Recently, whilst searching the internet, I discovered an organisation called CELE (Centre for Effective Learning Environments) an organisation supported by the OECD. CELE was organising a conference in Finland on creative learning.The Finns are justifiably very proud of their international reputation for education, consistently performing at the top of the equally highly regarded PISA tests. I decided to take myself there and see for myself what the future design of Finnish education might be and what lessons I could learn for my own educational thinking.
So what have I learnt from my visit? Firstly, if you have never visited the country I suggest you do, the Finns are a very welcoming race and the country is unlike anywhere I have previously visited with its frozen lakes, snowy forests and the beautiful world heritage site at Raumu.
Educationally what have I learnt? For a start to compare the Finnish system with that of England and Wales is like comparing apples with pears. Why? The Finnish government take a long term view of education and there is a consistent role for the Finnish National Board of Education (FNBE) the majority of whom are ex teachers and university professors working in the field of education or indeed secondments from these sectors. Secondly state education is highly regarded and all children attend their local school. They start at the age of 7 and at 16 choose either to remain in senior high school or to take a vocational route both of which have university as an ultimate destination. The close cooperation, trust and understanding between the Political Elite and the Education Profession is something we in this country can only dream off.
However this post is not about Finnish Education per say but rather the direction a country at the top of the international comparison tables is taking to ensure they prepare their youth for a future world. Unsurprisingly, to those of us who believe that creativity, problem solving, selecting and synthesising knowledge, digital literacy as well as life long learning are key skills and attributes for the twenty first century the Finns want to make their curriculum more creative.They want to know how to develop a more creative curriculum and develop independence in learning whilst maintaining the high standards of literacy and numeracy which have led to world wide acclaim.
A pause for thought here, in ten years time we will have students in school the majority of whom are likely to see the beginning of the 22nd century. We need to create a system for learning that reflects the rapidly changing society these young people will become citizens in. We have to understand globalisation and internationalism, the importance of a digital economy, the place of sustainable leadership and understand the potential for democracy through social networking. For the first time we have the opportunity to break down the social and economic barriers that divide us, to challenge the existing networks that create advantage for a few at the expense of the many. The world has changed now is the time for a new vision in education.
What this conference highlighted for me was that all over the world we agree that creativity in learning is paramount but that nobody really understands how to achieve this goal. Hence we are stuck in the same cycle of chronological progression, chronological testing and these dictating what a learning experience looks like for a young learner. Nobody seems to believe this is right but is there anybody ready to take the first steps. Equally the teaching profession is the same the world over, conservative with a small c, teachers do not like change, instead they prefer to retreat into the security of their subject knowledge rather than bask in the wide open expanses of learning. This and the fact that governments quake at the thought of something they cannot test having high value means we are stuck in a traditional instruct and practice model.
So how does it shape my thinking? Firstly it reinforces for me that the journey we have embarked upon to develop a more dynamic curriculum model is the right one and although at times very uncomfortable it is worth pursuing. Secondly, it is okay to make mistakes. People will argue we are playing with students lives, I would argue that we have no choice if we are to equip them for the challenges the future will thrust upon them and do that today. The Finns know they have to change what they do and how they do it. At some point they have to step into that world and experiment with ideas and strategies to get what they need. When a 15 year old Finnish school boy stood infront of an international audience and proclaimed that he did not need a teacher to fill his head with facts rather help him to make sense of it all, I think I saw a glimpse of our future. Teaching has to move from an instruct pedagogy to a coaching one, teachers have to understand personal development. The curriculum requires less content instead place the focus on skills and attributes to allow students make sense of their world. Learning needs to celebrate diversity instilling an entrepreneurial spirit in our students. To help them make more sense of the world we need less conservatism in the profession and more risk taking, it is time to push the frontier of innovation and listen to those who make us feel a little uncomfortable.
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Excellent article, for which, many thanks. I have read Pasi Sahlberg's book on Finnish Education, but you added some things missing. The proclamation by the 15 year old says much more than many a blog about what is wrong with most education systems, in part because he had enough belief and faith in a better way to be able to proclaim in the first place.
ReplyDeleteI adored maths when young, enabling me to get an Engineering degree that my engineering understanding would not have done alone. But a key asset I have that allowed me to excel in maths is my creative mind - the ability to see things from multiple directions and to link disparate ideas together.
Yet creativity is seen by too many as a slippery, awkward, marginal thing that has more to with the arts than anything else, and precious little to do with teaching as it cannot be easily measured.
This is sad, but in an accountability driven education system, it is almost inevitable.