However, I do think there are some things we can take from Finnish education and culture that it would be possible to implement to some degree. In my last couple of blog posts I would like to give a brief overview of some ideas that I have had, with the hopes that this conversation will continue when I get back to the States.
So here goes:
1. In Finland, at all levels of education, making school an enjoyable place to be is a priority. This is perhaps most clearly evident in the physical spaces of the schools. There are many common seating areas with brightly colored, comfortable furniture and plenty of things to do. I think every school we visited had a ping-pong table, and there was frequently also chess, foosball, and air hockey. Several schools commented that they had been having problems with students getting into trouble between classes, and providing activities cut down greatly on this issue.
As for the classrooms, I think every one I saw had plenty of natural light (okay, natural light in classrooms would not be an easy fix at PSC, but still, would be nice) and was decorated with different types of artwork. I know in the English department we talked a bit about classroom design and what is most effective for teaching, but I think it would also be worthwhile to think about the aesthetics of our classrooms (and other environments in the school). I wonder if things are so brightly colored in Finland since the sun hardly shines in the winter, but our winters can be arduous too. Having classrooms that are pleasant places to be seems like it would be conducive to learning as well as general satisfaction for both students and faculty.
Overall, the schools in Finland encourage congregation between both students and faculty. The free meals for students are definitely part of this as everyone is eating at the same time, but also there are regularly scheduled coffee breaks for faculty every morning. This kind of informal interaction among faculty seems to go a long way in creating a sense of community. At PSC we have anniversary cake the fourth Thursday of every month, and I think it has this same sort of effect, but it might be worthwhile to have college-wide gatherings more often, including some that have employees of the college as well as students (I am only partly mentioning this because I love free snacks--mostly it's for the benefit of the college, I swear).
This brings me to my next point. Besides making school enjoyable through the physical space and extracurricular activities, in Finland....
2. Schools place high value on "non-academic" activities
In the US there seems to be a culture of achievement through working harder. If students struggle in math or English, that means they must be drilled more on math or English, even if that means taking time away from things like music, art, or recess. Finland has very much the opposite approach. Students take academic classes, and they are rigorous, but they also take classes in home economics, textiles, music, etc. Both middle schools we visited had full recording studios. I think giving students a chance to study "non-academic" (but still extremely useful and worthwhile) subjects helps them in myriad ways: first, it gives students a sort of mental break and allows them to think in a different way. This allows them to approach their more traditionally academic subjects with a fresh mindset, which I think is likely a lot more effective than slogging away at the same thing. This also allows students to discover their own interests and abilities. A student who struggles in math might find more success in say, metal shop, which in turn could give them more confidence to revisit math. This student will then avoid the feeling of utter helplessness that I think overwhelms our students at times. A series of small failures leads to negative feelings about school, which in turns snowballs into more failures, and the cycle continues.
Arguably most importantly, this incorporation of different kinds of activities create a sense of play and curiosity at school. Learning is an enjoyable process of discovery rather than a rote exercise of memorizing rules and regurgitating facts. Several years ago I had a student tell me that my class was "just another hoop to jump through", and I suspect many students feel that way: their education is simply a series of unpleasant activities that they must grit their teeth and get through. I want students to see their education as a way to help them to discover their own best selves, and I get much more of a sense of that in Finland (I also wonder if not having to pay for school creates less of a feeling of education as a commodity, but that is a whole different discussion).
As far as how this could be incorporated at Prairie State...I am not quite sure. I would like to interact more with faculty from the vocational fields to get a better idea of what students are doing there and perhaps how our classes could better serve those students. I know there are already many clubs to help students pursue their interests, but perhaps it is possible to also convey the value of non-academic subjects to students' academic development through classes like First Year Experience or even required freshmen courses like English 101. I am not sure how exactly any of this would look, but I would love to bring that sense of learning as something that is exciting and invigorating to my classroom. I'd be interested to get feedback from my colleagues on how/if they think this approach is something that could be useful for our students.
I have one or two more ideas about what I would like to apply from this exchange, but I will discuss them more tomorrow. Kittos for reading.
As for the classrooms, I think every one I saw had plenty of natural light (okay, natural light in classrooms would not be an easy fix at PSC, but still, would be nice) and was decorated with different types of artwork. I know in the English department we talked a bit about classroom design and what is most effective for teaching, but I think it would also be worthwhile to think about the aesthetics of our classrooms (and other environments in the school). I wonder if things are so brightly colored in Finland since the sun hardly shines in the winter, but our winters can be arduous too. Having classrooms that are pleasant places to be seems like it would be conducive to learning as well as general satisfaction for both students and faculty.
Overall, the schools in Finland encourage congregation between both students and faculty. The free meals for students are definitely part of this as everyone is eating at the same time, but also there are regularly scheduled coffee breaks for faculty every morning. This kind of informal interaction among faculty seems to go a long way in creating a sense of community. At PSC we have anniversary cake the fourth Thursday of every month, and I think it has this same sort of effect, but it might be worthwhile to have college-wide gatherings more often, including some that have employees of the college as well as students (I am only partly mentioning this because I love free snacks--mostly it's for the benefit of the college, I swear).
This brings me to my next point. Besides making school enjoyable through the physical space and extracurricular activities, in Finland....
2. Schools place high value on "non-academic" activities
In the US there seems to be a culture of achievement through working harder. If students struggle in math or English, that means they must be drilled more on math or English, even if that means taking time away from things like music, art, or recess. Finland has very much the opposite approach. Students take academic classes, and they are rigorous, but they also take classes in home economics, textiles, music, etc. Both middle schools we visited had full recording studios. I think giving students a chance to study "non-academic" (but still extremely useful and worthwhile) subjects helps them in myriad ways: first, it gives students a sort of mental break and allows them to think in a different way. This allows them to approach their more traditionally academic subjects with a fresh mindset, which I think is likely a lot more effective than slogging away at the same thing. This also allows students to discover their own interests and abilities. A student who struggles in math might find more success in say, metal shop, which in turn could give them more confidence to revisit math. This student will then avoid the feeling of utter helplessness that I think overwhelms our students at times. A series of small failures leads to negative feelings about school, which in turns snowballs into more failures, and the cycle continues.
Arguably most importantly, this incorporation of different kinds of activities create a sense of play and curiosity at school. Learning is an enjoyable process of discovery rather than a rote exercise of memorizing rules and regurgitating facts. Several years ago I had a student tell me that my class was "just another hoop to jump through", and I suspect many students feel that way: their education is simply a series of unpleasant activities that they must grit their teeth and get through. I want students to see their education as a way to help them to discover their own best selves, and I get much more of a sense of that in Finland (I also wonder if not having to pay for school creates less of a feeling of education as a commodity, but that is a whole different discussion).
As far as how this could be incorporated at Prairie State...I am not quite sure. I would like to interact more with faculty from the vocational fields to get a better idea of what students are doing there and perhaps how our classes could better serve those students. I know there are already many clubs to help students pursue their interests, but perhaps it is possible to also convey the value of non-academic subjects to students' academic development through classes like First Year Experience or even required freshmen courses like English 101. I am not sure how exactly any of this would look, but I would love to bring that sense of learning as something that is exciting and invigorating to my classroom. I'd be interested to get feedback from my colleagues on how/if they think this approach is something that could be useful for our students.
I have one or two more ideas about what I would like to apply from this exchange, but I will discuss them more tomorrow. Kittos for reading.
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