The question I am asked most in many countries is why is the Finnish education system so famous and how is it different from others?

Have you thought about what the concept of learning is adopted in your country and how is it implemented in schools. In Finland, students are at the centre of learning. They learn by playing, through the play. As they get older, it becomes more important that learning is interesting and meaningful.  The topics are about the student’s living environment, the age of the child and young person is considered in learning. During the learning process, they build their own knowledge structure. Students test their understanding, build it together with others. The knowledge is not already given, but as they build their understanding, the knowledge becomes personal. Learning involves positive emotions.

Finnish teachers have a master’s degree. In addition to this, they are trusted in their work. This means for example that they do not have to make written lesson plans. We don’t have inspectors going around the schools. Teachers have a great deal of autonomy; they can implement the teaching as they wish within the framework of the curriculum. In Finland, schools are not compared with each other’s by tests. Studies and international tests (PISA) have shown that the differences between our schools are small.

Learning takes place during school days, and the school days are the shortest in the world. I often say that when students in other countries are practicing for tests and school days are long, Finnish children meet their friends, play and go outside in the nature and practice their social skills.

Above there are few features and strengths of the Finnish school. What are the strengths of your school? In my opinion, the Finnish approach to education can make a difference in any country if implemented correctly.

                                                                                                                                      Maarit Rossi