It’s time for a very long entry with thoughts that have desperately waited to get out of my head for the past 1-2-3 months. I think it’s time. If I had to wait till I could prove all my assumptions and generalizations I’d had to wait forever – and we don’t have forever, we have now...
The two words in the header of this entry have circled in my head every since I took the course called, Religion, Ethics, Culture and Citizenship (Or was that even the name of the course? anyways, those were the topics). After living in Finland for 3 months I cannot say I think about equality and equity less – rather the opposite situation.
Before I tell you why I will take a detour (unfortunately for you, it is not a quick detour) to other aspects of my reflections..
How do we experience equality and equity in the society in general - and what is the situation like in education? What is the connection between the two - are they separated or can they be separated? How do we as teachers bring equality and/or equity in to education - and what difference does it make?
How much does our luggage i.e. upbringing, experiences, etc. have to say in this matter - in how we view equality and how our system of believes is portraied in the way the education system is built up and reproduced?
Ever since the first PISA results were published, and the world discovered the Heaven that is the Finnish Education system, educators around the globe have tried to locate Finland's secret. And what did they come up with? What could they learn from the Finnish education system? – And more importantly, how can other countries’ education systems benefit from Finland’s experiences?
I've heard endless discussions, some more blurry than others, but anyways. One recommendation - probable the one the has echoed the most, is discipline. To go away from the ever so popular "circle pedagogy" and move backwards in time when the teacher was an automatic authority and had more "control" over the pupils.. when the focus was on formal knowledge rather than life-skills, such as social skills and democracy.
Is this the appropriate road to go? Or are there other options? What is they key to Finland’s success in PISA? ..or in the country in general, for that matter.
Two be quite franc I wasn't very fascinated by the Finnish education system before my arrival, I thought to myself: "It can't be so easy, that simple. There has to be more to it!".
And.. indeed there is...
So what do I think about the Finnish education system now?
I've lived in Finland for nearly 3 months and tried to get some perspective on this whole matter. Attending the University of Eastern Finland, observing lessons and activities in different public schools, talking to Finns, observing behavior, expressions..
This blog entry will only deal with a small fraction of my reflections - I would never finish if I were to write about everything - and I would not be able to do it, I don't know nearly enough about the "Finnish culture" to do so - and I never will..
So why did I start off with the words "Equality and Equity"?
First of all, here is one definition:
Equality:
the state or quality of being equal; correspondence in quantity, degree, value, rank, or ability.
Equity:
the quality of being fair or impartial; fairness; impartiality: the equity of Solomon.
I personally think that how we, citizens in a country - in general, define the two words, and how we consciously and unconsciously adapt our definitions to the education system and society in general, has a major influence on how the education system appears and how learning is taking place in the educational facilities.
Now, it is me stereo typing and generalizing more than ever, but anyways, I see it as the only way I can come-up with some real suggestions to Finland’s success (and I don’t mean PISA only. No. Finland has great success in business, science, technology, and living standards as well).
When I first moved to Finland, I was told at a lecture that Finland is one of the countries that takes equality and equity to most seriously. This was told by a foreigner who has been living in Finland for the past 10 years or so – and prior to that he had been living in different countries, such as England, Canada and Russia. He mentioned, amongst other things, the very old tradition of sauna where there is equity between men and women. You can not tell who is poor or rich – and size doesn’t matter!
I wondered if this was in fact true – or just something one tells newly arrived foreigners who don’t know anything about Finland and the Finnish society.
Since then, I have come across many more examples where the equality and equity in Finnish society has proven to be true – at least to some extent. Here are some:
- My experience with the confirmation in a Finnish church a month ago. Boys and girls wore the same clothes and the same jewelery, borrowed (for free) from the church. They did not separate in gender, but were mixed throughout the whole ceremoney (Oh! And there’s no gender in Finnish language).
- Sauna..
- Architecture and way of life: I’ve seen grand, fashionable houses/castles next to small, fragile cottages. Okay. There is obviously an enormous difference, BUT what makes this special, in my opinion, is that these neighbours are friends without any hard feelings between them. Instead they see the good in each other.
- Kindergarten and day care is payed for by the parents according to their income. If you are a family with low income you don’t pay anything! (This is one example of equity – that Finns are not afraid of treating people differently when it is seen as “fair”)
- School – and education in general, from preschool to upper secondary – is free for everyone! This includes school fees, material (including pencils etc.), transport (if you live more than 3-5 km away from the school) and food (a hot meal every day).
- Integration: Coursebooks are differentiated in to two levels, although, the books look the exact same, enabling the teachers to teach the whole class at the same time using “the same” books for everyone. The very well-thought-through coursebooks also enable less competent teachers to do okay in a classroom (let’s face it – not all teachers are equally competent – not even in Finland).
- Special education: Every school has at least one special education teacher, who is specially trained in special education. How the special education works at school differs from one school to another – and from one case to another. It is often a comprimise between the special education teacher, the classroom teacher/subject teacher and the parents. In Finland it is very important to look at the individual students’ situation, so the special education system is not rigid, but they consciously treat people equally WITH equity in mind! Treating people differently means treating them equally.
- Many Finnish students get special education (if I remember correctly it’s around 9 %). The biggest number of students receive special education from 1st-4th grade and after that it decreases drastically to almost disappearing in secondary school (7th-11th grade). Receiving special education is seen as support, not a “label of stupidity”. It is what they need to ensure equity in education – and at the same time, equality as well.
- There are NO national tests in Finland. The first time students are being “tested” is for the matriculation examination (end of upper secondary school) when they attend 4 written exams (2 of their own choice).
- Teachers’ basic salaries are equal throughout the whole country. Additionally to the basic salaries teachers get more depending on their experiences and qualifications. E.g. a special education teacher has a higher salary than a “general teacher”, because it is seen as a tougher job – and therefore payed more! There is – at least to some extent – equity in teachers’ salaries.
- PISA: What was the most interesting with the result was not the top scores Finnish students got, but the homogeneous good results they got! There was not a big difference between the best and the worst achieving students. Some Finns thank the special education system for this.
I could go on and on, but I think this will be enough for me to make my point which is the following:
In the Finnish society there is an old tradition of equality and equity. It is something that goes beyond what I as a foreigner can see on the surface – and way beyond something that can be “implemented” in other countries who want the same success as Finland has. It seems to me (remember, these are my personal predictions from my experiences in Finland, not the “truth”) that Finns don’t worry about how well or bad the neighbour is doing. They find peace within themselves and compete only against themselves. It seems to me that they are mainly driven by intrinsic motivation – can this lead them to success?
Now, I will say something that might sting a little, but I think it is necessary to mention it..
However proud I am of being able to call myself Faroese, I think one of the reasons to why The Faroe Islands (and maybe Denmark as well!?) are lacking so far behind Finland in PISA has to do with the way a "stereo typical Faroe islander" thinks and behaves. Read the following questions and think about what you would answer. I prefer to make my final statement in this way, because I am sure I will offend people if I answer the questions myself.. After all, I am Faroese..
How do you see equality?
And what about equity?
Is it ok to be “different”?
Is it also ok to be “different” if you are more successful than others?
Can you to tell people about your success without anyone judging you for being an arrogant prick?
Do you allow your peers – in school, in work, in life – to rize to their maximum?
Do you allow your peers – in school, in work, in life – to rize to their maximum when it means they will “be better than you”?
Do you ask people for help or for suggestions?
Do you do so in school or at work as well?
When speaking a foreign language, do you dear to try to speak with the target language’s accent?
When speaking a foreign language, do you dear to try to speak with the target language’s accent when you are amongst people from your own country?
When you heard about the PISA results and how well Finland was doing what were your immediate thoughts?
….. you can make more questions up yourself, I think my work is done..
A culture can’t change, people can…
We don’t have forever. We have now.
PS it does not help one bit when students, teachers, parents, politicians, and/or citizens talk down on the education system. We don’t need to state facts or opinions, we need solutions! We want teachers and politicians to be constructive optimists – but what about the rest of the population?
