When You’re at the Top, Reform !!

Over the last 5-6 years we’ve been hearing lots about the education system of Finland, because it’s been the standout country, as the only one outside the Far East to consistently rank in the top 5 of country performances for students taking the PISA examinations worldwide.

Educators from many countries, both from private and public sectors have flooded to Finland to see what they do different and what others might learn from them to improve their own education systems. Books have been written on the subject and miles of newsprint.

So, when the world is beating a path to your door to learn whatever they can from you, what do you do next?

Well, if your’re the leading thinkers shaping the education system of the country – you change it, driven by dissatisfaction about whether your current education system and approach is effectively preparing young people for the Twenty First Century.

The changes they’re introducing are quite radical and very interesting – a big shift away from teaching ‘subjects’ towards thematic learning with a cross-curricular approach. The expectations are that teachers will develop skills across subject boundaries and will collaborate with their colleagues.

There’s going to be lots of curiosity about whether they can make these changes and retain their strong showing in the international comparative assessments.

Independent UK Article – Finland Schools