Education in Finland

I read an article which was an offshoot of the Nova Scotia Teacher’s Union website, which provided a comparative account of schools in the United States and schools in Finland.  Finland, years ago, found themselves in a similar situation as the United States is in now; poor performing students in the public education system.  Fast forward to present day and Finland ranks as one of the most excellent countries academically in the world.  The article provides an thorough view of the Finnish education system, but there were two components that jumped out at me and relate to some of the course material we have reviewed thus far.

            The article explains that in Finland, equality in the caliber of their schools is a key factor in consistent results across the country.  Essentially, all of the schools in Finland are comparable to one another, whereas in other countries, such as the US, that is not the case.  As we see here in Canada, it is possible to classify two schools in the same city or community, as being a good school or a bad school.  Depending on the track record of the students academically or the social classes of the student population enrolled at the school, this can easily set the tone for how the school is regarded. 

            What the author of the Finnish education article highlights, is that in the US if a school does well financially, the students are liable to perform well, however if a school suffers financially, students are more likely to suffer academically.  This analogy got me thinking about Bourdieu and his concept of cultural capital. 

            If a school has economic capital in its’ possession, it has advantages in a number of different ways, which can easily fuel other forms of capital.  For example, more capital to pay into salaries will attract the best and brightest teachers, with the passion for educating that will produce the greatest results in students.  Additionally, these teachers will bring with them a wide range of teaching experience and knowledge.  The school will also be able to provide students with access to the most up-to-date teaching instruments and technologies, as well as providing students with opportunities such as field trips and hands on activities.  All of these actions and opportunities in a wealthy school will cultivate various forms of cultural capital in the students, thus nurturing and promoting them academically. 

            Unfortunately, these advantages are often times not seen in the less fortunate schools.  More related to the divide betweens schools in the US, can be seen in a previous blog of mine about a documentary related to public schools.

            The other piece of the Finland article which piqued my interest, was a section of the article that explained the question is never about whether or not a child is prepared to begin school, but rather, how can the institution prepare for diversity in its’ student population.  This proactive mentality puts me in mind of Freire’s problem posing education, in that the educators are creating a learning environment that allows students to think critically, producing educational freedoms.  These teaching methods bypass the traditional “banking method” and allow for a more engaging and productive approach to learning.