in the classroom consider leaving the profession , the loss of their professional autonomy was the most common response .
While I was in Finland , Finnish educators frequently questioned me on this : “ Are all your students the same ?”, “ Has standardized curriculum brought increased results ? If not , then why do you continue it ?” and so on .
Standardise curriculum removes the teacher ’ s autonomy to interpret and present the curriculum as they see fit for their students .
In researching the Testing 3,2,1 … book I was surprised to find an absence of research supporting standardised curriculum ( I hoped to have something to say in my defence when I was next in Finland ) and I came to the unpleasant realisation that its main purpose is to support the ranking and comparing of students and schools .
A standardised curriculum ignores the fact that each student is an individual , treating them like parts on an assembly line that all need the same things at the same time .
Students quickly wake up to this and play the game of ticking the necessary boxes to get through .
That is , the students who get through , for many decide that the system is not for them , and as it has no flexibility , they opt out as soon as possible .
Perhaps the biggest tragedy is the students who ‘ quiet-quit ’ and do the bare minimum to get through their mandatory school years , never really displaying their full potential , and often not finding their strengths and passions because school doesn ’ t ask them to .
Standardization is not educational rigour ; it is educational rigor-mortis .
As an English teacher , I can remember the frustration of being asked to teach a formula that completely removed any creativity from the writing process .
As someone who had always considered English as a creative subject , I saw students turning away from the strict structures and formulas now required for ‘ successful ’ writing .
My view , that writing is a magical thing that can transport the ideas and feelings of people through space and time , was of no import .
If , as your music teacher , I ignore your love of jazz and insist on only covering country music because I know that is on the test , then I may help you obtain good grades , but you may not want to play the piano again .
Finnish schools focus on providing experiential learning that allows students to enjoy learning while imbibing knowledge rather than focusing on scoring marks .
Ironically , many of the practices that are pushing teachers out of the classroom , are also having the same impact on students , and their removal will create improved outcomes for both .
Teachers and students want to find meaning in their work .
In Finland , all the above are understood and standardized curriculum is considered an old-fashioned relic , as the looks on the faces of those who asked me about it said .
One teacher optimistically asked , “ Yes , but if you were doing your own thing , specifically for the needs of your class , surely it is understood that this is your job ?”
It is hard to explain the extent to which the teacher ’ s professional autonomy here has been eroded .
The Finnish teacher is considered a well-trained professional who interprets the national curriculum as they see fit for their students , creates appropriate activities , and assessments as they see fit .
That is what they have been trained to do , and they are trusted to do it .
There is no curriculum inspection ( or ‘ curriculum co-ordinator ’), and the only national testing is done in small samples for the purposes of judging the suitability of the national curriculum rather than students or teachers .
It is this autonomy and trusts in the profession that attracts the country ’ s best young minds to teaching ( despite the common myth that they are paid more , the difference is very small ).
Only one in every ten applicants gains entry to the limited Finnish teacher education courses .
It may prove difficult to create this sort of autonomy , for it ensures minimal political influence over the education system .
While we have not experienced interference of the type common in the USA where book banning and the like are common , we have seen governments ( and some other groups ) keen to maintain an inequitable , old style of education system where ideals such as teaching critical thinking and equality issues are talked about but often not followed through on the ground .
Creating a more student-centred system removes much of the stress for the teacher as students are intrinsically motivated for ‘ work ’ that they have some ownership of .
The Australian teacher is frequently dealing with the pushback one gets from students who sense they are being forced into a one-size-fits-all mould .
The key to the Finnish system is creating intrinsic motivation .
When I saw 15-year-old students working diligently in a class without a teacher present ( I thought I was waiting outside an empty classroom ), I started to understand what it meant for a system to be described as decades ahead .
They weren ’ t imposing it on students , the students had claimed it as theirs and were doing it because they liked it . The best comparison I can give is of perhaps third-year university students here , who might get on with their studies without their lecturer / tutor being in the room .
The teacher of the above-mentioned class responded to my surprise with ,
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