Education in Finland

time, expense, and effort to study and record Finland’s methods of

education (as can be seen by Googling “Finland education” and

scanning through the endless studies and reports written by people

from countless countries). Many districts have already started to

mimic parts of the Finnish system (such as Ontario, which is currently

weighing options to transform their current preschool programs into a

Finnish style pre-primary education system). The problem is that what

works in one society does not necessarily work in another. The Finnish

system was designed by and for Finns, and it is unlikely that it can be

copied (piecemeal) and used in other countries with similar results.

You can’t take the clams out of a great chowder and expect them to

taste as good in a chicken broth.

Prediction #3: People and corporations (inside and outside of Finland) will attempt to ca$h in on the success

• Reasoning: When Singapore attained Mathematical success on a number

of international assessments in 2000, there were many

opportunistic (and morally questionable)people and

corporations ready and willing to exploit the country’s

success for personal profit. Many so-called “Singapore Math”

programs are still being advertised and sold throughout the

world, and none of them have been able to deliver the

results achieved by Singaporean students. This is because,

like the Finnish system of education, there are many

complex cultural and societal factors that cannot

be neatly packaged in a program. Still, education is a cash

cow for many, and Finland’s name will likely be plastered on

many questionable programs that copy fragments of a

comprehensive (and culture-specific) approach to

education.

References