Education Lessons for the US from Finland

Finnish students start schooling much later than their American counterparts. They
also spend considerably less time in class. However, they have consistently outperformed
American as well as students from almost all other countries in standardized tests in reading,
science, and math (Chung, 2019). Due to the tremendous success that the Finnish education
system has had since 1971 when it was radically reformed, there are many valuable lessons
that America can learn from it.

Teacher Preparation and Autonomy

Finnish teachers are highly qualified professionals. One needs a bachelor’s degree to
be a kindergarten teacher (Chung, 2019). Once students start formal learning, they are only
taught by teachers who hold master’s degree. Apart from the high level of qualification that
teachers require, they are also well-paid and highly respected. Partly because of their
extensive training, the government provides teachers with a lot of autonomy. For instance,
unlike in other countries, it is teachers who develop ways of assessing their students and
carrying out the assessments.

Emphasis on Play

Conventional wisdom has it that the more time a child spends in class the better they
are likely to perform. The Finnish education proves that spending more time in classroom
does not necessarily lead to better education outcomes. Right from kindergarten to the time
that children start formal education, there is heavy emphasis on play (Chung, 2019). During
kindergarten students spend most of their time playing together. Children are required to play
as much as possible until they reach age 7 when they start formal schooling. In formal
schooling, students spend 15 minutes playing for every 45 minutes that they spend in

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classroom (Chung, 2019). The belief behind this practice is that play is an essential ingredient
of learning.

Homework and Classroom Size

Unlike their US counterparts, Finnish students are rarely given homework. Teachers
believe that the best place to learn is in the classroom where students can be guided by highly
qualified and well-trained teachers (Chung, 2019). The classes are also made relatively small
to make them ideal for learning. Finnish classes usually have an average of just around 20
children.

Conclusion

For US to remain competitive it needs a robust education system. There are many
valuable lessons that the US can learn from Finland to improve its own education system.
They include providing more training for teachers, increasing more funding for pre-schools,
reducing amount of homework that is given to students, and increasing student playtime.

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References

Chung, J. (2019). The Education System of Finland. In PISA and Global Education
Policy(pp. 49-74). Brill Sense.