Real-world, skill-based education mandated in Finland by 2020!
Have you heard the news about Finland? As a world-renowned leader in the education system, Finland will be removing the study of traditional school subjects and replacing them with the study of an individual phenomena/event. As a teacher, how would you receive this news?
This change will be introduced to students at the age of 16, with the aim of eliminating the current disengagement of students by allowing them to learn about topics based on their interests and future prospects. After completing their broad studies, students will work together in small discussion groups to learn collaboratively about a topic of interest through the lens of multiple subject areas. For example; when studying World War II, students will explore the topic through the lens of history, geography, mathematics and english. They have even proposed a new course called ‘Working in a cafe’, which will allow students to develop the knowledge, skills, behaviour and dispositions needed to enter the workforce.
Due to commence in 2020, this change will require all teachers to be on board (two words) and adaptable to the new teaching system, in which a whopping 70% of Finnish teachers have already started preparing for.
Do you agree with the change? Why/Why not? Do you believe this teaching style would be beneficial to primary and secondary students, or secondary only? Would you have the confidence to guide students’ cross-curricular learning through an individual phenomena/event?