The Ethos of Learning Case Finland

Lea Kuusilehto-Awale
Finland, a small, remote and unknown country became an attractor to educators across the world as
soon as the first PISA student achievement assessments were published in 2000, and the Finns were
equally amaed by the outcomes! "he same #oes for the assessments in 200$, 200% and 200&!
'ence Finland has participated in each of the PISA assessments arran#ed so far!
"he purpose of this presentation is to reflect on the ethos of learnin# in the case of Finland, to make
the basis for the above mentioned outcomes understandable, thou#h naturally not transferable as
such to another society! "he focus will be on five issues, namely on the status of learnin#, teachin#,
teachers and principals, the teachers( )ob description, teacher education in Finland, the systemic
ali#nment in the ethos of learnin#, and on future challen#es!
1 Status of learning, teaching, teachers and principals
Influence of Lutheran religion
"he status of education is hi#h in Finnish society! *n one hand, Finland is a nation of the word, on
the other hand we are a practical and a pra#matic nation! +e have been a readin# nation for a lon#
time, in fact since the ,%00s when the -utheran church be#an demandin# literacy skills for us to
marry in front of the eyes of .od, the church providin# also literacy teachin#! "his is where the
hi#h respect for learnin# has its roots! "he -utheran reli#ion, adopted by the Swedish /mpire
which Finland was part of, advocated every individual(s ability to read the 0ible in the mother
ton#ue without a mediator !
Building infrastructures in the 1800s
"he ,100s were a century when several infrastructures for learnin# were constructed! Finland was
blessed with farsi#hted educated Swedish speakin# intelli#entsia, who saw that the learnin# of the
ma)ority of the population should be provided for with their native lan#ua#e, Finnish! Politically,
Finland then en)oyed a liberal administration as a .rand 2uchy of 3ussia! Amon# the decisions
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taken at that time are e!#! the followin# innovations, which have since flourished and continue bein#
hi#hli#hts of Finnish education and learnin# till today! "he first public libraries were established in
,141 and today this service remains available to every citien at a minimal char#e in every
municipality, the municipality bein# the administrative entity responsible for providin# the services!
"eacher trainin# as an or#anied activity was launched by establishin# the first teacher trainin#
seminar in 5yv6skyl6 in ,1%$ and passin# the first primary school act of law to establish municipal
7public8 schools not only in towns but also in the rural areas! In the same decade the first secondary
schools teachin# in Finnish were established in order to educate civil servants to administer the
country! In the field of the humanities the first novel was published in the native lan#ua#e, the
9ational "heater was founded, the arts, both visual arts and music flourished! At the end of the
century the first institutions of informal education were launched with the purpose of educatin#
their members in citienship skills, holdin# meetin#s, participatin# in buildin# democratic activities!
"he same institutions serve the nation today with a much wider provision of skills trainin#! "he
mission behind these activities was to build and form the national consciousness and identity with
the distant ob)ective that one day the nation would #ain independence!
Societal upheaval
"he Finnish population reached the ,00: literacy rate in about the year ,&00! -iteracy means an
increase in an individual(s capacity to find out about the world, to form informed opinions, to
develop oneself, to en#a#e in active citienship, to dream of and find better opportunities! -iteracy
is a liberator of the mind, a boost to mental independence! "he same phenomenon is e;plained and
proved by e;tensive statistics by the French sociolo#ists <ourba#e and "odd in their book
Convergence of Civilizations 7200=8! "hey posit a powerful combination between a nation reachin#
the ,00: literacy rate, a decrease in fertility and societal upheavals! "he book applies the proof to
the rise of fundamentalist Islam, positin# that fundamentalist Islam and the current social upheavals
are products of this societal development, not a proof of a conflict between <hristianity and Islam,
as advocated by 'untin#ton , whose view was quickly spread across the #lobe by the avid media
after &>,,! "he two sociolo#ists prove the model by e;tensive statistics from a wide ran#e of
countries, reli#ions and societal patterns like mono#amous and poly#amous patterns across the
#lobe! In the conte;t of Finland, the upheaval sta#e was the civil war of early ,&,1 and the strained
relations of the political ri#ht and left in the ,&20s and ,&$0s, endin# in the wars a#ainst the Soviet
?nion ,&$&@,&44! "o note is that equal and obli#atory access to basic education was #uaranteed by
law as late as ,&2,!
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Money is not the motivator
Anyway, those who teach have always been considered the key to learnin# and are hi#hly respected
in society! /ven today both the teachin# profession and the principal(s profession are amon#st the
most hi#hly respected ones in Finnish society! Financial reimbursement is often considered a tri##er
of both presti#e and motivation to an employment! Aet, in the case of Finnish educators, their
salary is only sli#htly above the */<2 avera#e! It #uarantees a solid, decent income and there is no
need for an educator to seek an e;tra second or third )ob to maintain his>her family! Also, teachers(
absenteeism from work is very low! 'ence we must draw the conclusion that money is neither a
factor of motivation nor does it enhance Finnish educators( commitment to the profession!
Informal education avenue of opportunity
"he role of not only formal education but also informal education is stron# in society and in the
family! As mentioned above, informal adult education was launched in the late ,100s by the
workers( movement and soon spread to the conservative movements as well, developin# early into a
stron# avenue providin# learnin# opportunities for every citien irrespective of social class, prior
educational back#round, a#e or any other socio@economic factor! "oday the institutions of informal
education are partly subsidied by the state! "he number of enrollments to this education was over
2,2= million in 200& and these institutions comprise adult evenin# secondary schools, liberal arts
colle#es, continuin# education centers, open universities, summer universities etc! People study not
only co#nitive sub)ects, but arts, music, drama, sports, handicrafts etc! Also basic and secondary
education can be completed by adults who have not had access to those earlier, usually due to their
a#e or ethnic back#round! "he a#e ran#e of students is ,=@&=B additionally, so called basic education
in the arts is arran#ed to children in basic education by the liberal arts colle#es!
"his means that practically every family has a member enrolled or at the minimum there is a
consciousness of this learnin# opportunity in every household! "he information booklets of the
liberal arts colle#es are even mailed to every household each autumn prior to the term be#innin#!
igh status of vocational education
Additionally, the various tracks of secondary and tertiary education with their different ob)ectives
are acknowled#ed in educational policy, their implementation is developed, and they en)oy respect
in society! 0esides the traditional #eneral academic education, vocational education en)oys a hi#h
status! After the second +orld +ar, when Finland had to pay heavy compensations to the winner,
the Soviet ?nion, she had to reform her factories and metal industry plants to keep up with the
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production needs and the rebuildin# of the country! A lar#e number of well trained workforce was
needed and consequently, vocational education was stron#ly bein# developed and resourced!
"he second stron# sta#e of resourcin# vocational education was launched in the ,&&0s, when a
national network of close to $0 universities of applied sciences, also called polytechnics, were
founded and the whole ran#e of vocational schools were restructured both administratively and in
terms of curriculum! Also an additional option of #ainin# a professional qualification via workin#
life practice and takin# a qualifications e;amination was launched! In the past few years secondary
level vocational education has en)oyed a hi#her attractivity amon# the school leavers from basic
education, than the traditional #eneral secondary education! "he roots of the chan#e in respect and
status #o back to the lon# term effort of the state and society to resource and develop the vocational
education and to raise its status!
!eproduction of socioeconomic pattern
Aet, despite these #ood traditions and achievements, in all honesty we must confess that also our
education system reproduces the socio@economic pattern where children from low income families
attain a lower education! /specially in tertiary education in the past few years the trend where
students with hi#h income social back#rounds outnumber their peers from lower ones has a#ain
become noticeable!
Long term" sustaina#le education policies
/ducation policy and implementation are amon#st the top priorities of the #overnment pro#rams!
/ducation policy and education reforms are constructed with political consensus and administered
sustainably! In our system the ministry and central office civil servants are not chan#ed after each
election, nor is a new reform implemented after each election! "his results in the fact that the life
span of education reforms e;tends across a period of time that #uarantees the feasibility of decent
outcomes, i!e! an interest to the investment made!
$actors #ehind %IS& results
"he Finnish outcomes in the PISA assessments have been produced by means of the followin#
essential characteristics, which are so fundamental to us that we were thorou#hly astonished
receivin# the first results in 2000, and have remained equally so, receivin# the successive results!
+e do not teach for national tests but we teach for students to learn! *f course we test our pupils(
learnin# every three or four weeks, but its purpose is to dia#nose the pro#ress and if it is not
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satisfactory, we resort to immediate measures! "his early intervention has the ob)ective to brin# the
student(s learnin# to the e;pected level, which results in very few pupils repeatin# the school year!
Also, in PISA the inner school variance is below the */<2 avera#e, and variance between schools
is the lowest in the world! *n avera#e well over &&: of children complete the &@year basic
education, due to the possibility of also a home school system and hospital schools! 0asic
education is compulsory but it can be conducted on various avenues, for which also the early
intervention resources apply! /quality of educational opportunity and access is a top priority! "he
constitution #uarantees free basic education for all, re#ardless of #ender, ethnicity, health, reli#ion,
location, and socio@economic status!
"he price of basic education per capita is at the */<2 avera#e, and the number of hours tau#ht per
year is lower than the */<2 avera#e! "he conclusion here is cost and resource effectivenessC +e
teach our children less, but they learn more! *ur children be#in school at a#e seven and currently
over &1: #o to the voluntary preschool for the si;@year@olds, which was launched at the turn of the
2000s! As the number of Finnish women workin# full time is very hi#h, the small children are taken
care of in day care centres or in family care! "his kind of early childhood education fosters the
whole well bein# of the child, placin# attention to care and play!
An interestin# horion opens when comparin# the Finnish success in PISA between the Finnish and
the Swedish schools in Finland 7the country is bilin#ual8 and between the other 9ordic countries, all
of which perceive as sharin# similar values of equality and equity in society, provide their citiens
with a welfare society, rank hi#h in international assessments on transparency, absence of
corruption, an innovative and entrepreneurial environment, and #eneral wellbein# and happiness of
their citiens! As table , shows, the Finnish schools in Finland e;cel in all the three areas!
"able , <omparin# 9ordic countries in PISA 200&! <ourtesy of Professor 5ouni D6li)6rvi,
Finnish <entre for /ducational 3esearch!
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'he $innish education system
"he children start school at a#e seven! &1: of the si;@year@olds attend the optional pre@school ,
which has now been available for over ten years! Prior to the pre@school, two thirds of children
attend daycare centres due to the fact that both parents are in the workforce! Eost small children
below the a#e of three are taken care of in the home thanks to the maternity and paternity benefits!
0oth the daycare and the pre@school concentrate on carin# for the child and learnin# throu#h
playin#! *ne can say that in this re#ard the Finnish child has a lon# childhood to play!
In the education reforms of the ,&&0s the state subsidied education system was made fle;ible, to
allow chan#e and combinin# education tracks and also re@entry to education! See "able 2!
"able 2! "he Finnish education system 7state and municipal provision8
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Basic education
0asic education is a constitutional human and civil ri#ht and access is #uaranteed to everybody, as
described earlier! 0asic education comprises #rades ,@& and is completely free of char#e! "he
society provides free tuition, learnin# materials, cooked, nutritious school lunches, school transport,
medical and dental care, careers counselin#, psycholo#ical support! *n #rades ,@% teachin# is
carried out by the class teachers, meanin# that one teacher is in char#e of teachin# all the sub)ect
matters! From #rade F onwards, teachin# is conducted by sub)ect teachers, who have a teacher
education specialiation in one to three sub)ects! As stated earlier, the completion rate of basic
education is on avera#e well over &&: of the a#e #roup! "o note is that there is no national
standardied testin# at the end of #rade & of basic education!
"he purpose of the ,&F0s education reform was to increase the education level of the nation by
ensurin# equal access to education for all! In the first ten years after the reform the pupils were
streamed or tracked to three ability #roups in forei#n lan#ua#e and maths! "he result was that
children from lower socioeconomic back#rounds and boys dropped into the lower tracks and
consequently did not #ain full access to secondary education and to follow, to tertiary education!
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"he conclusion in education policy was to delete the trackin# or streamin# system, and to focus on
providin# quality teachin# skills to teach mi;ed ability #roups! "he Easter(s de#ree as the
qualification of the teachin# profession was introduced in the ,&10s!
Secondary education
Secondary education of #rades ,0@,2 offers four avenues! "he first is the traditional academic
#eneral upper secondary>senior hi#h school, the second is the vocational school, the third is to
combine secondary #eneral and vocational education for takin# a double de#ree, and the fourth is to
enroll in workin# life apprenticeship and throu#h qualification e;aminations acquire a vocational
de#ree certificate! In the past few years vocational education has attracted over =0: of basic
education school leavers! As referred to earlier, raisin# the attractivity of and the respect for the
vocational education has been a conscious effort to face a serious shorta#e of skilled workforce that
could also be capable of bein# quickly retrained as conte;ts chan#e rapidly in the modern world!
For youn#sters hesitant or incapable of makin# the choice for secondary education, there is an e;tra
one@year option of takin# a #eneral ,0
th
year class to better their #rades, or a work place orientation
year to familiarie with the requirements and characteristics of various work fields to be able to
make the decision for their secondary level education! In fact, there is also a fifth track throu#h the
folk hi#h schools to take a vocational education secondary de#ree! "he folk hi#h schools are partly
subsidied by the state!
Secondary #eneral and the double de#ree of secondary education finish with the standardied
national matriculation e;amination!
'ertiary education
"ertiary education offers the university and the university of applied sciences 7polytechnic8 tracks!
From each there is an access possibility to the other track! "ertiary education de#rees are in two
cycles as a#reed in the 0olo#na process of the /uropean ?nionC "he 0achelor(s de#ree and the
Easter(s de#ree!
0oth state subsidied secondary and tertiary education are e;empt of term fees! "he secondary
education students are provided the same study benefits as the basic education pupils e;cept for
their study materials!
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Informal education
Additionally, besides the totally state subsidied system, there is a very stron# informal education
system coverin# the whole country, where the students pay moderate course fees and where there
are other providers besides the state and the municipality! "hese education providers fill in the #aps
of the formal education and also serve as tracks for further education and providers of recreation!
For e;ample, the *pen ?niversity courses can lead to university de#rees and the adult evenin#
secondary schools and folk hi#h schools provide basic, secondary and vocational education tracks
for adults who due to their a#e #roup, ethnic back#round, health or any other reason may not have
had access to formal education or wish to improve it! 7<f! p! $8
2 Teachers !o" description
As is eminent from the discussion above, the teachers( societal status is hi#h! An important result of
this is that the attractivity of the teachin# profession is hi#h! Appro;imately ,0: of each a#e #roup
apply for primary teacher education and only ,0: of them are accepted! "he applicants are very
#ood secondary level #raduates, from whom the most motivated and applicable are selected! "he
teacher qualification is the Easter(s de#ree for all school levels! "he only e;ception is the option of
a 0achelor(s 2e#ree for kinder#arden>day care centre teachers!
In viewin# the teacher(s )ob description, it is important to bear in mind the discourse on the purpose
of education today! Is the purpose to ensure a nation(s economic competitiveness, to produce a
homo economicus as the dominant discourse in the past three decades has beenG *r is the purpose
to foster and transfer 0ildun# from #eneration to #eneration, or is it to raise and rear the childG *r
is it to educate the holistic trinity of the head, heart and hands as advocated by the father of Finnish
primary education, ?no <y#naeusG *r is it to inculcate values and ethical behaviors towards
oneself, the fellow humans, the man@made and natural environments 79oddin#s, 200=8G
"he Finnish teacher works amidst this dilemma, in the crosscurrent between the increasin# demands
for ensurin# hi#h co#nitive skills and the need to foster the emotional and social well@bein# and
development of the child! "he primary school teachers, i!e! the class teachers have been educated to
combine the ethos of both teachin# and raisin# the child! 2espite the rise of the economic
competitiveness discourse, the ethos of the Finnish teacher has been and is very much on teachin#,
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learnin# and raisin# the child to his>her full potential! +e do not e;ult competition, competitiveness
and rankin#!
"he Finnish child is tau#ht by the same class teacher throu#h the primary school classes ,@%! From
class F onwards the child is tau#ht by sub)ect teachers, who have specialied in the sub)ect in
question and whose focus also in trainin# is more sub)ect specific, the tradition bein# on
emphasiin# the acquisition of co#nitive skills! Aet, since the ,&10s and the ,&&0s education
reforms the ob)ective has been to teach with child@centered, collaborative, interactive, e;perimental
and #roupwork methods, en#a#in# the child to participate actively in observation, findin# questions
and answers, creatin# solutions, knowled#e and e;periences, and to enhance the child(s findin#
his>her potential, as defined in the 9ational <ore <urrilum 790/, ,&&4, 20048 !
Challenge to teaching s(ills) mi*ed a#ility groups
*ur children are tau#ht and cared for and they learn in mi;ed ability #roups throu#h basic education
#rades , to & and prior to that in the daycare centres and in pre@schools! "he ,&F0s education
reform that #uaranteed equal access to education for all is definitely the education policy reason
behind our PISA success! "he challen#e to the teachers( teachin# skills and to the learnin#
environment is radically different from the case of a socioeconomic match between the teachers and
the pupils in schools that select or are allowed to select their pupils!
"he Finnish teacher and the Finnish teacher education continuously have to invest in developin#
versatile methodolo#ies and empowerin# peda#o#y to address the needs of different learners in the
same #roup! "eacher education is built on research based learnin#, reflection, dialo#ue of theory and
practice and en#a#in# in life@lon# learnin#! *ur committed, well educated teachers pride
themselves in this approach! In the classroom work they may be assisted by teachin# assistants and
special education teachers, and also socio@psycholo#ical support is available in multiprofessional
teams in the schools!
'eacher autonomy
"he teachers are responsible for and do en#a#e in developin# peda#o#y and methodolo#y in their
school! "he minimum of yearly mandatory further education is the three days per school year
provided by the employer! "hey have the freedom to e;periment their innovations and to choose
the methods they find the most appropriate for any #roup of students they work with! "he Finnish
teacher is autonomous in his>her classroom!
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+ducating to citizenship
As developin# active citienship skills is one ob)ective of school work, enhancin# it is naturally
every teacher(s duty! In practice this means involvin# the children to en#a#e first in plannin# their
own learnin# and work in school and learnin# throu#h activities like pro)ects, e;cursions and
events! "hrou#h parent @ school and school @ community cooperation come the ne;t steps and with
the child #rowin# up, the principles of how a democratic society functions are studied and
e;perimented, e!#! by or#aniin# shadow elections in schools at the time of municipal and
parliamentary elections! "he teacher and the school are also responsible for ensurin# the child(s
safety in the school hours! Also, every civil servant workin# with children has the le#al
responsibility to report suspected violations on a child(s well@bein# to the social welfare services!
+ngaging in school #ased leadership and management
"he teacher(s )ob description has been challen#ed since the early ,&&0s by the opportunity and
responsibility to participate in runnin# the school on a broader scale! In Finland administration was
decentralied in the ,&&0s by mer#in# central #overnmental offices and diminishin# the provincial
administration! 2ecision makin# and implementation was brou#ht from the national and provincial
level to the local level by #rantin# the municipalities a broad constitutional autonomy in providin#
the services that are their responsibilityC education, social and healthcare and technical
infrastructures bein# the bi##est sectors!
"hus, also in education decision makin# and implementation was brou#ht to the local level and
there also to the school level! Since then school@based mana#ement has been implemented in
Finland, includin# the creation of school@based curricula! In addition to bein# responsible for
teachin#, the Finnish teacher has both the ri#ht and the duty to be involved in the curriculum work,
in buildin# the school vision, mission, the curriculum contents and the strate#ic plannin# for the
implementation! "he minimum participation rate is to attend the weekly and monthly school work
plannin# sessions and meetin#s!
Also, at the same time as the local curriculum desi#n was launched almost 20 years a#o, the
inspectorate system was abolished and replaced by the mandatory self@evaluation of the schools!
From this follows that the teachers are involved in desi#nin# and realiin# the yearly self@evaluation
ob)ectives and implementation systems of the school! In the lon# run this has paved the way to
increased collaboration and e;chan#e of teachin# practices and innovations between the teachers
and to increased )ob satisfaction as posited by the research conducted by EHller and 'ernande
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720,08! "hese developments entail that the teachin# profession e;tends from classroom teachin#
and mana#ement towards contributin# to the creation of the school work at lar#e and to school
mana#ement and leadership! In school@based administration most of the plannin# and
implementation work is in the school, which means an increase in the administrative workload! "he
work needs to be divided in order to be conducted efficiently and successfully! "he answer is the
move towards shared, distributed and collaborative leadership practices, involvin# the teachers to
contribute to the leadership and mana#ement practices!
# Teacher education is in uni$ersities
"here are currently eleven teacher trainin# departments in university faculties of education in
Finland, spread throu#hout the country as re#ional access to also tertiary education has been
prioritied in national policy makin#! "he teacher education and research of the departments is
supported and complemented by the teacher trainin# schools, the function of which is to provide
teachin# for the basic and upper secondary education levels, to tutor teacher trainees and to
conduct teachin# e;periments and research! "his chapter illustrates the primary and sub)ect teacher
education #uidelines at the ?niversity of 5yv6skyl6 7-indell, 20,,B "eacher education curriculum,
20,,8! Additionally, the faculty trains also early childhood education, special education and si#n
lan#ua#e teachers!
%rimary teacher education
"he Easter(s de#ree qualification in primary teacher education comprises $00 /<"S credit points!
*ne /<"S credit equals 2F hours of full time work! "he core content areas of the curriculum are
teachers( peda#o#ical studies includin# teachin# practice, education as the ma)or sub)ect includin#
research methods, school sub)ect studies for primary school teachers, and minor sub)ect studies
includin# lan#ua#es and I<" studies! "he latter comprise school sub)ect studies in disciplines tau#ht
in school and peda#o#ical studies! "he allocation of /<"S per each content area is illustrated by
table $!
"able $! Allocation of /<"S per content area in primary teacher education
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'eaching practice
"eachin# practice is conducted throu#h four successive modules and realied in the state owned
teacher trainin# schools! Also field schools are used! "he practice be#ins with observin# class
dynamics and the work of the e;perienced trainin# school lecturers and continues to plannin#
teachin# sessions smaller than a lesson first, then whole lessons and teachin# them, and finishes
with teachers( responsibilities and professional ethics! "he practice teachin# is monitored by the
peer teacher students, the teacher trainin# school lecturer and to a smaller scale the teacher trainin#
colle#e lecturer! After the teachin# session or lesson the output is reflected on by all parties present
in the event! "he reflection deals with the interaction, knowled#eability, versatility of methods,
empowerin# the pupils, enhancin# an investi#ative approach and reflection, communicatin# and
evaluatin# different points of view, time mana#ement, and alternative pathways to the ones now
utilied conductin# the lesson!
"he four successive modules are constructed as follows! Eodule , 74 /<"S with a duration of ca! $
weeks8 concentrates on observation and #ivin# si; brief teachin# sessions! "he ob)ective is to #ain a
view into the teacher(s work, interaction in classroom and pupils as learners! Eodule 2 7% /<"S
with a duration of ca! % weeks8 practises plannin# and implementin# teachin# and the assessment of
outcomes! "he teacher student teaches 2% lessons! In module $ 71 /<"S 8 the teacher student plans,
implements and assesses e;tensive study modules, makes appropriate peda#o#ical choices, decides
how to #uide and support the different learnin# processes of different learners, and chooses the
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appropriate assessment methods! In teachin# practice module 4 71 /<"S8 the teacher student #ains
an insi#ht into the re#ulations, responsibilities and le#islation pertainin# to the teachin# profession,
parent@school and school@community cooperation, multi@ and inter@professional interaction and
professional ethics! "he teachin# practice totals 2% /<"S!
Su#,ect teacher education
-ike primary teacher education, the sub)ect teacher education comprises $00 /<"S of studies! "he
allocation of /<"S credits per different content areas are illustrated in table 4 below!
"able 4! Allocation of /<"S per content area in sub)ect teacher education
"he content areas consist of the ma)or sub)ect 7to be tau#ht in school8 studies includin# research
methods, teachers( peda#o#ical studies includin# teachin# practice, co@sub)ects 7minor sub)ects to
be tau#ht in school8 academic studies, lan#ua#e and communication studies includin# I<" studies!
"he precondition for the teacher(s peda#o#ical studies is the Easter(s de#ree in the teachin#
sub)ect7s8, ma)or and minor7s8! "he teacher student does 2= /<"S of basic studies in education,
includin# = /<"S of teachin# practice, and $= /<"S of intermediate studies in education, includin#
,= /<"S of teachin# practice! "eachin# practice thus totals 20 /<"S!
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'eaching practice
As in primary teacher education, the practice comprises four modules! "he first = /<"S module
deals with instructed orientating practice, where the teacher students #et acquainted with school,
teacher(s work and classroom interaction, and reflect their own learnin# e;periences on teachin#!
/ach student does three teachin# sessions! "he second = /<"S module is instructed #asic practice-
"he students observe the pupils as individual learners and #roup members, learnin# environments
and different workin# methods, studyin# the aims and contents of the curriculum! "hey teach
fourteen sessions in this module! "he third, F /<"S module is advanced instructed practice- "he
teacher student practises the investi#ative approach, plannin# a teachin# e;periment based on
theoretical startin# points and which they teach durin# the course! "hey both plan, implement and
assess in the ,2 sessions they teach! "he fourth, $ /<"S module is adapted instructive practice-
9ow the students become acquainted with the culture of a field school! "hey e;amine the school as
a learnin# or#aniation, learn to plan activities, allocate resources and share the responsibilities in a
work community, and acquire an insi#ht into lifelon# professional development! "hey teach si;
sessions in this module!
"he feedback of the teachin# practice is #iven similar to that of primary teacher trainin# practiceC
throu#h )oint sessions with peers, teacher trainin# or field school lecturer7s8 and also, to a smaller
e;tent, the teacher trainin# department lecturer!
In sum, Finnish teacher education focuses on studies in education and the peda#o#ical studies and
combinin# theory with practice! For sub)ect teachers the ma)or is the sub)ect to be tau#ht and
peda#o#ical studies are a minor sub)ect of %0 /<"S credits!
# S%ste&ic align&ent of the ethos of learning
As we see it in Finland, a nation(s learnin# and raisin# a nation(s education level cannot take place
by #ivin# credit to one actor only, resourcin# it and victimiin# another, as has been the fashion in
the so called .lobal /ducation 3eform Eovement 7./3E8 i#nited by the neoliberalist economic,
political, social and educational policies in the past $0 odd years, in the pursuit of silver bullets,
quick fi;es and instant #ains for the few in societies! 7'arvey, 200=8 Finland has been very
moderate and hesitant to follow the neoliberal fads 73inne, SimolaIJivirauma, 2002B Sahlber#,
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200F, 200&8! For sustainable education outcomes to emer#e, a systemic ali#nment in favor of
resourcin# education for all is necessary!
"he favorable ali#nment be#ins with sustainable national education policy a#reed on by the ma)or
political stakeholders for the benefit of the entire nation for a lon#er time span than one election
period! Sustainable education policy does not launch a new education reform after each election,
nor does it chan#e the ma)or civil servants in key positions, thus ensurin# the continuity of reforms!
"his is because education is a field where sustainable outcomes are made in a lon# term
implementation cycle, where infrastructures like the learnin# environments and the teacher, parent
and community skills are built, maintained and constantly developed! 7<aldwellISpinks, 20018
/nhancin# learnin# is a systemic challen#e in society! It is a matter of the society at lar#e, of
education policy makin# and implementation, teacher education and school level realiation from
principal to and with the teacher and pupils, other staffs and the community, and of enhancin#
respect for learnin# in the society at lar#e! In the e;ample of case Finland, learnin# has succeeded
when systemic ali#nment has been in place and no standardiation of curricula and evaluation has
been implemented in basic education! Instead, the best possible curricula doable in the local
circumstances have been created and implemented, and resourcin# has been focused on teachers,
learnin# environments and the individual learners! "he learnin# environments include the societal
re#ard at lar#e, enhanced by lon# term resourcin# and development! "he raisin# of the status of
vocational education is an e;ample to the point of the latter ! 7Sahlber# 200%, 200F, 200&8
' Future challenges in Finland
.ne/ual provision of education0
"o be#in with, thou#h Finland still ranked hi#h in the PISA 200& results and the track record from
the years 2000@200& is impressive, the results of 200& raise serious concerns! "he sli#ht downward
curve in the results is imminent! "he PISA indicators show that the dan#er of inner@school and
inter@school variation #rowin# is real, which would erode the realiation of the concept of equality
in basic education seriously! So far, Finland had prided herself of bein# capable of providin# hi#h
and equal outcomes in any corner of the country and in any school in the randomly selected PISA
schools! If continued, this will create a serious societal imbalance and food for dissatisfaction in
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society! +hat has also alerted the nation, is the fact that the boys( readin# skills proved to be
radically deterioratin#, as opposed to the #irls( continuous hi#h success! 7D6li)6rvi, 20,,B cf!
Simola, 3inne, Dar)o, Pitk6nen IJauko, 200&8
Social sustaina#ility
"here are also other snakes in the paradise, thou#h Finland has repeatedly been ranked one of
happiest nations and best places to live alon# with the other 9ordic countries! Finnish people are
hi#hly educated and the women are more educated than the men but workin# life hits hard! It proves
to be increasin#ly demandin# and both parents workin# full time are a challen#e to the family! "he
divorce rate in the country is =0:! Additionally, the in@country mi#ration was at its stron#est in
Finnish history in the ,&&0s, resultin# in the fact that inter@#enerational support networks are not in
place on the southern belt where two thirds of the population and most families with children live!
Finland is also the most rapidly a#in# nation in /urope! 7Statistics Finland, 20,08
"hese phenomena show in school and challen#e the capacities of the school as well as the school@
parent cooperation! "he teachers and other faculties are challen#ed by the need for carin# for the
whole child, not )ust impartin# skills defined by the curriculum and learnin# concept! In our society
both children(s and adults( wellbein# is a social sustainability issue that has to be acknowled#ed
and taken seriously in order for us to stay the #ood country we have built after +orld +ar II!
Leadership in schools and society
At the school level where school based decision makin# and mana#ement prevails, educatin#
teachers is not the sufficient means to maintain and improve the quality of the schools! *n one hand
the teachers must not be left alone without support from the administration, on the other hand there
should be systems in place where the teachers( full capacities are en#a#ed in the runnin# of the
school! School needs stron# leadership and mana#erial capacity, run by a well educated leader with
manysided skills, who is able to support and facilitate the teachers( peda#o#ical teachin# and
leadership skills and to build collaborative leadership with the teachers and also the students! In the
school that transforms the future, neither the teachers nor the other staffs must be left alone without
the support of stron# school leadership! "hey are essential transformers of the school entity, thus
constantly modelin# the students a livin# e;ample of the enablin# force of everyone(s participation
in school! At its best the school is a practisin# arena of a democratic civil society! As re#ards
qualifications, educational leadership qualifications should be brou#ht in par with the sub)ect
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teacher qualifications! 0oth pre@entry education and education while initiatin# the position, as well
as further education should be a requirement and provided for!
+e also need to address the question, K+hose leadership is importantGL In a systemic ali#nment for
education reform and sustainable results, the answer is that everyone(s leadership mattersC that of
the policy maker(s, the education provider(s, the principal(s on the whole school and community
level and the teacher(s in the classroom, school, community and the citien(s level, and the citien(s
leadership at the community level!
As for en#a#in# the students into leadership on the classroom, school and community level in terms
of #ivin# credit to their capacities as an additional resource to the school, it is hi#h time we ask ,
why it is hard for school to see students( capacities as a resource, as an input to the school
or#aniation(s learnin#G <uttin# the students off in an interconnected society where data,
information and knowled#e is accessible on an ever increasin# scale, to ima#ine that leadership
throu#h knowled#e and capacity could sustain in the hands of the few, is an indefensible claim!
Another challen#e is for our schools to #row into network leadership between various educators,
or#aniations and stakeholders, into leadin# and learnin# from both peers and differin# capacities
and resources!
!edefinition of teaching" teachership" school and leadership
Answerin# the above questions leads one to ask for a redefinition of teachin#, teachership and
school! 'eaching must develop towards the facilitation of learnin# and acknowled#in# students(
skills as a resource to teachership! 'eachership should be developed towards the peda#o#ical
leadership of the classroom and the school, towards vision and mission buildin# and the internal
development of the learnin# community, and towards continuous updatin# of one(s skills to be a
learner model for the youn#!
School as a learnin# environment has thin walls, penetrated by all other competitors in the delivery
business of information, data, knowled#e, e;periences and entertainment, and it needs to redefine
its standpoint as defender of a di#nified human life and what that needs to be built upon! School
must speak up for values and ethics, equal human and civil ri#hts, sound personal and capacity
#rowth, the eternal basis of a #ood human life!
Leadership needs a redefinition as well! In standin# up a#ainst disruptive elements to the #rowth to
humanity and 0ildun#, the core of leadership is ethical leadership! /very educator must make the
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choice, whether to reproduce the current model of society *3 transform the future! <han#e can
only be#in with the individual, with me. 7Juusilehto@Awale, 20,,8
3edefined leadership leads the individuals to learn as an or#aniation, to build the vision and
mission, to commit to them and build inner@or#aniational capacity for transformin# the future!
"o sum up, school as the concept it is now will not be viable if we continue to keep it as a factory@
like effort with tools derivin# from the scientific mana#ement theory of mana#ement, applicable to
machines but not so conducive with people! School as a learnin# environment is seriously
challen#ed by new technolo#ies enablin# access to information, data, knowled#e, e;periences,
entertainment and networkin# throu#h which new knowled#e, understandin# and social
environments are created!
!edefinition of the o#,ective of education
It is hi#h time we returned to redefine the ob)ective of education! In the current learnin#
environments referred to above, as educators we have the duty to raise the question, K'ow
dama#in# will it be for the society if it allows its schools to han# on to mostly co#nitive learnin#
outcomes and ne#lect the emotional, social, spiritual, artistic, physical talents and factors that
constitute a holistic human bein# as a part of the human communityGL
"he answer to the above question isC "oday the ob)ective of education is to educate the whole
person, in order for him>her to implement sustainability, and to understand its order! Prioritiin#
human, social, cultural, ecolo#ical and biolo#ical sustainability ensures economic sustainability and
the viability of our interconnected world! "his order calls for placin# the learner and learnin# at
lar#e to the focus of the education effort, to be implemented in a systemic ali#nment that cuts
throu#h all layers of our societies!
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-IS" *F 3/F/3/9</S
Cald1ell" B-2-3 Spin(s" 2-M- 450086- !aising the Sta(es- 7*on89e1 :or() !outledge-
Cour#age" :-3 'odd" +- 4500;6- Convergence of civilizations- & 'ransformation of Muslim
Societies &round the <orld- 9e1 :or() Colum#ia .niversity %ress-
arvey" =- 4500;6- & Brief istory of 9eoli#eralism- 7*ford) 7*ford .niversity %ress-
>uusilehto?&1ale 450116- !esponsi#le Leadership 1ith an +thic of Care and Caring- &
presentation at 50
th
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2evelopment Foundation8 in 'anoi, Dietnam!
EHller, 5! I 'ernande, F! 720,08! *n the #eo#raphy of accountabilityC <omparative analysis of
teachers( e;periences across seven /uropean countries! 2ournal of +ducational
Change ,,, $0F@$22!
9ational <ore <urriculum for 0asic /ducation 7,&&4, 20048! 'elsinkiC 9ational 0oard of /ducation
790/8!
9oddin#s, 9! 7200=8! 'he Challenge to Care! &n &lternative &pproach to +ducation- 2nd ed! 9ew
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economic competitiveness( 2ournal of +ducational Change, F748, 2=&@21F!
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Scandinavian 2ournal of +ducational !esearch" Dol! 4%, 9o! $, 2002, 24F@2%$!
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9o! 2, Earch 200&, ,%$P,F1!
Statistics Finland! 720,08! httpC>>www!stat!fi!
"eacher education curriculum! ?niversity of 5yv6skyl6! 720,,8!
httpsC>>www!)yu!fi>edu>laitokset>okl>en>curriculum>curriculum:20pdf>view
D6li)6rvi, 5! 720,,8! +hat PISA 200& tells us! -ecture at the Institute of /ducational -eadership,
?niversity of 5yv6skyl6!
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