When it comes to educating children, Finland seems to be at the lead of the list. It has always ranked in the top 10 according to international ratings but they are not happy just to sit back and rest on their laurels. They decided to do something that is both revolutionary and quite surprising, and it may just change the way that school exists worldwide.
The ground breaking change that is about to take place in Finland is that they are going to remove all school subjects from the curriculum. No longer will there be specific classes for maths, physics, history, literature or geography. They are now going to study in an entirely new way and it may just make a difference that will help to carry us into the new millennium.
According to the head of Department of Education in Helsinki, Marjo Kyllonen, “There are schools that are teaching in the old-fashioned way which was of benefit in the beginning of the 1900s – but the needs are not the same, and we need something fit for the 21st century.“
They will not be studying individual subjects but what they will study are events and phenomena in an interdisciplinary format. As an example, they will not study history, geography and maths separately but they will study the second world war from the perspective of those subjects. Another example would be if they were to take the subject “Working in a Café.” Those students would absorb information about the English language, communication skills and economics.
Senior students will be the first to be introduced to the new system at the age of 16. In general, it is to help students choose for themselves which phenomena or topic they want to study, keeping in mind their future ambitions and capabilities. In that way, they will not need to take the entire course and wonder to themselves, “Why do I need to learn this?”
Something else that is changing is the traditional pupil/teacher communication format. Students are not going to sit behind desk and wait to be called on to answer a question any longer. They’re going to work together in small groups to discuss and solve problems.
The education system in Finland encourages collective work, and this is something that is going to affect teachers as well. The reforms that are about to take place will require cooperation between teachers of different subjects. Approximately 70% of Helsinki teachers have already begun the preparatory work that will help them to get in line with this new system of education. They will also receive a pay increase.
This new education system is expected to be in place by 2020.
Via: Bright Side
Be sure to share this with your friends on Facebook