First impressions about Finnish education (Group 4)

So, we are in Finland. A group of Brazilian teachers hungry to learn how to learn. Here, we would like to share with you our first impressions about Finnish education. We don’t expect to explain everything with all details, but we suppose to present for you basic reasons to make Finland one of the best places to learn how to learn.

We discussed about Finnish Education during last week. We were looking for how society is connected to the education system structure, the role of the teachers and the students in the learning process and the assessment process.

First, the most important word in Finland seems to be “TRUST”, which is passing through the whole society, in all everyday activities. Since we arrived here, some facts is calling our attention. Believe or not:  when something is lost, the owner might be sure that will recover it. Or more unbelievable than that, we saw many unlocked bikes alone. Also, we could see  coats and bags hanged to a hook in public places, like University and Pubs.

Second, and another astonished thing for Brazilians, the English is just another way to communicate. Here, we found people in different places and occupations talking in English, showing one of the good aspects from Finnish education. It is just a tip about what means good school for All! Here Teacher is a very popular and desirable professional.

Third, the flexibility of the education structure is another good aspect from the Finnish education. There is a national curriculum (considered by Finnish liked a scaffold) but it can be completed with local needs. For example, each school can have particular issues. Moreover, the structure of Education system is very organized and structured.

Fourth, the role of the teacher and student draw our attention too. Different of Brazilian common sense, classes are based on student centered learning. Teacher acts as a coach in this situation. It does not mean that he/she is not important. Actually, teacher is systematically training to improve their skills and to learn new techniques to teach. On the other hand, students have individuals plans of study and they are stimulated to be responsible for their own learning. Teachers trust that students will do their job!

And, to conclude, assessment in Finnish school is the way in which the learning process may arise. It is not more important than the learning process, but a tool to measure the outcomes reached for each student. It makes the learning process very clear for anyone: Teachers and Students. For us, it can be understood as Autonomy.

This it it! Not really… We are just in the beginning of our adventure in Finland. For sure, we’ll have lot of things to tell you. For now, it is possible to say that this nordic country have something really different and all of us are excited with this experience!

Resumo

Chegamos a Finlândia e várias coisas nos surpreendem a cada dia. Um dos princípios mais importantes da cultura é a confiança. Coisas inimagináveis no Brasil acontecem aqui. Um exemplo disso é a possibilidade de simplesmente estacionar uma bicicleta e ao voltar encontrá-la no mesmo lugar. Essa confiança também se reflete na educação. Aqui o centro da aprendizagem é o aluno e o professor acompanha e auxilia no processo de aprendizagem. Os professores recebem treinamento sistemático e precisam concluir o mestrado para atuar em todos os níveis da educação. A flexibilidade curricular é uma característica do sistema educacional, permitindo aos próprios alunos possam individualizar seu aprendizado. Isso é só o começo, ainda há muito a aprender e a compartilhar. Nossa jornada está apenas começando. Por hora, podemos dizer que neste país existe alguma coisa realmente diferente e todos nós estamos muito entusiasmados com esta experiência.