Dear reader,
I invite you to watch the video where you may read excerpts from Tom Robbin's masterpiece - to my taste - Jitterbug Perfume. Paris is the setting for the video's plot. Later in the text, you'll be taken to a country that is about 2800 kilometers away from Paris/France.
Having watched it, you are ready to be transported to the country that I've mentioned above where:
you can see poetic 'Northern Lights.'
forest paths might be your route to work or school as nature is so ingrained in daily life.
you'll hear a lot about its high-quality education system.
As the title has already suggested, this country is Finland. I chose this particular excerpt because it would serve as a good example to describe the key components of the Finnish basic education system.
Finland introduced a new pre-school & basic education curriculum in 2014 to improve the students' opportunity to experience the joy and meaningfulness of learning and support their active agency and long-term well-being as one of its fundamental purposes (Halinen, 2018).
The values on which education is based serve as a foundation to achieve these purposes. The four value pillars around which basic education in Finland is structured are listed as follows in the National Core Curriculum (2014):
The text will focus on the first three values.
The sui generis nature of the learners - Claude as a learner
Sui generis means unique. In the video, we have witnessed the moment when Claude's sui generis nature is, somehow, intrigued by a real-life astronomical event, the eclipse. It is the moment when he steps into his curiosity. This curiosity leads him to recall relevant memories stored somewhere in his brain and try to find the answers to the unanswered questions. In the end, "what ifs" in the questions give rise to the idea that something new might be created that, in his mind, is a heady perfume. He takes his steps forward to the next-door office with the guidance of a powerful inner compass that gravitates toward the source of information, Marcel.
2. What kind of teaching and learning practices are suitable for learners to connect with their unique nature and promote their growth as educated human beings? - Claude with piqued curiosity in a learning environment
I intend to go through this question under three categories.
Collective Well-being
The 'Janteloven' concept might be a good start to explain this category. What is Janteloven, then? Janteloven or the law of Jante is a social code that emphasizes collective accomplishments and well-being rather than individual achievements. It is a philosophy that applies across Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland (Norman, 2020). The ethos of communal striving explains ' the quality and free education for all' value in Finnish basic education.
Then, I wonder about how it possibly manifests in the educational field in the country. It is well known that collaboration between and within schools is encouraged to provide opportunities for everyone's good. What kind of teaching and learning practices do we see if we take our focus from schools to the classrooms, then? What kind of activities are conducted during the lessons? Do they foster competitiveness or collaboration? The answer to these question comes from Sahlberg (2006, 271) with this sentence: 'In Finland, collective intelligence, shared knowledge, team-based problem-solving, initiating and managing productive teamwork are viewed as key competencies for students in their future working life and life in general.' This mindset is like a soul and core that shows itself in several aspects of life in the country.
Student Autonomy and Agency
I think no one raises an eyebrow at me if I say collective well-being expands and blossoms when the focus is also on the well-being of an individual. On the other hand, it shrinks and withers when the individual well-being is ignored.
The balance of the Janteloven and the sui generis concepts.
The way of how we sense Jantevolen in the educational field is discussed above. What about sui generis nature of the learners? Here is another point that I think no one judges me if I say one of the profound ways to improve individual well-being is to make these unique natures to make them feel seen and heard. It creates a safe zone 'to be' and fosters the sense of belonging. What is one of the ways to make them feel seen and heard so validated in a school environment? Student involvement and participation words might be the hints for us to answer this question. Finnish National Agency of Education (2016, as cited in Tuomarla, 2021) states that the pupils participate in the planning, development, and evaluation of the activities in accordance with their developmental stage. They get experiences of being heard and appreciated as community members. This clarifies the importance of student autonomy and agency in teaching and learning practices at schools.
A More Holistic Understanding of the World Around Us - Phenomenon-Based Learning
The most recent national core curricula for basic education in Finland includes phenomena-based learning. Phenomenon-based learning aims to explore real-life phenomena from different perspectives via different school subjects. This helps pupils to build connections across school subjects and grow a more holistic grasp of the concepts and the world.
Let's try to find an answer to our question in light of the information above:
3. Understanding the Necessity of Living Sustainably - Claude with a possible raised awareness to live sustainably
( The video above is a collage work of neurons connecting and multitalented Turkish singer Yasemin Mori's video clip.)
The Last Words
Jitterburg Perfume is one of my all-time favorite books and the Finnish education system is one of my all-time 'I want to learn more about it' topics. I've intended to combine these to give theoretical information on the latest curriculum in Finland and enhance it with a possible example. Before ending this post, I'd like to mention that:
Finland introduced a new pre-school & basic education curriculum in 2014 and teaching and learning based on the new curricula started in 2016.
The new curriculum is expected to be introduced in 2024.
Thank you,
Ceyda 💗
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