Finland I Ya

EDUCATION IN
FINLAND
History
From the 13th century a part of Sweden

In 1809 ceded to Russia as an autonomous
Grand Duchy
Independent parliamentary democracy
since 1917
A member of the EU since 1995
People
Population 5.2 million

Two official languages: Finnish and Swedish
Monetary unit the euro,
Labour force(2007)
Public service 32%
Manufacturing 18%
Trade
16%
Finance and business 14%
Transport
7%
Construction
7%
Agriculture and forestry 5%
Wide international interest towards Finnish school

system and teacher education:
PISA results
The specific characteristics of Finnish teacher
education
Huge amount of applicants in teacher education
Equality of education has high priority
Education for all
Social and regional equality
Well-educated parents -> promotes motivation
Life-long and life-wide learning
Pre-school teaching provided

at schools and daycare centres
Comprehensive school is a
compulsory nine-year
education for all children
Post-comprehensive
education is given by general

upper secondary schools and
vocational schools. Studies
provide eligibility for higher
education.
Higher education system

consists of universities and
universities of applied
sciences.
About 23% of the population
have a higher level degree.
Adult education is provided

widely by postcomprehensive schools,
universities of applied
The
Education
System of
Finland
5
4
3
2
1
3
2
1
Polytechnic postgraduate
degrees
Masters degrees
Barcelors degrees
Bachelor polytechnic
degrees
Universities
Polytechnics
Matriculation
examination
Upper secondary school
3
Vocational qualifications
2
Vocational schools and
apprenticeship training
1
Work
Experience
(min. 3 years)
Work
experience
Specialist
vocational
qualifications
Further
vocational
qualifications
10
Age
1
6
1
5
1
4
1
3
1
2
11
8
7
6
5
4
Basic education
1
0
9
8
7
2
1
Preschool
Work experience
Compulsory schooling
Finnish Education system
Doc.
Lic.
1. Preschool
For 6 years old children, who will
start compulsory education in the
following year
Voluntary
Free of charge
Provided in kindergarten or school
environment in
pre-school classes
Aims and Key Contents
In 2004:
Physical and motor development
35 000 children in kindergarten
Aims:
classes
Physical and motor condition,
7 500 children in school environmentmovement control and basic motor
classes
skills shall be trained through
Together 65 % of entire age group isexercise and play
participating preschool
PE shall support children in acting
education; number is increasing
independently, proactively and co-
Pre-School
Education
operatively and in being brave in

physical exercise situations
Contents:
Daily physical exercise and everyday
activities (guided and self-motivated)
2. COMPREHENSIVE
SCHOOL
The comprehensive school
consists of
9 grades
Elementary level: 1-6
grades
(7-12 years old children)
Upper level: 7-9 grades
(13-16 years old teenagers)
PE is an obligatory subject
(~2 h/week)
Health Education is a new
school subject
(~1h/week in grades 7-9)
Basic Education
Free of charge
(including teaching,
food,
books, papers, pencils
etc.)
Nearly all children
(99.7%) complete the
comprehensive school
Teaching groups in basic education are

formed according to year classes.
During the first six years, instruction is usually
given by the class teacher, who teaches all or
most subjects.
Instruction in the three highest forms is
usually in the form of subject teaching, where
different subjects are taught by subject
teachers.
Basic education also includes pupil
counselling and, if necessary, special
education.
Features of basic education
no admission requirements
no charges
a nine-year comprehensive school
may include voluntary one-year pre-school education
and voluntary one-year additional education (10th form)
provides eligibility for all upper secondary education
almost all Finnish children complete comprehensive
school
interruption and repeating a form is rare
compulsory education is fulfilled by completing the basic
education syllabus
General Upper Secondary

education
Upper secondary school offers general education for
students of about 16-19 years of age.
It continues the educational task of comprehensive school
and gives students eligibility for all studies at the tertiary
level.
Upper secondary school ends with the matriculation
examination.
Since 1982, instruction in upper secondary schools has
been divided into courses, each consisting of about 38
lessons.
The school year is usually divided into five or six

periods. A separate timetable is drawn up for each
period, concentrating on certain subjects.
Students' progress and the composition of teaching
groups thus depends on the students' choice of
courses.
Consequently, year classes have been abolished in
all upper secondary schools, which now function
without fixed forms Upper secondary school studies
consist of compulsory, specialisation and applied
courses.
All students must complete the compulsory courses.
Schools must provide specialisation courses for
students to choose from.
Features of Upper Secondary School

The admission requirement for the upper secondary school
is the completion of comprehensive school
Upper secondary schools select their students mainly on the basis
of previous study record
Application takes place through the national joint application
procedure
Upper secondary school gives students eligibility for all

studies at the tertiary level
More than half of each age group complete upper
secondary school
Matriculation examination
The Matriculation Examination is held twice a year, in
spring and in autumn, in all Finnish upper secondary
schools, at the same time
here are four compulsory tests in the matriculation
examination: mother tongue, the other national language,
foreign language and either mathematics or general
studies test. In addition, candidates may voluntarily take
optional tests.
A candidate must complete the examination during not
more than three consecutive examination periods. The
examination can also be completed in one examination
period
VET (Vocational education

and training) in Finland
Vocational upper secondary education and
training is based on the basic education syllabus.
A three-year vocational upper secondary
qualification gives general eligibility for higher
education in both polytechnics and universities.
There are 52 vocational upper secondary
qualifications and 116 study programmes in
them.
A vocational qualification can be obtained either
through school-based education or in the form of
apprenticeship training.
2.6.2007
15
The content of VET studies

Learning outcomes approach in education and training
system
The scope of a vocational qualification is 120 credits / 3
years.
90 credits of vocational studies including at least 20 credits
of on-the-job learning that supports the studies, 10 credits
of free-choice studies and 20 credits of core subjects
The core subjects required in all vocational studies are:

the mother tongue, second national language, a foreign
language, mathematics, physics and chemistry, social
studies, entrepreneurship and workplace studies,
physical and health education, arts and cultural studies.
2.6.2007
16
On-the-job learning as a
learning method
On-the-job learning is guided, focused and
assessed training in compliance with the
educational objectives determined in the
curriculum
implemented in a genuine working environment
based on a written contract between the
education providern and the workplace
the contracts specify the tasks and responsibilities
of the parties concerned, the goals, core contents,
assessmentn of the students preformance, duration
and timing of the studies
2.6.2007
17
Polytechnic Education
The Finnish polytechnic system was built during the 1990's to

create a non-university sector in higher education. It is founded
on the institutions which previously provided post-secondary
vocational education and which have been developed to form a
nationwide network of regional institutions of higher education,
i.e. polytechnics. In the autumn of 2001, there were a total of 29
polytechnics.
Polytechnics provide instruction for expert functions in the
sectors of natural resources, technology and communications,
business and administration, tourism, catering and institutional
management, health care and social services, culture, and the
humanities and education.
Studies leading to a polytechnic degree take 3.5-4.5 years.
The Ministry of Education confirms the degree programmes, but
the curricula are independently decided by the polytechnics.
Universities in Finland in
2007
One of the most comprehensive
university networks in Europe
10 multi-faculty universities
Rovaniemi
Helsinki, Turku (2), Tampere, Oulu, Jyvskyl,

Joensuu, Vaasa, Kuopio, Rovaniemi
3 universities of technology
Oulu
Helsinki, Tampere, Lappeenranta

+ Faculty of Technology in Oulu: 4818 students
3 schools of economics and

business administration
Helsinki (2), Turku
+ Faculty of Economics in Oulu:
1023 students
4 art academies
Vaasa
Kuopio
Jyvskyl
Joensuu
Tampere
Lappeenranta
Turku
Helsinki
University Education
There are twenty universities in Finland: ten multidisciplinary

universities, three universities of technology, three schools of
economics and business administration and four art academies.
The network of universities covers the different parts of the
country and provides a student place for almost one third of the
age group. All universities are owned by the State.
Universities select their own students independently.
Various types of entrance examinations form a central
part of the selection process.
The total intake of the universities guarantees a student
place for about a third of the relevant age group.
The average duration for completing a Master's degree
is about 6.5 years.
Two-cycle model for basic

university degrees
The two-cycled basic degrees consist of
the
Bachelors degree
(180 credits / 3 years) and
the Masters degree

(120 credits / 2 years)
The third cycle will consist of postgraduate studies

(leading to a doctoral degree)
1 year = 1600 working hours = 60 ECTS
Teacher Education in
Finland
Teachers profession has a high status
Popular field of study > high qualifications required
Masters degree necessary also for primary level teachers
Integration of theory and practice (Teacher training school)
Pedagogical knowledge and subject knowledge integrated
Teachers are seen as life-long learners

Teacher education is research-based
KRISTIINA KUMPULAINEN
Finnish Teacher Education has a long

history
Teacher education for primary and secondary

schools was transferred to universities in 1971
Typical features
- research-based orientation
- continuous national and international
evaluations
- basic core curriculum in pedagogy
Finnish Teacher
Education
Classroom Teacher Model
Education as a major
Studies at the Department of
Education
How to get competence to a
subject teacher?
Subject Teacher Model

An academic subject as a
major
Studies at the Subject
Department
Teachers pedagogical studies
at the Dept of Ed
How to get competence to a
class teacher?
A CLASSROOM
TEACHER
The classroom teacher completes a Masters
Thesis (M.A) and the study programme
consists of 300 study points.
Main subject: Education (140 sp)
Minor subject (60 sp) consists of all the 13
school subjects a class teacher teaches at
the first 6 grades of elementary school.
Theory practice relation
Academic tradition of research-based teaching

Practice teaching
Methodology and method studies
TEACHERS
PROFESSION
TEACHERS PROFESSION
TEACHERSHIP
TEACHING
What is a proper knowledge base for a good teacher?
DONT DO AS I DO, DO WHAT I SAY TO DO
TEACHERS TEACH AS THEY WERE TAUGHT
Finland in PISA Studies

Finland came out top in the OECDs
2003 PISA study of learning results
among 15-year olds, with high
performances in
mathematics
science
mother tongue
problem solving
11 official explanations of the PISA success

by the Finnish National Board of Education
Equal opportunities for education irrespective of domicile, sex, economic

situation or mother tongue
Regional accessibility of education
No separation of sexes
Education totally free of charge
Comprehensive, non-selective basic education
Supportive and flexible administration centralised steering of the whole,

local implementation
Interactive, co-operative way of working at all levels; idea of partnership
Individual support for learning and welfare of pupils
Development-oriented evaluation and pupil assessment no testing, no

ranking lists
Highly qualified, autonomous teachers
Socio-constructivist learning conception
China is switching to course-based high school

education in line with the Finnish model.
Schools function without fixed forms, no year
classes
School year divided into 5 or 6 periods
Instruction divided into 38 lessons, courses
A separate timetable is drawn up for each period,

concentrating on certain subjects
Students' progress and the composition of teaching
groups depends on the students' choice of courses.
The strengths of Finnish

schools
good teachers
efficient teaching
uniform quality
We may have something to give to

other countries, so they seem to think
Foreign educators in droves want to visit Finnish
schools for the simple reason that they are so good
-- very likely the best on Earth.
Post
Washington

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EDUCATION IN

From the 13th century a part of Sweden

Population 5.2 million

Wide international interest towards Finnish school

Pre-school teaching provided

education is given by general

Higher education system

Adult education is provided

Finnish Education system

operatively and in being brave in

Teaching groups in basic education are

Features of basic education

General Upper Secondary

The school year is usually divided into five or six

Features of Upper Secondary School

Upper secondary school gives students eligibility for all

VET (Vocational education

The content of VET studies

The core subjects required in all vocational studies are:

The Finnish polytechnic system was built during the 1990's to

Helsinki, Turku (2), Tampere, Oulu, Jyvskyl,

Helsinki, Tampere, Lappeenranta

3 schools of economics and

There are twenty universities in Finland: ten multidisciplinary

Two-cycle model for basic

the Masters degree

The third cycle will consist of postgraduate studies

Teachers profession has a high status

Popular field of study > high qualifications required

Masters degree necessary also for primary level teachers

Integration of theory and practice (Teacher training school)

Pedagogical knowledge and subject knowledge integrated

Teachers are seen as life-long learners

Finnish Teacher Education has a long

Teacher education for primary and secondary

Subject Teacher Model

Academic tradition of research-based teaching

What is a proper knowledge base for a good teacher?

DONT DO AS I DO, DO WHAT I SAY TO DO

TEACHERS TEACH AS THEY WERE TAUGHT

Finland in PISA Studies

11 official explanations of the PISA success

Equal opportunities for education irrespective of domicile, sex, economic

Regional accessibility of education

Education totally free of charge

Comprehensive, non-selective basic education

Supportive and flexible administration centralised steering of the whole,

Interactive, co-operative way of working at all levels; idea of partnership

Individual support for learning and welfare of pupils

Development-oriented evaluation and pupil assessment no testing, no

Highly qualified, autonomous teachers

Socio-constructivist learning conception

China is switching to course-based high school

Instruction divided into 38 lessons, courses

A separate timetable is drawn up for each period,

The strengths of Finnish

We may have something to give to

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