country of 5.6 million people.
The
highlight of the 1952 Helsinki Olympics was the unique triple Gold won the
Czech runner, Emil Zatopek, in the 5000m, 10000m, and marathon.
The
Helsinki Olympics marked India’s first ever individual Olympic medal after
independence. KDJadhav had won a bronze in men’s freestyle wrestling
(Bantamweight) that was a landmark. India’s Hockey team had won the Gold medal
in Field hockey in this Olympics.
Even
as a very young boy who was growing up with scanty orientation, I had come
across a few magazines – print was the only media available to me at that time,
where they extolled the Helsinki Olympics. Those images are still vivid in my
memory.
I
didn’t know much geography. For me, both Finland and Poland seemed alike.
The
late Malayalam Cine actor, Sreenivasan, in an outburst in one of his popular
films was seen shouting at his adversaries, “Never speak a word about Poland.”
I
had often wondered why educationists from Kerala were making a beeline for
Finland. I felt it was only a small country with a population less than that of
Kerala.
As
I was reading ‘Hidden Potential’ by Adam Grant, I came across the greatness of
Finland in the field of education among the nations of the world. Though a
generation earlier, Finland had been known as education backwater, the nation
had suddenly burst into the top on educational excellence in the world.
Principals,
policymakers and journalists had quickly flocked to Finland to discover the
secret sauce that could turn their schools around. But it was not an easily
exportable commodity. Some of the essential ingredients for the transformation were
local. Finland had an affluent homogenous population of just 5.6 million
people. Though these ingredients might have played a role in Finland’s meteoric
rise, extensive research had made it evident that Finland did not possess any
magic ingredients that had triggered the quantum leap.
It
was figured that much of their success stemmed from the culture they had
created. The culture is rooted in a belief in the potential of all students.
Instead of singling out the best and the brightest, Finnish schools are
designed to give every student the opportunity to grow. Here the achievement
gaps between schools and between students were the smallest in the world.
Being
disadvantaged was less of a disadvantage in Finland than anywhere else. Along
with the high performers, they had the lowest rate of low performers.
In
Finnish schools, the popular mantra is,”We can’t afford to waste a brain.” This
ethos makes their educational culture distinct. They know that the key to
nurturing hidden potential is not to invest in students who show early signs of
high ability. It is to invest in every student regardless of apparent ability.
The quote from Marva
Collins is very much relevant here:
“Just as Michelangelo
thought there was an angel locked inside every piece of marble,
I think there is a
brilliant child locked inside every student.”
Unfortunately the
educational scenario in Kerala has never been anywhere close to Finland. We
don’t have to search much for the causes of absolute decay and devastation in
the system prevalent here.
Adam
Grant in ‘Hidden Potential’ has made the following observations on the
education system in Finland.
1. Finland’s education system has created
a culture of opportunity for all.
2. Around the world children go ahead or
fall behind due to the cultures created in schools and classrooms.
3. Finland believes that each child has
the intelligence and has the potential to excel.
4. Success isn’t reserved for the gifted
and the talented alone.
5. The focus is on developing the
individual interests of each student.
6. They have professionalized education.
7. The requirement is that all teachers
have master’s degree from the best institutions.
8. The teachers are paid well.
9. There is individualized support for
each student.
1 If they are weak anywhere, they are
given more attention.
11 They believe the cultivation of the
desire to read nourishes individual interests.
1 Reading is the basic skill for all
subjects. If you don’t have the motivation to read, you can’t study any subject.
1 Reading is the gateway to
opportunities.
1 If you want your children to read you
have to let them see that you are doing exactly that..
1 The classroom ratio is, one teacher per
20 students.
1 Finland does not put performance above
well being.
1 They do well due to a combination of
high quality teaching, intrinsic motivation fuelling deeper learning, lower
stress, lower test anxiety, improving focus and early development of character
skills.
1 Finland is the best in the world at
helping students progress without monopolizing their time, wreaking havoc on
their lives or making them hate school.
1 An education system is truly
successful only when all children irrespective of background and resources have
the opportunity to reach their potential.
2 It succeeds when it fosters a culture
that allows all students to grow intellectually and thrive emotionally. Finland
has it all.
21 The more children read for fun, the
better they get and the more they like it.
2 Instead of forcing children to read
what you like or prefer, give them the opportunity to choose books that pique
their interest and kindle excitement in them. At the end it crystallizes their
love of reading.
2 A culture of opportunity succeeds only
when students are motivated to take advantage of those opportunities.
2 In Finland, children are taught learning
is fun.
2 Kindergartners sit at their desks for
spelling, writing and math only one day a week. Each lesson is a maximum of 45
minutes followed by 15 minutes of recess. Short activity breaks improve
children’s attention and learning process.
2 Every school has a support system
consisting of the classroom teacher, a psychologist, a social worker, a nurse,
a special education teacher and the school principal.
2 The school Principal never stays
aloof.
2 Elementary schoolers have the same
teacher up to six straight years in a row. The practice is called looping. Instead
of specializing in their subjects, teachers get to specialize in their
students. The teachers know each student personally. They gain a deeper grasp
of their strengths and challenges. It enables them to help students progress
towards their goals and navigate social and emotional challenges.
2 In Finland the policy is not ‘winner
takes it all.’ Instead every child is assisted to get ahead.
3 The focus is on developing the
individual interests of each student and not just promoting their success.
No wonder, Finland is the powerhouse
in education among nations of the whole world.
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