The document summarizes key aspects of the Finnish educational system as presented by Sirkku Nikamaa, a Finnish educator, to an audience in Seoul. The summary highlights that Finland's educational system is based on principles of equality, comprehensive education without streaming, respect for teachers, and flexibility. It emphasizes learner autonomy, motivation, and application of linguistic content to real-life situations over testing and exercises. The system aims to develop the whole person through collaborative learning communities and shared leadership between teachers, students, and administrators.

1. Practicing the art of
the possible
The Finnish
educational system
and English
education
Sirkku Nikamaa
Finnish educator
Seoul Education Training Institute
sirkku.nikamaa@gmail.com
+44 7759 801 814 , +358 405 298 859

2. Why am I here?
PISA scores 2009
Student performance in reading,
mathematics and science:
1. Shanghai
2. Korea
3. Finland
4. Hongkong
5. Singapore
http://www.pisa.oecd.org/dataoecd/54/12/46643496.pdf2

4. Agenda
1. Principles of the Finnish system
2. Our approach to teaching English
3. Curriculum and methods
4. Teacher education, further education
5. Dream School concept, main points
6. Motivation and Engagement
7. Methods and ideas for lessons
8. Resoources
Discussion

5. Principles of the Finnish system

6. “Pisa tourists” in Finland
Thousands of visitors from many countries
looking for good ideas and best practice.
They discover:
 A consensus society
 Equality, a good education system
 Modern society, good healthcare etc
 Angry Birds, engineering, design,
architecture, forest industry, NOKIA…

7. What do our visitors take
home?
 CAN take away:
 Ideas and best practice that will flourish in
foreign soil
 CANNOT take away
1. Finnish culture and political consensus
2. The history of the educational system
3. Relatively homogenous society

8. Education –
Background culture
8

9. Education is important
 Consensus, ”no drop-outs”- philosophy
 Finland
cannot stay on top of the
information society race without sustained
and focused efforts and good education

10. Education system
Optional preparatory class age 6 – 7
9-year comprehensive basic education
Work
experience
Upper secondary Vocational ed. and
vocational
examinations
Universities Schools for applied
sciences
Higher exams in SASc
Education system without
PhD
“dead ends”

11. System drivers:
WE HAVE WE DO NOT HAVE
Equal opportunity  Streaming
 Comprehensiveness
 Privatization
 Respect for teachers
as competent  Testing, regulation
knowledge workers of teachers
 Flexible remedial  Standardized,
teaching
individualized, uniform
learning, requirements
 Encouraging  National tests
assessment and
evaluation NOT
„testing‟

12. Ownership of learning
Cartoon by Wulffmorgenthaler

13. Continuous development
 Schools are seen as active learning
communities (locus of control and
capacity)
 Improvement through networking and
self-regulation
 Value in sharing ideas and solving
problems together
 Collaboration not competition

14. Language studies in Finland

15. Language studies
 Foreign language study starts in 3rd grade
(age 9). Can start in grades 1 – 2.
 An optional language from 5th or 8th grade on
(not available in all municipalities)
Compulsory minimum of languages is:
1. Mother tongue (from 1st grade)
2. First foreign language (from 3rd grade)
3. The other national language (Finnish for
Swedish speakers, Swedish for Finnish
speakers) (at the latest from 7th grade on)

16. English and the law of gravity
Cartoon by Wulffmorgenthaler
"It has been said that arguing against globalization is like arguing against the laws of
gravity.” Kofi Annan
English is needed in the globalized world

17. English is the foreign
language of choice
English
Finnish
Swedish
Franch
German
Russian/Other
Language choices in Finnish basic education, 2009

18. A brief history of MFL teaching
1980s syllabi presented Reform in 2016 aims to
detailed lists of structures diversify MFL offering in
and situations to be schools
followed by teachers
1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020
Prior to 1970s MFL was 1990s communicative
only available to students competence and oral
attending schools language proficiency grew
targeted to academic in importance.
professions. More autonomy: teachers
Methodology: to find their own
grammar, translation, writ methodology.
ten exercises (modeled
after study of classic
languages)

19. Curriculum and Methods

20. Curriculum
Ministry of Education and Culture
determines the general goals and time allocation for subjects
National Board of Education
develops the National Core Curriculum in consultation with
several stakeholders
Local Authorities
(education providers) form their own local curricula
Teachers
have a lot of autonomy and ownership over the
implementation. Teachers shape the curriculum in their
classrooms

21. Cornerstones
Language is:
 a skill subject
 means of communication
 a cultural subject
Aims:
 Life long learning
 Linguistic competence
 Cultural competence
 Strategic competencies in communication and
learning strategies
Overall aims of basic education are reflected in
English education

22. English curriculum
Emphasizes
 meaningful learning based on personal
experience
 social interaction
 learning connected to real life and culture
It aims at all-round human growth through
interactive and collaborative learning
 Learning to set goals, learning how to
learn, adjust learning strategies

23. Language teaching
connected to real life
Now, do you
Threats to life on actually think
earth: this is
Overpopulation appropriate for
Climate change 3rd graders?
Diseases
Cartoon by Wulffmorgenthaler

24. A few excerpts from a local
curriculum
Language skills Cultural skills
 produce oral  deepen and expand
presentations, expr the knowledge
ess opinions and about the Anglo-
wishes Saxon culture and
geography
 write essays using
 compare his own
English language culture and country
media with other countries
and cultures
Source: Espoo local English curriculum -- 9th grade

25. A few excerpts from a local
curriculum (cont.)
Study strategies Situations and themes
 Use ICT in language
 sustainable
learning
 Do small projects
development
independently and in  health and wellbeing
groups  media
 Set goals for himself
and to take active  travel
measures to achieve  public services
those goals
 working life and
 Adjust methods to
achieve the goals economy
Grammar Source: Espoo local English curriculum -- 9th grade

26. Language learning has shifted
From To
 Written  Oral
 Grammar and
structure  Proficiency in real life
 Translation  Communicative use
 Teacher  Learner autonomy
centeredness
 Linguistic skill  Intercultural
communication
competence and
cultural sensitivity

27. The shift necessitates a new
approach to learning
 The core curriculum states a broad frame
for teaching and learning and assigns
teachers exceptional pedagogical
freedom (compared to many other
countries)
 Aim is that learners have life long
motivation, skill and confidence in all new
language experiences in and outside
school

28. Examples
In grades 1 – 2:
Games, songs, rhymes with emphasis on
listening, understanding and speaking.
Content related to home and school.
Grade 3 – high school:
Communicative teaching mixed with form-
focused study of grammar.
Increasing learner autonomy, emphasis on
oral proficiency, study of culture and ICT
supported learning environments (including
social media)

29. English teaching guidelines
 Authorities do not give templates for
language lessons!
Guidelines:
1. Orientation and motivation
2. Internalization (rehearsal) & elaboration
3. Application of linguistic content in in-
and out-of-school settings

30. 1. Orientation and motivation
 Linguistic content introduction referring to
usefulness of functions
 vocabulary in real-life situations
2. Internalization, rehearsal & elaboration
 Listen to a text, watch video
 Seek clarification from peers & teacher.
Instruction in pronunciation, intonation
patterns. Read out loud.
 Discuss, answer questions, (pictorial
cues) on the text. Students help each
other, give feedback to each other.

31. 3. Application of linguistic content in in- and
out-of-school settings
 Improvised pair discussions
Homework or at school: Use the
vocabulary and grammar learned:
 writing small- scale dramas
 writing stories
 recording video clips
 present to peers and teacher
 projects, games, team work etc
Independent use of learning content

32. Joy of learning Yes, feathers! My
horse gallops
faster when you
tickle him. Was
there anything
else?
Cartoon by Wulffmorgenthaler

33. Minimal Exercises, focus on Tasks
Exercises vs Tasks
Rely on formal  Using language for
accuracy and one- meaningful open-ended
communication
to-one responses.
 Focus on the function and
content rather than form
 Provide opportunity to
interact, solve-
problems, get guidance
from teacher or peers
 Making mistakes is not
stigmatizing but useful!

34. Assessment
Wrong
again, stupi
d!
Shape up!
“The ultimate
assessment tool”
Cartoon by Wulffmorgenthaler

35. Assessment
Aims:
 to guide and support the study process
 to promote learning and student‟s self-
assessment skill, learning how to learn
Starting point is curricular objectives
 progress in language acquisition
 working and learning skills and behavior
Formative assessment, self-assessment, peer
assessment a priority.

36. Assessment to support learning
1. For formative purposes during the course
of education:
 Criterion referenced measures
 Ongoing feedback
 Verbal records, development talks
 Numerical
2. Assessment at the end of the
course, school year, basic education
 Numerical assessment based on multiple
sources of information and forms of
assessment, written and oral performance
considered

37. “What gets tested, gets
taught”

38. Objectives are the core of basic education.
Development of key skills.
Needs of the individual’s personality and growth
and society’s needs.
Objectives
Implementation
Content is a means to Content
achieve
the objectives
Implementation defines how objectives
are achieved: guidance, support, co-
operation, learning
environments, methods and assessment

39. Less is more
 Less teaching time
 Less homework
 Less testing
 No streaming
39

40. Streaming
 Streaming was abolished in mid-1980s*
 Achievement gap began to decrease
 7% school variance between schools vs 42
% in other OECD countries (reading scale)
*Before that students were placed in one of 3 levels of curricula
based on prior performance, but often based on peer‟s and
parent‟s influence.
40

41. Teacher education

42. Teacher education
 Class teacher education
 Masters degree in pedagogy or pedagogical
psychology
 Competency for grades 1 - 6
 Subject teacher education
 Masters degree in main subject with
pedagogical studies
 Competency for grades 7 – 9, high
school, vocational schools etc.
Both studies include teaching practice in one of
12 “Normal Schools” that are attached to
universities. Focus on didactics.

43. Further education
Main organizers are:
 Finnish National Board of Education
 Local authorities
 Teacher organizations
 Publishers
 Private companies
 European Council supported networks like
ECML (European Center for Modern Languages)
(Minimum 3 mandatory days of professional development
annually, organized by local authority)

44. In-service and other support
Main partners for collaboration and
professional support:
 Teams and colleagues at school
 Local authority, other schools in the area
 Informal networks, online communities
 Federation of Foreign Language Teachers
in Finland, SUKOL, with 30 local and 8
national member organizations

45. Dream School, main points

46. Dream School – tools for a
good life
 Excellence is not delivered from the top. It is
created on the spot
 City of Kauniainen Dream School is an
example of a successful local development
project in a de-centralized system
 It is a modular, open source system and can
be easily adopted by other schools

47. Future skills
What skills will the adult of the future need?
 Knowledge and skill related abilities
 Ability and desire to learn
 Creative passion
 Enriching interaction
 Good self-confidence, self-knowledge

48. The core processes
Basic skills
 Reading, writing, mathematics
 History, society, culture, life sciences
 Language skills
 Health
 Arts and Manual skills
Working skills
 Creative problem solving
 Communication skills
 Self-guidance
 Teamwork
Development of the learner‟s individual and
community- related readiness
 Interaction skills
 Skills in influencing
 Entrepreneurship
 Ethic view of life
 Self-esteem and self-knowledge

49. Sharing is caring
 Innovative, creative learning using a multitude of methods
and tools: Wii, phones, tablets, drama, role
play, games, film editors, mindmaps, Google
tools, Prezi, cartoons, animations, cameras etc.
 Student work and assignments are given
out, presented, shared, stored and developed through
our Learning Diary, an e-portfolio tool that:
 Facilitates building on prior
knowledge, sharing, development and distribution of
learning assignments between students and teachers
 makes the learning path more visible and encourages
the use of a variety of evaluation methods
Collaboration and communication between
teachers, students, management is important! Goal is to
support growth and learning.

50. Shared leadership
Pedagogical
unit
Communications
and networking
International unit unit
Student and
Grade-level learning
teams management
Student
participation
Unit for safety
unit
and buildings
Unit to support
growth and
learning

51. Joy of learning
What you learn without joy you forget without grief
 We bring emotion into learning
 Give recognition, praise and support
 Encourage and expect responsibility for own
learning and behavior
 Give room for trial and error
 Use what your students already know and can
 Develop a positive attitude
 Create a deep and personal learning process
that crosses subject - and learning environment
borders

52. Summary
System:
 Equal opportunities
 No streaming
 Almost no testing
Schools and local authorities:
 Develop their own curriculum
 Quality is created on the spot, not delivered from the
top
Teachers:
 Trusted and valued professionals, not subjected to
external evaluations
Student:
 Ownership of and responsibility for learning
 Flexible remedial teaching
 Fairly little homework
Support of growth and learning. Development of the
whole person, not only the cognitive domain.

53. Together we can make amazing things happen!

54. Sources:
 Finnish Lessons. What can the world learn from
educational change in Finland. Pasi
Sahlberg, Teachers College press, Columbia
University, 2011
 Miracle of Education, The Principles and Practices
of Teaching and Learning in Finnish Schools.
Hannele Niemi, Auli Toom, Arto Kallioniemi (eds).
Sense Publishers, 2012
 The School of Opportunities – towards every
learner‟s potential. Finnish National Board of
Education www.oph.fi
 Kielitivoli www.oph.fi
 What‟s the point of school. Rediscovering the
heart of education. Guy Claxton, 2008
 Cartoons by Wulffmorgenthaler