According to the new curriculum, the Finnish teacher becomes a facilitator who will not only impart knowledge to students but also guide them, helping them explore the world
The Finland.fi portal has compiled the most common myths about the new education system, as well as expert opinions to help understand how reliable these rumors about the new way of learning and teaching are.
Myth 1: Students will no longer study in classrooms. Teaching is based on studying natural phenomena and everyday life, for which the teacher constantly takes students outside for «experiments».
Answer: yes and no. «Studying phenomena is just one method of learning. It is important to use a variety of pedagogical approaches. Teachers become guides, helping each child find their own learning path,» says Anneli Rautiainen, counselor and head of the Education Department.
Myth 2: Classrooms will be abolished and replaced by «open markets» where children will «buy» subjects and courses that suit them.
Answer: yes and no. «Children are no longer taught exclusively within four walls; it depends on how the school implements learning. The methodology is changing so that children will not sit quietly in one place; each child can choose where and how to learn. New schools without corridors have already been built. Traditional closed classrooms are not mandatory in the future. Learning will take place everywhere,» says Anneli Rautiainen.
Myth 3: Students make decisions that are «wrong» in the long term, for example, choosing math instead of a language and vice versa.
Answer: no. «In Finland, unlike countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States, it is not believed that there are important and less important subjects. All play an equally important role. The goal is to provide young people with a broad education, not to force them to study one subject,» says education expert Pasi Sahlberg, currently a visiting professor at Harvard University.
Myth 4: The student decides the level they aim for. They will receive a set of tasks that allow them to successfully complete the course. The danger is that a student who knows the material «excellently» might only aim for a «satisfactory» or «good» grade to avoid difficulties in the exam.
Answer: no. «Learning objectives and evaluation criteria are set by the curriculum. The student is consulted about the goals they want to set for themselves. There is still a problem that the student does not always know why they received a particular grade. If we meet the student halfway and support them, motivation increases,» explains Anneli Rautiainen.
Myth 5: There will no longer be traditional groups at school; students will be grouped by interests.
Answer: no. «The teacher always takes responsibility for the students. Learners are grouped to achieve curriculum goals. We hope schools will form these groups based on learning interests. Some students talk actively during learning, while others are quiet,» notes Anneli Rautiainen.
Myth 6: The grades of top students may decline because rote learning will be abolished.
Answer: yes and no. «The claim that previously you could only get an excellent grade through rote learning seems true. Sometimes it is worth memorizing something, like the multiplication table. But the new curriculum places special emphasis on concepts such as learning skills, critical thinking, interaction with classmates, and technical knowledge that will be useful in the future. The world is changing – and school and education must change with it,» believes Anneli Rautiainen.
Myth 7: Good visual teaching methods are not used at all; school becomes just entertainment.
Answer: no. «It seems that some countries have the impression that Finland is a socialist country where there is a patron in Helsinki who decides what to do. Finnish teachers, schools, and municipalities can largely decide for themselves what and how to teach, which significantly distinguishes Finland from other countries,» says Pasi Sahlberg.
Myth 8: Homework is never assigned.
Answer: no. «In Finland, the school day is quite short, so we think it's good to review a bit at home,» notes Anneli Rautiainen.
Myth 9: Exams and tests are abolished.
Answer: no. «The student is constantly assessed, guided, and supported. Grades are influenced by test scores, which are part of learning, but they are not decisive. Skills can also be demonstrated through projects or oral presentations. If a test goes poorly, there is an opportunity to improve the grade and also enhance knowledge,» says Rautiainen.
Myth 10: Teachers will become innovators who, starting this fall, will have to use different methods and teach new subjects such as programming.
Answer: no. «The new curriculum will force teachers to change their pedagogical methods. That takes time. The biggest challenge is the change of roles. The teacher is no longer the only source of information, and the student is not a passive listener. We want the school to become a community where everyone teaches each other, including children teaching adults. Technical skills and coding will be taught in the context of other subjects. Tutors with digital skills will come to the teacher's aid,» explains Rautiainen.
Myth 11: Because students will be responsible for their own success, learning difficulties will go undetected.
Answer: no. "We have highly qualified teachers who are always ready to support students. Even though students will become more active, that does not mean they will be fully responsible for their own learning. On the contrary, the teacher will be closer to the student than ever before," says Anneli Rautiainen.
Claim 12: After the introduction of the new curriculum, Finland's high achievements in the international PISA study will be consigned to oblivion.
Answer: maybe, so what? "Finland's PISA ranking is not significant in the Finnish mindset. It is akin to measuring blood pressure, which sometimes makes us think about where we are going, but it is not the focus. Decisions related to learning are not made based on PISA results. Instead, the essential factor is the knowledge that children and adolescents will need in the future," believes Pasi Sahlberg.
And a few more facts about Finnish schools
1. Compulsory schooling begins at age 7 and ends at 17. In addition, all children are entitled to one year of preschool education.
2. Tuition, textbooks, school supplies, and learning materials are free in basic school (grades 1–9).
3. Students are offered free school meals daily.
4. For first and second graders, the school day lasts a maximum of five hours; for older students, seven hours. Each lesson is 45 minutes.
5. Finland has no nationwide exams or tests.
6. In total, the Finnish school year has 190 school days. The school year begins in mid-August and ends at the end of May. Besides the summer break, which lasts 10 weeks, students have breaks in autumn, at Christmas, and usually in February.
7. In Finland, almost all teenagers (99.7%) complete the curriculum and graduate from comprehensive school.
8. Teachers for grades 1–6 have a master's degree in education. Teachers for grades 7–9 have a master's degree in the subject they teach and are also highly qualified specialists in education.
9. Teacher training institutions are popular, so admission is difficult. For example, in 2014, only 9% of those who took the entrance exam for the Faculty of Education at the University of Helsinki were accepted.