How did Finland make teaching such an attractive profession

Education is a living, breathing, changing ideal. While in many places education is still extremely subpar, global universal education is rapidly becoming an attainable goal. Is the answer for more countries to just follow the example of nations such as Finland, Canada, and Singapore that hold high test scores? Or, is the answer to design an individual system based on the nation’s societal needs?

Due to recent technological advancements and the expanding globalized world economy, the world is going through dramatic transformations. The global education system has seen an inordinate amount of change in a relatively small amount of time. The United States remains a superpower, leading the world as one of the most scientifically and technologically advanced nations, ranking number three out of 138 countries on the  (Schwab, 2016). The United States has been recognized as a global leader for the better part of a century, but now, with the world’s changing global economy, is there a serious threat to the United States’ seat at the top of this hierarchy?

It appears that the United States is facing stiff competition from countries across the globe. Twenty years ago, China had barely introduced themselves to the concept of motor vehicles, using bikes as their main source of transportation. Likewise, education was not a priority as there were almost no students enrolled in their schools. Now, China is a major industrial power, with a universal expectation of a minimum of nine years of education for its children. In other parts of Asia, the Asian Tigers have risen to prominence, with their booming economies growing completely out of scale with the physical size of their territories. While it is no easy task to be specialized in education anywhere in the world, in Finland, teaching is held in such high esteem that it is one of the two preferred professions, topped only by the medical profession. From an international standpoint, Canada is rather ordinary. They do not receive much acclaim for their achievements, and seemingly do not want any. For the most part, it is a rather average country, in almost every category except for education (Tucker, 2011).

The belief that every child can learn and prosper is deeply ingrained in the mind of many Americans. Students within the United States are given many second chances instead of being judged and tracked at a very young age into different groups based on their academic performance and socio-economic standing. Diversity is embraced and student uniqueness is valued. As a result, America’s system gives every child a chance to succeed. Creating an environment in which individuals can explore their own interests, participate equally, and have more control of their own destiny. Equal education for all is the cornerstone of the American education system. Should this outlook be considered a strength or weakness when evaluating America’s educational system?

According to the PISA report:

Looking across student performance in science, reading, and mathematics literacy, 15-year olds in 11 education systems demonstrated higher average scores in all three subjects than students in the United States: Canada, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hong Kong (China), Japan, Macau (China), New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Singapore, and Slovenia. In addition, 15-year-olds in Massachusetts had higher average scores in all three subjects than 15-year-olds in the United States overall. (Kastberg, Ying Chan, & Murray, 2016, p. 15)

American students continue to turn in sub-par results (OECD, 2016a). In evaluating the 2015 PISA results, the U.S. saw an 11-point drop in average score for math, while remaining relatively flat in reading and science. According to OECD, “In the 2015 PISA assessment, the United States ranked 19th in science, 20th in readings and 31st in mathematics out of 35 OECD countries” (OECD, 2016b). However, average scores from Massachusetts rose above the international average in all three subject areas. This small sample illustrates that while improvement is needed in overall academic scores, as a nation the United States is more than capable of competing on a global level in education.

Viewing the system through international tests scores may only provide half the picture. What may have been considered by some as weaknesses of the American education systems are perhaps its strengths, skills such as creative and independent thinking and innovation of which many countries in the world are working hard to emulate. The United States has much to learn from the examples offered by other nations. Arguably, other nations have a lot to learn from the United States, too.

References

Hallenga, R. (2010). Supercool LED globe displays climate information @ Tokyo Science Museum [Image]. Creative Commons license. Retrieved from 

Kastberg, D., Ying Chan, J., & Murray, G. (2016, December). Performance of U.S. 15-year-old students in science, reading, and mathematics literacy in an international context: First look at PISA 2015. Washington, DC: NCES, IES, U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved from 

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). (2016a). PISA 2-15, PISA results in focus. Retrieved from 

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). (2016b). Country note: Key finding form PISA 2015 for the United States. Retrieved from 

Sahlberg, P. [The Brainwaves Video Anthology]. (2015, May 19). Pasi Sahlberg – the myth of Finnish education [Video file]. Retrieved from

2Schwab, K. (2016). The global competitiveness report 2016-2017. Retrieved from 

Tucker, M. (2011). Surpassing shanghai: An agenda for American education built on the world’s leading systems. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Publishing Group.

WEEKLY OBJECTIVES

Through participation in the following activities, the candidate will:

Examine the education system worldwide and identify how resources and roadblocks affect school systems in different countries.

Finland, Singapore, and Canada

Book Study Chapters

Identify how differing purposes result in different outcomes.

Educational Reform

Book Study Chapters

Examine current issues in international schooling.

Comparison Matrix

REQUIRED STUDIES

The following materials are required studies for this week. Complete these studies at the beginning of the week and save these weekly materials for future use.

The Global Fourth Way (Hargreaves & Shirley, 2012)

Chapter 3: Finland

Chapter 4: Singapore

Chapter 5: Alberta

Chapter 6: Ontario

A World-Class Education (Stewart, 2012)

Chapter 2: Success Stories from Around the World (pages 32-64)

Read the chapter assignments for the book you selected:

Finnish Lessons 2.0 (Sahlberg, 2015)

Chapter 2: The Finnish Paradox

Surpassing Shanghai (Tucker, 2011)

Chapter 2: Finland

Chapter 3: Japan

Read

 (Partanen, 2011) [Web page]

View

 (Study in Finland, 2013) [Video] [Closed captioned]

 (Lamothe, 2014) [Video] [Closed captioned]

 (Sahlberg, 2015) [Video] [Closed captioned]