Finland- Day 4- "Modernity in Antiquity"

"In a world that is constantly changing, there is no one subject or set of subjects that will serve you for the foreseeable future, let alone for the rest of your life. The most important skill to acquire now is learning how to learn."

-John Naisbitt

During our 4th day, we visited a 1st-9th grade comprehensive school with a Montessori school (Pre-School-1st grade) on campus. My main desire, to see the early childhood education program in action, had already been met our previous day. I felt giddy to know that I was going to learn and observe even MORE phenomenal examples of education. It felt like the remaining visits of the trip were the crushed Oreos on the top of an already delicious frozen yogurt.

The 3rd-9th grade portion of the school was housed in a 120 year old building. From the glass case displaying avian examples to the skeleton key locks protecting each classroom entrance, this building exuded a pristine charm and silently echoed the stories of its past. While the physical environment represented the history of the school and education's past, the energy of the current students and teachers was rousingly contemporary.

Upon arrival at the school, we walked up the 80+ steps (I lost count, but each step was numbered as a way to help the younger students practicing their counting abilities, and the last step I saw was in the 80s), to the second floor where the teacher's lounge was located. The principal gave us a brief overview of the school prior to splitting us into groups to observe different classrooms at work. My group would be observing a 6th grade Spanish class, a 5th grade class split into two crafting classes (metal-working and textiles) and the Montessori school, in addition to the traditional 1st and 2nd grade classes.

Our first visit was the 6th grade Spanish classroom. While the traditional setting of students in desks, a document camera displaying information, and textbooks with familiar Spanish phrases were somewhat routine to me, what I learned about the student's background with language was quite impressive. In Finland, students are exposed to 4 different languages in 1st and 2nd grade in a more casual manner. When the students are in 3rd grade they choose one foreign language to formally study. In 4th grade, the students have the option of studying a second foreign language to add to their formal lessons. Once they have reached 6th grade, students have a compulsory course in learning Swedish, since it is one of the official languages of Finland. Then, students have an additional option of picking another foreign language in 8th grade.

My brain began to whir with how many ways that students could benefit from this type of language education! The cognitive development that occurs from learning a new language is a huge benefit. Starting that process early and continuing to add new languages throughout their schooling, allows students' brains to reap the cognitive benefits of foreign language acquisition. Additionally, this foreign language instruction can be a great tool for developing empathy. Learning a new language can be difficult and when you have gone through the process yourself, you can more easily empathize with others trying to speak a language outside of their native tongue. Another key benefit is the fact that speaking multiple languages is a critical skillset when operating as a member of the global community. Not only is learning another language good for our own personal growth and development, it is an imperative tool for participating in the modern workforce.

The vortex of thoughts in my brain hadn't even had a chance to settle as we left the Spanish class and descended to the basement area for our next classroom observations: metal work and textiles. A 5th grade class was split into two groups and we observed the metal working students first. I was blown away by the equipment accessible to the students. The quality of equipment was excellent and the students were utilizing REAL tools, not watered down versions of the materials typically utilized in a metalworking environment. It was both amusing and strangely heart-warming to see a piece of metal that had been stamped with the word "FORTNITE". Seeing it felt like a reminder that our global community is connected, even in the small ways. My repetitive jargon of "This is amazing!" was amplified as we moved towards the textiles section of students who had sketched their initial designs of a mitten and were in the process of knitting the bottom portion of their designs. It was incredible to see how their creative designs were coming to life through the agility of their own hands.

Cue the brain tornado! How incredible that these students have this type of "head, heart, and hands" education to address the student as a whole. Not only are they developing basic skills (that some may regard as antiquated), but their brains are growing with the processes and problem solving skills necessary when designing and creating these tangible products. All of the students take both metal/wood working and textiles classes (these two groups would switch with one another later in the year), beginning in 3rd grade. Making these classes compulsory is a great way to show the value of the creation process, while additionally supporting cognitive and tactile development.

It was thrilling to see the level of engagement, the quality of the product, and the creative process occurring in these classes. Our next classroom observation was very similar to our observations from the Preschool, 1st, and 2nd grade from the previous day, which was so wonderful to see consistency in the two schools. While consistency of quality and overall content was present, they were still distinct in their own intricacies for specific lessons or activities. Watching the students' independence and empowerment being developed at such a young age had an indelible impact on me.

We made our way to the school cafeteria where we partook in another delicious school lunch, enjoyed our coffee, and prepared for an afternoon of information about the basic education system (1st-9th grades). Many of the facts that I learned were intermittently gained through conversation during our classroom observations. However, a few basic facts about the school system are listed below.

Key Facts:

*New National Curriculum (2016)- Shift from "what" to learn to "how" to learn

*Core idea is a person's development as a human being and as a citizen (graphic with details)

*Emphasis on connections between the subjects

*Finnish school inspections ended in the early 1990s

*No national assessments until the 10th grade matriculation

*Yearly assessment given by special education teacher to all students to identify student needs (not for quotas or compliance or comparison)

*Every school has a psychologist and nurse

*Every student studies either religion or ethics (see more information here)

*One year of preparatory instruction for students who have immigrated and need support with the Finnish or Swedish language (students are integrated as soon as possible, even within this first year)

(Summarized by the principal's presentation created by The City of Tampere)

Visiting this school was such a beautiful way to see the way that students are being prepared for a modern world as a human being and citizen. With the values of certain classical skills at play, these students are being equipped for their future and being provided an education with the 6 Cs: creativity, collaboration, communication, critical thinking, character development, and citizenship. What I found to be unique, in the way the Finnish schools are delivering this type of education, is the authenticity with which it is being delivered. This type of education is not achieved through a single lesson, unit, or a feature in a lesson plan to be marked off for inspection. When a curriculum is truly authentic for students, it exudes from their interactions with each other, their teachers, and their ability to engage with the content in a deeper way. That authenticity is why, even in a 120 year old school, I was able to clearly see the future of Finland.