Homework has been a long-standing tradition in the education system, with the belief that it helps

reinforce learning and develop important skills such as time management and self-discipline.
However, in recent years, there has been a growing debate on the effectiveness and necessity of
homework, especially in the Finnish education system.

Finnish schools are renowned for their high-quality education and impressive academic results. In
fact, Finland consistently ranks among the top countries in the Programme for International Student
Assessment (PISA) tests. One of the reasons for this success is the Finnish approach to homework.

In Finland, homework is minimal and often non-existent in the early years of education. Students are
not given any homework until they reach secondary school, and even then, it is limited to a
maximum of 30 minutes per night. This is in stark contrast to other countries where students are often
burdened with hours of homework every night.

So why do Finnish schools have such a different approach to homework? One reason is that the
Finnish education system focuses on a holistic approach to learning. Instead of just focusing on
academic success, the system also prioritizes the well-being and happiness of students. This means
that students are not overwhelmed with excessive homework, allowing them to have a healthy
balance between school and personal life.

Another reason is the belief that learning should take place in the classroom, and students should
have free time to pursue other interests and hobbies outside of school. This allows students to
develop their creativity and critical thinking skills, which are essential in today's fast-paced and ever-
changing world.

While the Finnish approach to homework may seem unconventional to some, it has proven to be
effective. Finnish students have consistently shown high levels of academic achievement and well-
being, debunking the belief that homework is necessary for academic success.

For students struggling with the pressure of excessive homework, it may be worth considering
alternative options. One option is to seek help from professional writing services, such as ⇒
StudyHub.vip ⇔, which can provide assistance with assignments and essays. This can help alleviate
the stress and pressure of homework, allowing students to focus on other important aspects of their
education and personal life.

In conclusion, the Finnish education system has shown that less homework does not equate to lower
academic achievement. Instead, it promotes a healthier and more balanced approach to learning,
which has proven to be successful. For students feeling overwhelmed with homework, it may be
beneficial to consider alternative options and prioritize their well-being and happiness.
I think the main difference to some other countries is that most of the students respect the teachers,
and I don't mean respect in a sense that there's strict discipline. But we can't count that as standard
or average because it's empirical. This time we're after your question on universities. Sleek new sauna
restaurants have cropped up around the country in recent years. After all, they are a world leader on
international assessments. You can also demonstrate your ability by realising projects or through oral
presentations. I'm a teacher myself and not trying to disparage my profession, but I'd rather have a
steady stream of top 10 percent student teachers than what we have now. The question gets to the
heart of a lot of parental angst about hard work and too much pressure on children in school. We
have very good technology in this building so pupils don’t have to bring their own technology. They
make up far less than one percent of the total country,only about 0.2% versus the US where on
average, 27% of people are from other cultures than white European decent. Sleek new sauna
restaurants have cropped up around the country in recent years. In 1948, the act on school meals was
enacted, obligating municipalities to provide a free-of-charge lunch in schools on each of the then six
school days. There are countless articles, research studies, and charts that describe what makes
Finland so unique in terms of teaching and learning. This blog post reflects back on and summarizes
the main points of an interesting article from The Atlantic Magazine published back in December of
2011 entitled, What Americans Keep Ignoring About Finland's School Success. But it's worth
mentioning that there is nothing inevitable about Finland's success. AUSTRALIA has been
needlessly grappling for some years now about our falling education standards. One of the major
components of Finland’s new curriculum are transversal competences. Education is respected and
appreciated, and so are the educators. Click on the images below to go to some of my product pages.
What’s most important, Finland suggests, is a well-balanced curriculum taught by proficient
educators in a learning environment that promotes student wellbeing. Each subject promotes
transversal competence skills. Therefore, some schools are quite competitive to get into. There are
lots of smart people trying very hard to tackle these issues. So the validity of these tests was
discussed, as well as whether they should be used in classrooms and elsewhere or not. In other
words, no matter where in Finland children grow up, they have free access to good schools with
skilled teachers, a balanced curriculum, healthy lunches and high-quality learning materials. In the
PISA study, the joint research programme of the OECD member states, the skills of Finnish
schoolchildren have frequently been ranked high. Advertisement Finnish law mandates that for every
45 minutes of instruction, students must get 15 minutes to play. Though students will be more active,
this doesn’t mean that they’ll take over all responsibility for learning. Some Finnish contributors
have raised the point that the infographic portrays things as slightly rosier than they are. Picture:
milanvirijevic Opinion Don't miss out on the headlines from Opinion.
Tatu, now in the fifth grade, enjoys going to school and dreams of becoming an actor. It's a different
philosophy from the system in England, says Mr Tuominen, which he sees as being built around a
check-list of tests, league tables, targets and public accountability. Teachers in Finland are treated
like professors at universities, and they teach fewer hours during the day than US teachers, with
more time devoted to lesson planning. Watch: Finland is the number one country to travel to in 2019
Education College Advertisement Close icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. I've watched this
discussion, and tried to stay involved and guys: even your ire makes me happy, 'cause it means we're
paying attention. Learning groups will be formed so as to ensure the goals set in the curriculum can
be reached. In the reform all state-run and private schools were given to the municipalities to run. It
shows how digitally attuned the teachers are that they insisted on giving their Twitter handles. We
selected our self what we wanted to study and when. We hope that schools will group pupils
varyingly, according to what and how they are learning. Join the conversation - find us on Facebook
Do you want to get involved with our coverage. Why Sean wrote this article: We asked readers to
send BBC Education correspondent Sean Coughlan their questions on schools. And while teachers
in the US make less money than many other countries, the OECD found that they work the longest
hours of all. In the 1921 act on compulsory education, the objective was for all children to learn the
primary school syllabus. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a
certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. AUSTRALIA has been needlessly
grappling for some years now about our falling education standards. However, if students are not
accepted to their top choice, there is no need to fret. For many of these grade levels, students have a
classroom teacher who teaches multiple subjects. Kids with special needs can choose their own
spaces and all our teachers plan their lessons together.”. Teaching is a difficult grad program to gain
entry into, rather than a grad program from which only 10% of students gain positions. Instead the
essential factor is the information that children and young people will need in the future,” says Pasi
Sahlberg. One problem has previously been that pupils have not always known why they were given
a certain grade. Didn't help squat like all other anti - bullying crap I've seen so far. I was taught at
home that you had to finish all food on your plate.”. Finnish teachers all have masters degrees and
there are no private schools. One big difference between Finland and other countries is that here the
teachers, schools and local authorities can by and large decide themselves what should be taught and
how,” says Pasi Sahlberg. Even if the Finns don't need it, research suggests it makes a positive
difference. But I can share more about my classroom observations via my website. And in the case of
Finland, Mr Tuominen says the Finnish school system is inseparable from the culture which it serves.
Tatu comes directly from school to meet us, from a class-organised travel fair.
If you are reading this page on the BBC News app, you will need to visit the mobile version of the
BBC website to submit your question. One problem has previously been that pupils have not always
known why they were given a certain grade. To support teachers there will be people like digital
tutors, for instance,” explains Anneli Rautiainen. As you can see, there are no “dead ends.” After 9th
grade, students gets to choose their path. OECD In Finland, teaching is one of the most revered
professions with a relatively high barrier to entry. Deutsch English (Australia) English (Canada)
English (India) English (United Kingdom) English (United States) Espanol (Argentina) Espanol
(Espana) Espanol (Latinoamerica) Francais. We are open to trying all kinds of games and devices.”.
Another set of OECD global rankings last year put Finland in sixth place for maths and science.
Learning Specialist and Teacher Materials - Good Sensory Learning. They make up far less than one
percent of the total country,only about 0.2% versus the US where on average, 27% of people are
from other cultures than white European decent. Parents trust schools to make the right decisions
and to deliver a good education within the school day - and schools put trust in the quality of their
teachers. Pound fall: 'Should I get my dollars now or should I wait?' Does fracking affect the water
supply. The needs of the latter group often remain unaddressed in the classroom because behaviors
such as tapping a pencil, fidgeting, leaning back in chairs and asking for repeated bathroom and
water breaks can be annoying to the teacher as well as peers. Pedagogical practices will change so
that children no longer need to sit down quietly in one place, but can instead choose where and how
they study. These Finnish projects are using AI to solve pressing problems right now. This coincided
with Jarmo’s son Jari Vesala starting school. While there, I will research best practices for project-
based learning: interdisciplinary teaching, student-led instruction, cooperative learning, strategic use
of technology, and the development of global competencies. Some pupils may like to talk while they
are learning, while others will want to be quiet,” says Anneli Rautiainen. By continuing we’ll assume
you’re on board with our cookie policy. Even then however, the statistics which can be verified
speak for themselves: to have 93% of high school students getting a diploma is an incredible
attainment, regardless of whether their income is higher or their -culture is more mono-. On the
contrary, it will be more important than ever for teachers to be close to their pupils,” Anneli
Rautiainen says. But when it comes to the international Pisa tests, Finland is in sixth place and the
UK is 23rd in reading; and Finland is 12th and the UK is 26th in maths. Students can expect to
receive advanced training in a variety of fields from healthcare to video production. This time we're
after your question on universities. Tests are part of learning, but not the heart of it. It's hard to care
about school when you only have 1 garunteed meal a day. New schools have already been built free
of corridors. In fact it was quite the opposite situation that was the genesis for the renaissance of
Finnish education in the middle of last century. The days get longer and the amount of homework
progresses as you get older. But we're not looking at the vehicle for all of those things.
Outside of the standard white Finnish or Swede type, there are less than 54,000 Russians, a hand-
full of Sami(less than 4000, and all of them live in 3 towns or on the outskirts of those towns), about
8000 Somali immigrants and then there are a few immigrants from Muslim countries and other parts
of Europe. A general high school education might not be the calling or best fit for some students.
Voting habits, parent involvement, making a fuss - it's all key. Education is respected and
appreciated, and so are the educators. Therefore, some schools are quite competitive to get into. And
honestly, what he's suggesting goes along with some of what I learned in sociology and my
education class. Watch: Finland is the number one country to travel to in 2019 Education College
Advertisement Close icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. One problem has previously been that
pupils have not always known why they were given a certain grade. With saunas; summer cottages;
“baby boxes” full of supplies for new parents; and Everyman’s Right, which gives everyone
permission to roam the forests and countryside; Finland is a nation where people know how to live
well by living simply. This time we're after your question on universities. Why Do Finnish Schools
Finish First? 10 Ways to Improve US Education. Sleek new sauna restaurants have cropped up
around the country in recent years. The greatest challenge is the change in their role. In future there
will not necessarily be any enclosed classrooms. Learning will happen everywhere,” explains
Rautiainen. They are seen as a kind of blood pressure check, enabling us to occasionally consider
which way we are heading, but they are not a permanent focus. This time we're after your question
on universities. A 2014 study of 15-year-olds around the world by the OECD said that on average,
Finnish students spend 2.8 hours a week on homework. We have very good technology in this
building so pupils don’t have to bring their own technology. Also, without it being considered an
esteemed profession, schools aren't willing to spend money on the few top students that do want to
be teachers. In Oregon, teachers are required to have master degrees, and yet Oregon's education
system is in complete disarray. Picture: milanvirijevic Opinion Don't miss out on the headlines from
Opinion. You just don't get the hat or the matriculation diploma (ylioppilastodistus) but you do get
the regular diploma (lukion paattotodistus) and you're free to go. And in England, this year's Budget
in fact promised extra funding for extended days in secondary schools. They tried assimilating
different ethnic groups into one mainstream culture in the early 1900s here in the US, and that didn't
fly. Again I'm not saying cultural differences don't matter. But there's is so much more to tackle
before working on that problem or focusing many resources on. There are many bird course available
even when they are designated as university pre-requisites. Some pupils may like to talk while they
are learning, while others will want to be quiet,” says Anneli Rautiainen. There is another big
question raised by this balancing act between quantity and quality. Geometry: find the height of a
tree, your house, and a very tall areal antenna using distance from the object and a plumb-bob
protractor.
When they are actively involved in such discussions their motivation will grow,” explains Anneli
Rautiainen. Outside of the standard white Finnish or Swede type, there are less than 54,000
Russians, a hand-full of Sami(less than 4000, and all of them live in 3 towns or on the outskirts of
those towns), about 8000 Somali immigrants and then there are a few immigrants from Muslim
countries and other parts of Europe. Not only does this large quantity of homework fail to
significantly advance students’ academic skill, it is also detrimental to their sleep, mental, and social
health. Parents facing all those kitchen table arguments over homework might wonder about its value
if the Finns are getting on just fine without burning the midnight oil. Finland - not a metric that
demography has an effect on. In some classrooms, students are allowed to complete assignments in
the hall or in flexible seating options. Should you hide this diagnosis to protect them from labels and
misunderstandings, or should you tell them. Though students will be more active, this doesn’t mean
that they’ll take over all responsibility for learning. Another set of OECD global rankings last year
put Finland in sixth place for maths and science. Tatu comes directly from school to meet us, from a
class-organised travel fair. One of the major components of Finland’s new curriculum are transversal
competences. But, in Singapore, the school day starts at 6am and goes on until evening, and parents
spend a fortune on tutoring because it is so competitive. I'm a teacher myself and not trying to
disparage my profession, but I'd rather have a steady stream of top 10 percent student teachers than
what we have now. Under the new curriculum teachers will become enablers who no longer spoon-
feed facts to their students, but instead help them to learn and understand. Most students graduate at
the age of 19 since they begin school a year later in Finland compared to the U.S. While most
schools in Finland are public institutions, some have programs or reputations that appeal to students
with certain interests. If you would like to try a free sampling of my activities, CLICK HERE.
Students can expect to receive advanced training in a variety of fields from healthcare to video
production. A few have already become classics and local landmarks. Pound fall: 'Should I get my
dollars now or should I wait?' Does fracking affect the water supply. But instead of nodding
approvingly, my mother-in-law’s eyebrows rose. But by no means do I consider the solutions that
have worked for Finland a prescriptive measure for fixing it. Wellbeing data from around the world
highlights that the two main threats to student wellbeing and the ability to learn are anxiety and
bullying. Teaching will be “phenomenon-based”, meaning that teachers will work “experimentally”
with schoolchildren outside the conventional school setting. Why Do Finnish Schools Finish First?
10 Ways to Improve US Education. But when it comes to the international Pisa tests, Finland is in
sixth place and the UK is 23rd in reading; and Finland is 12th and the UK is 26th in maths. There are
countless articles, research studies, and charts that describe what makes Finland so unique in terms of
teaching and learning. Join the conversation - find us on Facebook Do you want to get involved with
our coverage. We do not allow text posts, and prefer you not post your own content. I think that the
most improvement I've seen in myself can be directly attributed to teaching in the classroom. Maybe
it would be helpful to try and tailor education to a more specific child based on specific culturally
dimensions.
If you are reading this page on the BBC News app, you will need to visit the mobile version of the
BBC website to submit your question. Teachers will no longer be information providers, and pupils
will no longer be passive listeners. There are a number of aspects to the Finnish education system we
could implement immediately. Research supports this philosophy, too: “In the short and long term,
play benefits cognitive, social, emotional and physical development,” according to an American
research summary entitled The Power of Play. Teaching will be “phenomenon-based”, meaning that
teachers will work “experimentally” with schoolchildren outside the conventional school setting. The
career path of his son Jarmo Vesala, 66, has been similar: he just retired from his job as a service
station entrepreneur. Deutsch English (Australia) English (Canada) English (India) English (United
Kingdom) English (United States) Espanol (Argentina) Espanol (Espana) Espanol (Latinoamerica)
Francais. Educating your child with dyslexia about the common signs and misconceptions can help
them to: understand that they learn in a different way than other kids that don’t have dyslexia. There
is another big question raised by this balancing act between quantity and quality. One problem has
previously been that pupils have not always known why they were given a certain grade. You never
had to learn about the issues that others face, the challenges, the differences in growing up and
perception, and the real differences that might cause in the classroom. There are lots of smart people
trying very hard to tackle these issues. Instead, let's compare the US to a homogeneous country of 5
million middle to upper middle class white people whose largest minority group is Swedes. Watch:
Finland is the number one country to travel to in 2019 Education College Advertisement Close icon
Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. They are seen as a kind of blood pressure check, enabling us to
occasionally consider which way we are heading, but they are not a permanent focus. All the
elements and atoms are turned into characters and the kids know all the elements because they play
the game.”. English, Spanish, Russian, doesn't matter what language the test is given they under
preform. Many of these students are kinesthetic learners and having to sit still and listen can be
virtually impossible. I didn’t want to be a party pooper by recalling my own school days of prefabs,
uniforms, packed lunches and by-rote learning. When programs are hurting most, funding is usually
diminished. I might not be able to detail every single school visit these past four months in one blog
post. But guess what that is why we don't use a single test as a data point on a student. It's built on
the foundations of reforms introduced in the 1970s and 1980s, which turned an ordinary school
system into a world leader. Why not send us a question you'd like Sean to investigate. In other
words, no matter where in Finland children grow up, they have free access to good schools with
skilled teachers, a balanced curriculum, healthy lunches and high-quality learning materials. There is
a risk that students capable of high grades will only aim for low grades, so they can have an easy
time. But it's worth mentioning that there is nothing inevitable about Finland's success. Specifically,
most first- and second-graders in Finland, on average, only have about three hours of classroom
instruction every day, interspersed with short recesses. The goal is to give youngsters a broadly-
based education, and not to make them learn single subjects well,” says the Finnish educational
expert Pasi Sahlberg, who is currently a visiting professor at Harvard Graduate School of Education.
The system is built to prevent elite schools from forming. (Secondary education schools can pick
students so there are elite gymnasiums, but the PISA study only considers primary education.).
What am I going to do with these pages of notes and ideas swirling around in my brain. The BBC is
not responsible for the content of external sites. Though students will be more active, this doesn’t
mean that they’ll take over all responsibility for learning. There are several actions that could trigger
this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. Karen
Magee, the president of the largest teachers union in New York, went so far as to urge parents to
boycott standardized tests recently. They can bring them in but we don’t necessarily use them. A few
have already become classics and local landmarks. Why Sean wrote this article: We asked readers to
send BBC Education correspondent Sean Coughlan their questions on schools. While Finland's
ranking dropped to 12 in the most recent PISA ranking, it's still a lot higher than the US ranking of
36. Educational experts respond to these claims, to explain if there is any truth in them. With saunas;
summer cottages; “baby boxes” full of supplies for new parents; and Everyman’s Right, which gives
everyone permission to roam the forests and countryside; Finland is a nation where people know
how to live well by living simply. The only standarized test that actually does affect your education
(that I can think of) would be your final exams in highschool. Access your favorite topics in a
personalized feed while you're on the go. Please include what you were doing when this page came
up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. English, Spanish, Russian, doesn't
matter what language the test is given they under preform. So, instead of me explaining Finnish
education in general, I will show you what I know based on personal observations. Learning groups
will be formed so as to ensure the goals set in the curriculum can be reached. They will learn 20 times
better on beanbags, depending on what they are doing. All views and information presented herein
are my own and do not represent the views of the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of
State. I honestly don't know how some of them managed to even fill out the admission forms to get
accepted in the first place. Yet they are qualified to teach up to grade 6 (12 year olds) mathematics.
A study for the Department for Education found students who did two to three hours of homework
per night were almost 10 times more likely to achieve five good GCSEs than those who did no
homework So back to the late night arguments over unfinished homework. Students can change
plans and many educational programs “cross” school lines which keeps their options open. In terms
of school results, Finland is consistently at the top of the league tables. Only one in 10 students who
apply to teacher education programs are admitted, according to the Center on International
Education Benchmarkin g (CIEB). You can also demonstrate your ability by realising projects or
through oral presentations. The days get longer and the amount of homework progresses as you get
older. Perhaps one of the problems is poor tracking skills. Finnish spelling is phonetic, so it takes just
a few months to become fully literate. (Finnish children can read by Christmas, as I heard.) Children
from English speaking countries are naturally lagging by the several years it takes to learn its insane
spelling. There are lots of smart people trying very hard to tackle these issues.