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Education in FinlandDeputy Mayor Aulis Pitkälä

City of Espoo, Education and Cultural Services

Picture: Heidi-Hanna Karhu

Finland in brief

• Population 5.4 million (18 inhabitants per square km)

• Two official languages Finnish and Swedish

• New Finns: 4.8 % of the population

• Education level of the working age population:

• 13 % basic education

• 45 % upper secondary education

• 42 % tertiary education

Espoo is a young and

fast developing city

2. largest city in Finland

20 % of the population is under 15 years

20 % of children in early education are New Finns

50 % of the population hold a university degree

Espoo is a UNESCO awarded

Sustainable Learning City

In Espoo learning is valued!

• Everyone has an opportunity to learn

• The joy of learning grows

• Collaboration is power

Espoo was awarded as one of 12 pioneering

Learning Cities at the 2nd UNESCO Learning

Cities Conference in Mexico City 2015

Underlying educational

understanding is based on equity

Everyone has the right to basic education free of charge. The public authorities shall guarantee for everyone equal opportunity to receive other educational services in accordance with their ability and special needs, as well as the opportunity to develop themselves without being prevented by economic hardship.

- Constitution of Finland

Picture: Heidi-Hanna Karhu

Universities Polytechnics technics

Work experience

General upper

secondary

education

Vocational upper

secondary education

and training

Basic education 9 years

Preprimary education

Work

experience

Age 6

Age 0 - 6

Age

7 - 15

10th

Further

vocational

qualification

Specialist

vocational

qualification

Work

experience

Early childhood education and care

Licentiate & PhD

Master’s

Bachelor’s

Master’s

Bachelor’s

No dead-ends in the education system

Specificities of the

Finnish education system

Decentralised TrustEducation a priority

Local decisions Co-operationCentral steering

Public funding Free education Evaluation

Compulsory education starts at 7

Non-selective Flexible grouping

Focus on support

Focus on learning rather than testing

Annual instruction time low

Teachers highly trained Teaching attractive profession

Central steering – local decisions

Central

• Educational priorities

• Minimum time

allocation

• National core curricula

• Size of state subsidies

Local

• Educational priorities

• Local curricula

• Allocation of subsidies

• Class size

• Recruitment

• Teacher ”evaluation”

• Quality assurance

Basic education is

free for pupils

and families

Focus on earliest possible support

Special support

Extensive assessment & individual plan

Intensified support

Pedagogical assessment & learning plan

General support

Education providers have

main responsibility for quality

Self-evaluation

Skills demonstrations

Competence-based

qualifications

System & thematic

evaluations

National evaluations of

learning outcomes

International

assessments

Basic education:

Every pupil is

unique and has

the right to high-

quality education

Finnish education

in international comparison

Instruction time low

Differencesbetween

schools small

Girls outperform

boys

Moderate costs

Socio-economic effect

moderate

Teachers feel highly valued

Picture: Heidi Hanna-Karhu

PISA:

differences

between

schools

smallest

OECD average 37 %Finland 6 %

Variance of performance

between schools as a

proportion of total

performance across OECD

countries

Picture: Heidi Hanna-Karhu

Core Curriculum

- a tool for

development

General education reform:

Curriculum development 2012–2017

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

NCC for pre-primary, basic and

voluntary additional basic education

NCC for general upper

secondary education

NCC for basic education for

adults and NCC for general

upper secondary education

for adults

NCC for basic

education in the arts

Local curricula

Local

curricula

Local

curricula

Local

curricula

NCC Preparatory

education for

general upper

secondary school

Local

curricula

NCC = National Core Curriculum

NCC for early

childhood educ.

Local

curricula

Accountabilities within

the curriculum process

National level

Education provider´s level

School level

• Education policy guidelines

• Education Act and Decree, Government Decree

• National Core Curriculum

• Development Plan for Education

Local curriculum

Local strategiesStrategic leadershipOrganization, resourcing,

monitoring and development of education

Implementing the curriculumPedagogical leadershipDevelopment of the working

culture

Curriculum reform in Finland

• Pedagogical reform

• Building wholeness of

basic education

• Changing school culture

and pedagogy

• Curriculum as a digital tool

Picture: Tommi Tuomi

from What to learn to How to learn

Conception of learning

Learner’s active role

• Sets targets

• Reflects & analyses

• Solves problems

Interaction

• Learns with others and in

different environments

• Understands consequences

Learning to learn

• Recognizes own way of learning

• Applies this to promote learning

Self-conception

and confidence

• Helps setting targets

• Receives feedback

Rethinking competences

• National goals for basic education and transversal competences

• know ledge

• skills

• values

• attitudes

• w ill

Taking care of oneself and

others, managing daily

activities, safety

Cultural competence,

interaction and expression

Multiliteracy

ICT-competence

Competence for the world

of work, entrepreneur-

ship

Participation and influence,

building the sustainable

future

Thinking and learning to

learn

Development as a human

being and as a citizen

National goals for basic education

and transversal

competences

• Knowledge

• Skills• Values

• Attitudes

• Will

Multidisciplinary learning modules /

Cross-curricula activities

• Planned and implemented in cooperation between several

subjects

• Contains integrative instruction

techniques

• Give space for intellectual curiosity,

experiences and creativity

• Challenge pupils to engage in many

types of interaction and situations

What needs to be developed

further?

A) Learning environments

B) Working culture, methods

and pedagogy

C) Teacher co-operation

D) Evaluation

E) Use of ICT

Picture: Meri Hukkinen

Learning environments

• Facilities, locations,

communities and practicies

where learning takes place

• Tools, services and

materials used for studying

• Various learning

environments are

systematically used

• Working also outside the

classroom

• Teachers´ role changes – from teaching to guiding and

supporting the learning process

• Focus on learners, supporting activity, enthusiasm, natural

interest and motivation

• Projects – tools for learning and problem solving

• Importance of interaction

Working culture, methods

and pedagogy

Picture: Heidi-Hanna Karhu

Teacher collaboration

• The school work is organised

to enable working together and

sharing the workload

• Helps to achieve school´s

educational goals

• Cooperation between adults

- including collaborative

teaching - works as a model for

pupils

• The aim is to guide and encourage learning as well as develop capability for self-assessment

• Two types of assessment: assessment during studies and final assessment

• Versatile assessment methods shall be used

• When giving feedback, attention is paid to pupils´ successesand the progress of their learning

Evaluation

Picture: Heidi-Hanna Karhu

Information and communication

technology (ICT)

• Is both an object and a tool for learning

• Is used in various ways and situations

• Digital competences of teachers

• Equipments in schools

• Use of pupils´ own devices

Thank you!

aulis.pitkala@espoo.fi