industry & reform than to stress that nothing is done because ‘ that ’ s the way it ’ s always been done ’.
Every aspect is there for a reason and is supported by neuroscience and research . The Finnish teacher is a well-trained , trusted professional , given great autonomy to interpret and construct curriculum and assessment as they see fit for their students .
Interference in this area would be seen as a breach of this professional autonomy and unacceptable .
This is one of the reasons why teaching is such a highly respected and popular vocation among young people ( often ranking above law and medicine as a career choice ).
The teacher on graduation swears an oath known as The Comenius Oath ( much like medicine or engineering ), which assures the children ’ s best interests are always first and ethics are the teacher ’ s priority .
There is no one ‘ Finnish method ’, except to say that the teacher is continually reviewing their own practice , and anything less than that which is proving successful , backed by neuroscience and research , is discarded .
The system is constantly evolving . The trainee teacher is encouraged to study best practice and try and improve it ; innovation is always encouraged in the belief that without it there can be no improvement .
Standardization in any form is frowned upon .
FOR AUSTRALIAN SCHOOLS Some things I saw that could easily be applied to Australian schools immediately include :
Finnish schools take a break approximately every 45 minutes . The neuroscience is clear that students will learn more in a 90-minute session with a 15-minute break in the middle than in the same session with no break .
It is particularly powerful if , after the break , you can revisit the skills being taught in the session before the break .
I have used this technique with Year 8 students doing double periods of English ( approx . 100 minutes ) and the improvements in outcomes such as concentration , positive classroom energy and the amount of material covered are considerably improved compared to the 100 minutes without the break .
This goes against our idea that more is always more , but it is easily tested . Finnish educators take it for granted that all teachers do this and were shocked when I told them that it is not done in Australia .
We ran the Teacher Trust program with several schools around Orange in New South Wales .
The schools that made this timetable change reported immediate success with both students and teachers reporting improvements in all areas . One school told me that some pushback they had from a small group of parents was withdrawn within a month when they noticed the difference in their children .
When I used the 15-minute break – ‘ unofficially ’ - in my own school , an unexpected improvement came from the students understanding that they had a break coming up very soon and they would be able to chat with friends , run around and burn off excess energy , have a bathroom break etc , removing the need to relieve any of these needs during the learning part of the session .
The respect for a teacher who recognises that they are not machines is also obvious .
To successfully implement this , we need to stop thinking more is more when it comes to teaching and learning and recognise that more teaching can in fact result in less learning .
Another easily adopted common Finnish practice is keeping the fun in school and learning .
There are numerous neuroscience studies supporting the improved learning outcomes for a brain in a positive state , and the negative outcomes for a stressed brain .
In addition to these premises , the Finnish educator is keen to engender a love of learning , and places this above grades or ‘ results .’
Finnish teachers will spend the first few days of a new school year playing games and having fun to create an environment students want to be in . Once this has been established , then the conditions are right for learning to take place .
I am reminded of this when I read about the increasing rates of school refusal , particularly since COVID .
Once again , it is the understanding of neuroscience at play . Australian students often get the sense that an education is something that schools impose on them .
If it ’ s such a good thing , then why do we have to have so many rules and compliance regulations in place ?
There is no one ‘ Finnish method ’, except to say that the teacher is continually reviewing their own practice .
How many Australian students might not have turned their backs on education if our focus was on the enjoyment of learning rather than on measuring how much has occurred and comparing it to others ?
The limits of the stressed brain are also behind the sparse use of testing ( and almost complete absence of standardized testing ) in Finland .
I have also seen many teachers walk away from an Australian education system that forces them to teach a subject they may be quite passionate about , in a manner that is putting students off the subject rather than encouraging a passion for it .
The Comenius Oath obliges the teacher to recognise and ensure that the individual aptitudes and talents of each student are recognised , as does the curriculum document . These both ensure that standardization is avoided .
If there is a ‘ secret ’ to the Finnish system it is the encouragement of a love of learning , above grades . Intrinsic motivation is the goal . How can we ask for intrinsic motivation when our goal as teachers is as extrinsic as it gets : grades ?
Are we about the measurement of learning or about knowledge itself ? The student or measuring the student ? I lost count of the number of times I was asked why we Australian teachers were so obsessed with grades .
Getting back to my initial point , keeping the enjoyment in learning and school is seen as being as important as grades or results .
The idea is that if the love of learning and the subject is found , the grades will look after themselves and the subject will be with them for life , not just this year as is often the case with the grades . ■
Michael Lawrence is a veteran teacher and author of the book Testing 3,2,1 : What Australian Education Can Learn From Finland . educationreview . com . au | 13