“After some three decades of teaching, it came as an immense shock to visit Finland and find that I could not give reason to most of the practices my country were using. Questions such as:
“Why are you using standardized testing? Is it creating improvement and if not, why do you continue with it?
“Are all your students the same? Then why would you teach them the same things at the same time?
“As the teacher you are responsible for the wellbeing of your students, why do you expose them to high stakes testing which can do great harm?
“In Finnish schools (I was there again escorting a group of educators just a month ago) I witness calm, happy students, not just engaged but inspired at school. Teachers meet our group of international educators at the door, show us around the school while speaking frankly about the challenges they face (a drop in the results for male students, electronic devices etc) before returning to their class where we find students who have continued working (unsupervised- one Finnish teacher commented, “So do your students stop working as soon as you are not looking over their shoulder?”).”
You may ask, ‘Why Finland?’
“It has been a world leader in education for decades – Estonia, which topped the latest PISA results have created a system based on the Finnish model.
“Finland’s students report lower anxiety about school, and teaching is one of the most desired careers for young people, right up there with medicine and law. Currently, only one in six applicants gain entry to teacher education courses. Teaching is a highly respected profession with great professional autonomy, and trust in the professional judgement of the teacher.
“The ‘secrets’ of their education success revolve around creating a love of learning ahead of anything else, secure in the knowledge that this will lead to whatever grades or outcomes the student desires. See below for details of how a school can collaborate with a Finnish teaching university and have support from the world’s best.
“I wrote the book Testing, 3,2,1 What Australian Education Can Learn from Finland in the hope that we could awaken from the slumber that had overcome our system (one Finnish teacher who taught in Australia estimated the difference to be 30-40 years!) could be addressed. At the time (2020), while reviews were excellent, a common response was ‘What education crisis?” At least I no longer hear that.”
How did we get to this point?
“Space precludes a full explanation, but I will quote from a recently retired friend, Chris Gold, former Catholic Secondary Principal, who just recently wrote to me:
‘I see good leaders kowtow to authorities to get ahead. It’s cringeworthy… to hear of the increased oversight and direction to dumbing down and further crowding of curriculum.
It’s fear of the system, the system fears reduced funding, and the government look for scapegoats. My last posted response talks of the self-adulation by self-professed experts and masters of terminology. Until we get back to what you talk about- trust and perfecting the craft of teaching and love of learning, we will continue on the slippery slide. ACARA and AITSL are the two worst inventions that could have been outstanding with the right direction. But it’s all about politicians funding ROIs and KPIs and not kids.’
“I hold Chris in high regard. Overcoming cancer has reinforced his determination to bring about positive change in the education system. According to him, the educational landscape in Australia is influenced more by funding concerns and the pursuit of career advancement than by the best interests of students and teachers. Leaders, he emphasizes, often find their professional growth hindered if they do not conform to established practices in the country. This, he believes, is at the core of the challenges we face in education.
“Practically all our methodologies are crafted to facilitate the ranking and comparison of students and schools, catering to the convenience of administrators and politicians within a system that supposedly thrives on these competitive dynamics to achieve success. In this setup, students and teachers are essentially reduced to mere contributors of data necessary to propel this ranking system. I once inquired of a school leader why every student had to study the exact same novels and other content in English classes, with a dozen classes at the same year level in this school. The response was that it ensured the equitable distribution of awards. Consequently, around 250 students are obligated to engage with identical content to guarantee that the three or four recipients of awards are selected ‘fairly.’ I was told this without a hint of irony.
“As the ‘teacher shortage’ continues to worsen, there are changes slowly creeping in: schools taking a break every 45 minutes; four or four and a half day weeks. Nothing particularly different, but small changes which would have been unthinkable a decade ago. The federal government announcement on bringing equity to school funding will go some way to ensuring that funding is not something schools have to apply for. A Finnish school knows its funding is guaranteed, not based on whether they have ‘kowtowed’ (as Chris put it) to authorities.
“I hold a strong belief that we can narrow the divide between our educational system and the world’s leading counterparts. This optimism is grounded in the understanding that schools implementing reforms to enhance both teacher and student autonomy will not only retain their top educators but also attract talented teachers in the future. The practices fostering this transformation will not only bridge the gap but also elevate the status of teaching to a desired and respected profession, characterized by the trust and autonomy synonymous with other esteemed fields.
“I have continued to work in this space. In collaboration with a leading Finnish teaching university, we have been developing programs for Australian schools, which have seen great success thus far, and programs for Australian educators which have seen award winning principals and educators visiting Finland to see what is possible.”
For more information:
Finland education tours (“There’s still so much to learn!”): https://michaellawrence.au/
The Education Review online magazine.
Testing, 3,2,1 What Australian Education Can Learn from Finland (Melbourne Books ,2020)
Michael is also on Linkdin and a regular education voice on Geelong’s Pulse FM on Monday mornings. He has contributed chapters and articles to many books and publications, details at the website. Contact Michael and arrange a talk about what is possible at your school.
Photos supplied, Michael top left. Posted by Jacqui Bennett Life Coach.
HuG 