Learning from Finland: A book review

A review of Pasi Sahlberg’s (2015) Finnish Lessons 2.0: What can the world learn from educational change in Finland (2nd Edn.)

Commentary on a Finnish Study Tour

This article provides a commentary on the scope of a National Louis University Study Tour to Finland and learning about the history of approaches to curriculum for Finnish comprehensive schools. A brief summary of a new curriculum being phased in between 2016-2019 is provided

In search of the Pikebone Kantele: Finnish lessons in teacher education

Over the course of the 2016-17 academic year, faculty from several colleges of education gathered to read and discuss the ground breaking work of educational reform in Finland as described in Finnish lessons 2.0: What can the world learn from educational change in Finland? (Sahlberg, 2015). Our group was somewhat aware of the story of the “Finnish Dream” but hoped to learn the details concerning this small, Nordic nation’s surprising academic success. The prominent educator, international consultant, and author, Pasi Sahlberg, narrates how Finland’s modest yet united, steady effort toward educational improvement was ultimately regarded as successful, not only in her having met or exceeded national education goals, but in her PISA scores which topped the list of “developed” nations. Subsequently, Finland’s stature amongst the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) nations dramatically rose. It is a compelling story. Sahlberg’s careful rendering of how Finland’s great experiment unfolded makes for interesting reading, especially given the challenges that American teacher educators face today. It led, understandably, to our book study group’s tendency to reflect upon our own goals for teacher education. The book sheds light on how we (with our own range of disciplines, programs, and scholarly interests) might reconsider teacher education in the USA. Our group was well prepared to make reflections and comparisons with expertise in an assorted number of fields represented: language and literacy, early childhood education, educational leadership, instructional technology, educational policy, teacher action research,and teacher preparation. Working together in collaborative study we set about to formulate critical questions, take copious notes, and inquire further about the “Finnish Dream”. To complete our book study, the group’s organizers facilitated a spirited teleconference meeting with the author, wherein we shared observations concerning the similarities and differences between our respective cultures. Coming from critical policy analysis, I wondered about the cultural differences that appear to make Finland a society particularly supportive of teachers. Do teachers indeed collaborate more? Given the problems of standardized testing associated with the United States, and Finland’s choice to abscond from this method of assessment I asked: how then does Finland approach testing? Others were keenly interested in the rights, play, and general happiness of children. Still others were interested in language and literacy teaching; how is it done in Finland and to what effect? Everyone was fascinated by the supposition that the working conditions for teachers were better in Finland than elsewhere. We could only imagine what it was about the politics of Finland that allowed for such a wide ranging and seemingly successful experiment. Pasi provided much insight. Our group left the meeting with Pasi determined to explore Finland’s educational system and eager to learn more. We anticipated a stimulating, educational journey, and we weren’t disappointed! This tour provided the backdrop for the following inquiry question: Given the apparent success of Finnish educational reform, how might we as American teacher educators make meaning of our own practice? Using review and narrative, the following essay is an attempt to provide an answer, not definitively, but meaningfully. Inspired by Sahlberg’s passionate rendering of the “dream” “miracle” and “paradox” of Finnish educational reform, my intent is to go slightly beyond a traditional book review, placing into conversation some tour experiences encountered along the way. Other readings and reports compliment Finnish Lessons 2.0. For example, Learning Context, is, according to leading teacher education professionals, a critical domain and concern for USA teacher education(see AACTE, 2018). It appears to be so in Finland too. The discussions in our book study, observations made during our group’s Finnish educational tour, and supplementary readings, all provide formative information to better understand the learning context of Finland

Bowling Together: On Selected Aspects of Professional Capital in 21st Century Education

Professional Capital, Professional Communication, Civic Participation, and Community are the ideas about teachers as social change agents that have recently come into particular focus in thinking about today’s education. In the first part of this paper these ideas are examined in their broad political, social, cultural, and economic contexts. The second part looks more closely at the important aspects of communication and their implications for education and educators

Koulutus Suomen kuumimpana vientituotteena? : Monitahoinen tapaustutkimus Suomen kansallisen koulutuksen vientipolitiikasta

This doctoral dissertation is a multi-faceted case study producing qualitative insights into Finland s education export policies. Drawing on education, anthropology, and critical intercultural studies, the dissertation is embedded in an interdisciplinary theoretical framework. The major contribution of this research is a critical approach that enhances understanding of Finland s newly emerging education export sector. The dissertation consists of a research summary and three original refereed studies (Schatz, 2015 and Schatz, et al., 2015, and Schatz, 2016). Conceptually and empirically, the research responds to the following research questions: RQ1: What is the context for the emergence of Finnish education export? RQ2: What are the motives and objectives of Finnish education export policies? RQ3: What is the Finnish education export product? RQ4: How do Finnish higher education institutions perceive their role as education exporters? RQ5: What kinds of ideologies underpin Finnish education export policies? The scope of the research concentrates on the Finnish education export context. In focus are two Finnish education export policy documents, published by the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture in 2010 and 2013. The Finnish national education brand and empirical data gathered through questionnaires serve as supporting research data. The applied data analysis methods include Anderson s associative network memory model and Mayring s qualitative content analysis. Research literature on education export in other contexts is used to conceptually grasp the developments in Finland and to highlight differences and similarities between Finland and the international education export sector. Taken together, the findings suggest that Finland s education export ambitions are embedded in international tendencies towards the commodification of education. It is demonstrated that current Finnish education export policies are closely intertwined with public discourses on PISA rankings, Finland s national education brand, and structural changes in the Finnish higher education landscape. The data reveals a large gap between the education export policy goals and their implementation. Based on the findings, several challenges relating to the Finnish education export product and the role of Finnish higher education institutions as education exporters are highlighted. The dissertation problematizes the sustainability of Finland s education export sector and emphasizes the need for a critical debate on education export policy and practice. ________________________________________ Keywords: Education export, Finnish education, education policy dynamics, education branding, commodification of educationTämä väitöskirja on monitahoinen tapaustutkimus, joka tuottaa laadullisia näkemyksiä suomalaisen koulutuksen vientipolitiikasta. Ammentaen koulutuksesta, antropologiasta ja kriittisistä kulttuurienvälisistä tutkimuksista, väitöskirja on sulautettu poikkitieteelliseen teoreettiseen viitekehykseen. Tämän tutkimuksen merkittävä panos on kriittinen lähestymistapa, joka vahvistaa ymmärrystä Suomen nousevaa koulutuksen vientisektoria kohtaan. Väitöskirja koostuu tutkimuksen tiivistelmästä ja kolmesta alkuperäisestä, vertaisarvioidusta tutkimuksesta (Schatz, 2015, Schatz, ym., 2015, ja Schatz, 2016). Käsitteellisesti ja empiirisesti tutkimus vastaa seuraaviin tutkimuskysymyksiin: TK1: Millainen tausta on Suomen koulutuksen viennin synnylle? TK2: Mitkä ovat Suomen koulutuksen vientipolitiikan motiivit ja tavoitteet? TK3: Mikä on Suomen koulutuksen vientituote? TK4: Miten Suomen korkeakoulut käsittävät roolinsa koulutuksen viennissä? TK5: Millaiset ideologiat tukevat suomalaisen koulutuksen vientipolitiikkaa? Tutkimus keskittyy suomalaisen koulutuksen viennin taustoihin. Keskiössä ovat kaksi suomalaisen koulutuksen vientipolitiikka käsittelevää asiakirjaa, jotka Suomen Opetus- ja kulttuuriministeriö on julkaissut vuosina 2010 ja 2013. Suomen kansallisen koulutuksen brändi ja kyselyissä kerätty tieto tukevat tutkimusta. Käytettyjä tiedon analysointimetodeja ovat Andersonin assosiatiivinen muistimalli ja Mayringin laadullinen sisältöanalyysi. Tutkimuskirjallisuutta koulutuksen viennin taustoista käytetään havainnollistamaan kehitystä Suomessa ja korostamaan suomalaisen ja kansainvälisen koulutuksen vientisektorin yhtäläisyyksiä ja eroja. Yhdistettynä tulokset osoittavat, että suomalaisen koulutuksen viennin tavoitteet ovat yhtäläisiä kansainvälisten suuntausten kanssa kohti koulutuksen tuotteistamista. Tulokset osoittavat, että suomalaisen koulutuksen vientipolitiikka on sidoksissa julkiseen keskusteluun PISA-sijoituksista, suomalaisen koulutuksen brändiin ja Suomen korkeakoulutuksen rakennemuutoksiin. Data paljastaa suuren kuilun koulutuksen vientipolitiikan ja sen toimeenpanon välillä. Tulokset korostavat useita haasteita liittyen suomalaisen koulutuksen vientituotteeseen ja suomalaisten korkeakoulujen rooliin koulutuksen viejinä. Väitöskirja kyseenalaistaa suomalaisen koulutuksen vientisektorin kestävyyttä ja korostaa tarvetta kriittiselle keskustelulle koulutuksen vientipolitiikasta ja käytännöistä. ________________________________________ Avainsanoja: Koulutuksen vienti, suomalainen koulutus, koulutuspolitiikan dynamiikka, koulutuksen brändäys, koulutuksen tuotteistamine

Teenagers’ Opinions on Parental Involvement in Compulsory Schools in Iceland

Publisher's version (útgefin grein)Students’ voices in research on parental involvement in schools are rather weak since many studies report only on opinions of parents and school personnel. This paper draws on findings from a study in 14 compulsory schools and uses data from questionnaires from students in 7th to 10th grade (n=1821). The issue, students’ wishes for parents’ participation, is approached from a systemic perspective; Bronfenbrenner´s ecological systems theory, Epstein´s model of familyschool-community partnership, and Pasi Sahlberg´s Nordic point of view are applied. Multiple regression analysis testing revealed that gender, grade, and student confidence in his or her learning ability explained 9.4% of the variance (R2 ) in students’ wishes. School experiences were added in a second model and explained an additional 8.8% of the variance (R2 change). Believing that parents’ support is important for achievement and believing that discipline and peaceful class environment affects achievement were the two variables added in the third model of the regression analysis, and the overall explanation of the model was raised to 27.6% (R 2 ). Implications are that home-school cooperation on a lower-secondary level should focus more on activities related to the academic side of school life. Also, schools should take action in bettering the quality of factors related to students’ school experience since that could result in an increase in students’ interest for parental participation, which in turn contributes positively to academic achievement.Peer Reviewe

Teacher-Student Collaboration on Designing Instructional Multimedia Materials

The goal of this study was to engage students as multimedia designers and technology assistants to create instructional multimedia materials at a non-technology based College of Languages in Taiwan. A case study research design was used in order to examine how a particular discipline-based faculty and its students worked together to create the co-mentoring partnerships. Through the teacher-student collaboration, the faculty’s development of Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPCK) was also explored. The results of the study showed the teacher-student collaboration model provided this faculty with benefits including technology assistance, and the understanding of students’ creativities, interests, and varied needs for learning. The faculty’s participants also pointed out how a successful teacher-student collaboration model requires a good relationship between teacher and students, alongside students’ active participation. The students found the interdisciplinary learning experience beneficial to their learning achievements

Chapter 31 The End of a Golden Era of British Music?

The creative industries, and particularly our UK Music industry, are perceived as healthy, resilient and strong. However, with the ongoing policy changes in secondary and higher education, as well as the continued cuts to council budgets and the ongoing lack of commitment to wealth distribution and even investment in the whole nation, this golden era of the creative industries in the UK may not last. In my latest articles, I explore critical themes relevant for the UK Music industry and the UK creative sector as a whole. Current national policy expressions often omit to address these themes, which are necessary to safeguard our future creative resilience. In writing this article, much relevance will be drawn from making connections to recent public debates on what universities are for and what their role is within the creative economy. Attention is given to considering current governmental industry strategies critically and their relevance for the music industry, together with their sector responses

Introduction

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