GLOBAL EDUCATION AND GLOBAL TEACHER

A. Define Global Education and Global Teacher

B. Discuss UNESCO’s five pillars of Education
1. Learning to Know
2. Learning to Do
3. Learning to live together
4. Learning to BE
5. Learning to transform oneself and society
C. Basic Education and Higher Education of the assigned country
D. Discuss the salient feature of their educational system

SCRIPT IN VIDEO PRESENTATION

A. GLOBAL EDUCATION
Global Education has been best described by two definitions:
1. UNESCO defines global education as a goal to become aware of educational conditions
or lack of it, in developing countries worldwide and aims to educate all people to a
certain world standard.
2. Is a curriculum that is international in scope and prepares today’s youth around the world
to function in one world environment under teachers who are intellectually professionally
and humanistically prepared.
Global education is all about diversity, understanding differences, and teaching different
cultural groups in order to achieve the goals of global education as presented by the United
Nations. It is educating all people in the world from the remote and rugged rural villages in
developing countries to the slum areas of urbanized countries, to the highly influential and
economically stable societies of the world. Global education addresses the world. It responds to
borderless education that defies distance and geographical location.

GLOBAL TEACHER
Looking back at the concept of global education, how do we define now a global teacher?
Is this teacher somebody who teaches abroad? Is this person teaching anywhere in the world?
And can teach 21st-century learning goals? These are some fundamental questions that should be
answered in order to understand who a GLOBAL TEACHER is.

A global teacher is a competent teacher who is armed with enough skills, appropriate
attitude, and universal values to teach students with both time-tested as well as modern
technologies in education in any place in the world. He or she is someone who thinks and acts
both locally and globally with worldwide perspectives, right in the communities where he or she
is situated.

B. FIVE PILLARS OF EDUCATION

1. Learning to Know
“Knowledge, values, and skills for respecting and searching for knowledge and
wisdom”
 Learn to learn. Acquire a taste for learning throughout life.
 Develop critical thinking.
 Acquire tools for understanding the world. Understand sustainability
concepts and issues.
2. Learning to Be
“Knowledge, values, and skills for personal and family well-being”
 See oneself as the main actor in defining positive outcomes for the future.
 Encourage discovery and experimentation.
 Acquire universally shared values.
 Develop one's personality, self-identity, self-knowledge, and self-
fulfillment.
 Be able to act with greater autonomy, judgment, and personal
responsibility

3. Learning to Live together

“Knowledge, values and skills for international, intercultural and community
cooperation and peace”

 Participate and cooperate with others in increasingly pluralistic, multi-

cultural societies.
 Develop an understanding of other people and their histories, traditions,
beliefs, values and cultures.
 Tolerate, respect, welcome, embrace, and even celebrate difference and
diversity in people.
 Respond constructively to the cultural diversity and economic disparity
found around the world.
 Be able to cope with situations of tension, exclusion, conflict, violence,
and terrorism.

4. Learning to DO
 “Knowledge, values and skills for active engagement in productive employment
and recreation”
 Be an actor as well as thinker.
 Understand and act on global and local sustainable development issues.
 Acquire technical and professional training.
 Apply learned knowledge in daily life.
 Be able to act creatively and responsibly in one's environment.

5. Learning to transform oneself and society

“Knowledge, values and skills for transforming attitudes and lifestyles”
 Work toward a gender neutral, non-discriminatory society.
 Develop the ability and will to integrate sustainable lifestyles for ourselves
and others.
 Promote behaviours and practices that minimize our ecological footprint
on the world around us.
 Be respectful of the Earth and life in all its diversity. Act to achieve social
solidarity.
 Promote democracy in a society where peace prevails.

C. BASIC EDUCATION AND HIGHER EDUCATION OF THE ASSIGNED COUNTRY

EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AND CARE

All children under school-age have a subjective right to early childhood education
and care (ECEC). The municipalities are responsible for arranging the ECEC services, for
their quality and supervision. Families can also opt for publicly subsidized private ECEC
settings. The Finnish ECEC is based on an integrated approach to care, education, and
teaching, the so-called “Educare” model. Learning through play is essential.
The main form of ECEC is daycare organized in daycare centers and in family
daycare. The content of ECEC is guided by the National Curriculum Guidelines on
ECEC (2018). Other forms of ECEC services include clubs run by the local parishes and
other non-governmental organizations and the various forms of open early childhood
education activities organized by the municipalities for children and their families.
Participation in ECEC is subject to a fee which depends on family income and the
number of children. Client fees in municipal daycare cover about 14 percent of the total
daycare costs.

BASIC EDUCATION is non-selective

 The objective of basic education is to support pupils’ growth towards humanity and
ethically responsible membership of the society and to provide them with the knowledge
and skills needed in life.

Basic education encompasses nine years and caters for all those between 7 and 16 years.
Schools do not select their students. Every student is allocated a place in a nearby school,
but they can also choose another school with some restrictions.

All school follow a national core curriculum, which includes the objectives and core
contents of different subjects. The education providers, usually the local education
authorities and the schools themselves draw up their own curricula within the framework
of the national core curriculum.

UPPER SECONDARY EDUCATION AND TRAINING

After compulsory basic education school-leavers opt for general or vocational

upper secondary education. Both forms usually take three years and give eligibility for
higher education. Vocational education and training are popular in Finland, more than 40
percent of the relevant age group starts vocational upper secondary studies immediately
after basic education. The biggest fields are technology, communications and transport,
and social services, health and sports.
The selection of students for upper secondary school is based on their grade point
average for the theoretical subjects in the basic education certificate. Entrance and
aptitude tests may also be used, and students may be awarded points for hobbies and
other relevant activities.
Vocational qualifications can be completed in upper secondary VET, apprenticeship
training, or as competence-based qualifications. Most young learners complete their
upper secondary vocational qualifications at vocational institutions. Competence-based
qualifications are usually completed by adults.
D. THE SALIENT FEATURE OF THEIR EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM

10 reasons why Finland has the best education around the world.

1. No Standardized testing. What often happens with standardized testing is that students
learn to cram just to pass a test and teachers will be teaching with the sole purpose of
students passing a test. Learning is then given to zero priority. Finland has no
standardized tests. Their only exception is something called the National Matriculation
exam. Which is a voluntary test for students at the end of an upper-secondary school. All
children throughout Finland are graded on an individualized basis and grading system set
by their teacher.

Tracking overall progress is done by the ministry of education, which samples groups
across different ranges of schools.
2. Responsibility above accountability for teachers. In most education systems, a lot
of blame goes to the teachers and rightfully so sometimes. But in Finland, the bar
is set so high for teachers, that there is often no reason to have rigorous “grading”
system for teachers. According to the director of the Finnish Ministry of
Education Pasi Sahlberg: “There is no word for accountability in Finnish…
Accountability is something that is left when responsibility has been subtracted.”
All Finnish teachers are required to have a masters degree before entering the
profession. Teaching programs are the most rigorous and selective professional
school in entire country, if a teacher is not performing well, it’s the individual
principal’s responsibility to do something about it.
3. Cooperation above competition. While most countries see the educational system
as one big competition the Finnish believe that “real winners do not compete”
Ironically, this ideal has competitively put them ahead in international education
space. Finland educational system doesn’t worry about artificial or arbitrary
merit-based systems. There are no lists of top performing schools or teachers. It’s
not the environment of competition- instead cooperation is the norm.
4. Make the Basic a Priority. Many school systems are so concerned with increasing
test scores and comprehension in Math and science they tend to forget what
constitute a happy, harmonious, and healthy student and learning environment.
Many years ago, the Finnish school system needed some serious reforms. The
program that Finland put together focused on returning back to the basics. It
wasn’t about dominating with excellent mark or upper the ante. Instead, they look
to make the school environment a more equitable place since 1980s, Finnish
educators have focused on making the following basics a priority: 1) Education
should be an instrument to balance out social inequality. 2)All students receive
free school meals. 3) Ease of access to health care. 4) Psychological counselling
5) Individual guidance. Beginning with the individual in a collective environment
of equality is Finland’s way.
5. Students start school at an older age. Again, Finnish focus on changing very
minute details. Students start school when they are seven years old. They are
giving free reign in the developing childhood years to not be chained to
compulsory education. Its simply just a way to let a kid be kid. There are only 9
years of compulsory school that Finnish Children are required to attend.
Everything has the ninth grade or at the age of 16 is optional.
6. Professional Option Outside Traditional College Degree. Many students do not
need to go to college and get a worthless degree of flounder about trying to find
purpose and incur massive debt. Finland solves this dilemma by offering options
that are equally advantageous for the students continuing their education. There is
a lesser focused dichotomy of college-educated versus trade school or working
class. Both can be equally professional and fulfilling for career. In Finland, there
is a upper secondary school which is a three years program that prepare students
for the matriculation test that determines their acceptance into a university. This is
usually based on specialties they’ve acquired during their time in high school.
 Next, there is vocational education, which is a three-years program that trains
students for various careers. They have the option to take the matriculation test if
they want to apply in the university.
7. Wake up later for school. Students in Finland usually start school anywhere from
9:00 – 9:45 am, contrary to most countries where schools starts anywhere from 7
to 8am. Research from library of medicine has shown that early start times are
detrimental to students’ well-bring, health and maturation. Finnish schools start
the day later and usually end by 2:00 – 2:45 am. They have longer class period
and much longer breaks in between. The overall system is not there are ram and
cram information to their students, but to create an environment of holistic
learning.
8. Consistent Instruction from same Teachers. Students in Finland often have the
same teacher for up to six years of their education. During this time, the teacher
can take on the role of a mentor or even a family member. During those years,
mutual trust and bonding are built, so that both parties know and respect each
other. Different needs and learning styles vary on an individual basis. Finnish
teachers can account for this because they have figured out student’s own
idiosyncratic needs. They can chart and care for their progress and help them
reach their goals. There is no passing along to the next teacher because there is
not one.
9. A more relaxed environment. There is a general trend in what Finland is doing
with its schools; less stress, less unneeded regimentation and more caring.
Students usually only have a couple of classes a day. They have several times to
eat their food, enjoy recreational activities and generally just relax. Spread
throughout the day is 15-20 minutes intervals where the kids can get up and
stretch, grab some fresh air and decompress. This type of environment also
needed by the teachers. Teacher rooms are set up all over Finnish schools, where
they can lounge about and relax, prepare for the day, or just simply socialize.
Teachers are people too and need to be functional so they can operate at the best
of their abilities.
10. Less Homework Required. According to the EOCD, students in Finland have the
least amount of outside work and homework than any other student in the world.
They spend only half an hour a night working on stuff from school. Finnish
students also do not have tutors. Yet they are performing cultures that have toxic
school-to-life balance without the unneeded or unnecessary stress. Finnish
students are getting everything they need to get done in school without the added
pressures that come with excelling at a subject. Without having to worry about
grades and busy-work they can focus on the true task at hand- learning and
growing as a human being.
1. Education is viewed positively in Finnish society.
Nearly three in four Finns aged between 25 and 64 have at least an upper secondary
school certificate (a completed matriculation examination or vocational qualification) and
one in three has a higher education degree. To be able to progress to further studies, you
must have completed primary and lower secondary (compulsory) education.

Only approximately one per cent of each age group leave lower secondary education
without a certificate, and more than half of them complete their education in one way or
another at a later stage.

2. Finnish teachers are highly educated and strongly committed to their work.
Teacher education is highly respected and very popular in Finland. Teachers are
required to have a Master's degree, and their initial education includes teaching
practice.

The Finnish education system is based on trust in teachers and teacher education. Since
the quality of teacher education is consistent, teachers have extensive freedom in
developing their own work. This means teachers have the power to decide which teaching
methods and learning materials they want to use, for example. There is no national
evaluation or registration of teachers in Finland.

Class teachers teach pupils from grades 1 to 6 and specialized subject teachers teach in
grades 7 to 9.

3. Only the core curricula are designed for nationwide application. Since only core
curricula apply across the country, this leaves room for local education authorities to
organize teaching in the best way suited to local circumstances. This decentralized
system is based on locally drawn up and implemented curricula, in which pupils'
individual needs are taken into consideration.
A local curriculum structure at school level engages local teaching staff to develop the
education system and gives them wide pedagogical responsibilities in their work as
teachers.

4. Finnish schools place attention on individual support for pupils’ learning and
wellbeing,
and relevant guidelines on support measures are recorded in the national core curriculum.

Schoolwork and teaching arrangements are based on a conception of learning that

highlights the importance of pupils' own activity and their interaction with their teacher,
other pupils and the learning environment. High-quality special needs education and the
principle of early diagnosing guarantee that no one is left behind.

5. Multi-professional cooperation in order to further improve our schools is

conducted at different levels of administration, between schools, as well as between
schools and other actors in society.

In Finland, school authorities cooperate actively with organisations for teachers, students
and principals. Thanks to this cooperation, the development activities have strong and
broad-based support.

6. The assessment and evaluation of learning outcomes at schools is encouraging

and supportive. The assessment and evaluation of learning outcomes at schools is
encouraging and supportive. The Finnish school system does not have a national
testing mechanism, there are no school ranking lists and no inspection systems exist.

The Finnish Education Evaluation Centre (FINEEC) is responsible for evaluating early
childhood education and care, education, and training nationally. The evaluation
activities comprise national learning outcome assessments, thematic and system
evaluations, and evaluations of quality systems, including audits of higher education
institutions. FINEEC also supports providers of early childhood education and care,
education, and training as well as higher education institutions in evaluation and quality
management matters. FINEEC’s evaluations are based on independence, trust, openness,
and interaction.

7. Finland has an efficient library system of very high quality. For the most part,
libraries in Finland provide their services free of charge. Finnish people are among
the most active library users in the world by international standards. Finland’s robust
literacy rate, which is virtually 100 per cent, is one reason why Finnish students
perform so well in different school subjects and at various stages of education.

Special features of the education system - OKM - Ministry of Education and Culture, Finland