Apply knowledge to life
First of all, Finland's education policy coincides with the focus of PISA test. The difference between PISA and other international tests that evaluate students' ability in the traditional way is that it attaches importance to students' ability to apply knowledge to life. The test is not about what students have learned, but what students can do with what they have learned.
In PISA reading test, students must read different texts, including editorials, plays, research reports and charts, in order to understand, explain and put forward their own thinking and analysis. In mathematics examination, students must think about how to use mathematics to make meaningful analysis. For example, one of the questions is to illustrate the time required for recycling different wastes in nature, and ask students to explain why it is unwise to use histogram to represent these data.
In the scientific test, one of the articles explained the phenomenon of different sunshine hours in different parts of the earth, and then asked students to describe the angle of daily care of the earth and the position of the northern and southern hemispheres when the sunshine hours in Melbourne were the shortest, and explain the reasons. In the test of problem-solving ability, students must find solutions according to logical analysis, such as how to decide when to watch what movie according to friends' schedules and movie schedules.
Each test emphasizes the use of information to solve problems, answer "why", and communicate and state opinions effectively. Finnish education also attaches great importance to this. Texts with various themes can be found in primary school textbooks, from children's picture books to cartoons to literary masterpieces. Class discussion is the key part. It is also a common lesson to collect berries from nature and observe the ecological behavior of various animals and plants in seasonal changes.
Educational opportunities are highly equal.
Another reason for Finland's outstanding performance is that the concept of "equality" has been highly implemented in all aspects. The difference between the strongest and weakest students in Finland is the lowest in all countries; In all countries, the socio-economic status of students' parents has the least influence on Finnish students' performance; The difference between schools is also the smallest in all countries, which may be because there is no so-called elimination or selection system in the education system before students 15 and 16 years old, and all students enjoy equal educational opportunities and dense basic education networks. With a population of less than 5 million, there are more than 3,500 basic education schools.
What is more noteworthy, however, is that Finland's so-called basic education refers not only to a system, but to the practice of educational ideas and thoughts. This philosophy emphasizes that schools belong to all children, and schools must adjust their teaching according to the needs of each child. The School Act also clearly stipulates that all children have the right to seek special educational assistance. The so-called special education is not only for children with serious learning disabilities, but all children can seek special counseling for a certain period of time when they have difficulties in learning subjects. Special education and normal curriculum progress complement each other, effectively helping students with weak ability in specific subjects and improving the overall average score in exams.
Physical and mental health is the most important prerequisite for learning.
The school law also clearly emphasizes the importance of students' physical and mental health to their studies, so all schools will provide students with a full set of nutritious lunches free of charge, and students who live far away will also have free shuttle buses. At the end of each class 15 minutes, no students will stay in the classroom. Even in winter in the north, as long as it is not unbearable cold, teachers will definitely ask students to put on winter clothes and play outside the classroom, because having a rest after class and breathing fresh air can make them healthy.
Since last autumn, the Education Bureau has also encouraged schools to cooperate with off-campus institutions to increase the amount of extracurricular activities in the morning and afternoon. Activities focus on cultivating students' aesthetic experience, sports and interpersonal skills, and emphasize the importance of students' autonomy and relaxation.
Excellent reading ability stems from students' interest.
The excellent reading ability of Finnish students has been revealed before the PISA test. Finnish students aged 65,438+04 have always ranked first in the IEA reading ability assessment of 65,438+09,965,438+0, and also ranked first in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's reading ability assessment of 65,438+09,988 for teenagers aged 65,438+06 to 25, and PISA won the championship twice.
According to the research, this result comes from the cooperation of the whole learning network, including students' reading interest, the favorable environment provided by schools and families, the design of reading strategies and leisure activities, the values, goals and expectations of students themselves, teachers and parents, and so on.
Among all the factors, students' reading motivation and interest are the biggest factors that affect their reading ability. 4 1% of Finnish students think reading is their favorite leisure activity, and if only female students are counted, the proportion is as high as 60%. The newspaper reading rate of Finnish students is the highest in all countries, and the number of books borrowed from libraries is also higher than that of all countries. The density of public libraries in Finland ranks first in the world. For a small town with a population of only 60,000, there are often at least 6 to 7 public libraries in different locations, and there are also mobile library buses running around at specific times to facilitate families in remote areas to borrow books. The density and convenience of library network make the library an important channel for students to acquire knowledge automatically.
A high degree of flexibility in local autonomy
In Finland, the education plan formulated by the central government aims to provide basic principles. Local governments can decide their own teaching principles suitable for local needs, and schools at all levels have great autonomy and can decide their own teaching priorities. In traditional ideas, some people think that the flexibility of local autonomy is too high, and there is no consistent curriculum and teaching materials, which will increase the differences between schools. However, this test analysis shows that in countries with excellent performance, schools have the right to enjoy a high degree of autonomy and a high sense of responsibility, and have the ability to use enough flexibility to adjust the syllabus according to students' backgrounds and local needs. The full flexibility of local autonomy is one of the proud advantages of the Finnish Ministry of Education. The results of this test also show that students in countries with high degree of autonomy in school education system do perform better.
Teachers are respected experts.
In Finland's successful experience, the quality of teachers has been emphasized by the government and scholars. Teachers in all basic schools in Finland have master's degrees, and teachers are a hot occupation in Finland. The average admission rate of colleges and departments specializing in training primary school head teachers in universities is only 65,438+00%, and the students admitted are an excellent group, often versatile and have strong teaching motivation.
These teachers who have received strict academic research training and practical teaching drills are not only of uniform quality, but also given considerable flexibility and autonomy under the education system, and teachers can almost decide the textbooks and textbooks used in the classroom; In other words, the teacher's role is neither the "receiver" of the central dogma, nor just the "imparting" of knowledge, but the role of an "intermediate partner", working with parents and students to create a good learning environment and cultivate students' ability to learn and use knowledge independently. According to the survey, the greatest expectation of Finnish teachers for students is to cultivate students' reading ability and interest, which has indeed successfully affected students' excellent performance.
From the above factors, the reasons for the excellent performance of Finnish students are actually closely linked. Although the analysis of PISA test results alone can not provide consistent standard answers, the observation of the educational system and characteristics of outstanding countries still provides some angles worth thinking about.