Post by Moses on Dec 15, 2004 2:07:33 GMT -5
Finland scored at the top in international tests. If we followed their model, children would
* start formal schooling at age 7
* be in the classrooms of teachers who chart their own courses, not operate from mandated standards and curriculum
* not be subjected to standardized testing
Basically, these 15-year-old children who have been involved in PISA, have never experienced any standardized testing.
....Finland rejects the idea of standardized testing, focusing instead on a curriculum that allows teachers to chart their own courses in the classroom. Many teachers hold a master's degree, and pupils start formal schooling at age 7, about two years later than in Canada.
....A comprehensive survey conducted last year in 41 countries and released on Monday by the Paris-based Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development ranked Canadian 15-year-olds third in reading, seventh in math and 11th in science.
....Among the 41 countries, Finland finished first in reading and science and second to Hong Kong in math. Alberta tied with Finland for top spot in reading, beat the European country by five points in math and closely trailed it in science.
Pasi Sahlberg, a former official in the Finnish Education Ministry who joined the World Bank in Washington two years ago as the senior education specialist, attributes Finland's success not to any revolutionary reforms but to a long-term vision of a comprehensive basic school system.
Students write no standardized tests, except for the one conducted by OECD, known as the Program for International Student Assessment, and perhaps sample-based assessments by university researchers.
"Basically, these 15-year-old children who have been involved in PISA, they have never experienced any standardized testing," Dr. Sahlberg said in an interview from Washington yesterday. "This is equally important for teachers, so that they can really focus on learning and teaching rather than preparing students for tests or exams."
...Some officials say Finland's advantage on the OECD tests comes from its relatively homogeneous population. Dr. Sahlberg is cautious about making that link. It may have an impact, but other countries with homogeneous populations don't necessarily do as well in the international tests, he said. [Also, West Virginia is our most homogenous state, and one of the lowest in math scores]
The country provides extra resources to immigrant students, Dr. Sahlberg said. The extra help appears to have benefited students, because a closer look at the 2000 OECD study showed little variation between the test scores of individual schools compared to that in other OECD countries, he said.
"It doesn't matter where you go, you'll always find fairly well-performing and high-quality schools in Finland," he said, adding that students stay at the same school until they reach 16 and then attend either academic secondary schools or vocational schools.
Dr. Sahlberg credits Finland's top marks to the fact that teachers are given the flexibility, and, more important, the respect, to manage their own curriculum under a national framework. Testing restricts potential, he said, adding that teachers in Finland are allowed to be innovative in their classrooms.
Another aspect demonstrating the strength of the Finnish school system is strong leadership, Dr. Sahlberg said. Principals are carefully selected, and in the city of Helsinki, for example, schools seek the help of external consultants to select principals, he said.
"If you have a good coach who knows where to put the players, then it works. I think that's the same idea. A good school principal can use the resources and teachers in the best possible way," said Dr. Sahlberg, a former teacher in Finland.
— Caroline Alphonso and Katherine Harding
Globe and Mail
2004-12-08
www.gloneandmail.ca
* start formal schooling at age 7
* be in the classrooms of teachers who chart their own courses, not operate from mandated standards and curriculum
* not be subjected to standardized testing
Basically, these 15-year-old children who have been involved in PISA, have never experienced any standardized testing.
....Finland rejects the idea of standardized testing, focusing instead on a curriculum that allows teachers to chart their own courses in the classroom. Many teachers hold a master's degree, and pupils start formal schooling at age 7, about two years later than in Canada.
....A comprehensive survey conducted last year in 41 countries and released on Monday by the Paris-based Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development ranked Canadian 15-year-olds third in reading, seventh in math and 11th in science.
....Among the 41 countries, Finland finished first in reading and science and second to Hong Kong in math. Alberta tied with Finland for top spot in reading, beat the European country by five points in math and closely trailed it in science.
Pasi Sahlberg, a former official in the Finnish Education Ministry who joined the World Bank in Washington two years ago as the senior education specialist, attributes Finland's success not to any revolutionary reforms but to a long-term vision of a comprehensive basic school system.
Students write no standardized tests, except for the one conducted by OECD, known as the Program for International Student Assessment, and perhaps sample-based assessments by university researchers.
"Basically, these 15-year-old children who have been involved in PISA, they have never experienced any standardized testing," Dr. Sahlberg said in an interview from Washington yesterday. "This is equally important for teachers, so that they can really focus on learning and teaching rather than preparing students for tests or exams."
...Some officials say Finland's advantage on the OECD tests comes from its relatively homogeneous population. Dr. Sahlberg is cautious about making that link. It may have an impact, but other countries with homogeneous populations don't necessarily do as well in the international tests, he said. [Also, West Virginia is our most homogenous state, and one of the lowest in math scores]
The country provides extra resources to immigrant students, Dr. Sahlberg said. The extra help appears to have benefited students, because a closer look at the 2000 OECD study showed little variation between the test scores of individual schools compared to that in other OECD countries, he said.
"It doesn't matter where you go, you'll always find fairly well-performing and high-quality schools in Finland," he said, adding that students stay at the same school until they reach 16 and then attend either academic secondary schools or vocational schools.
Dr. Sahlberg credits Finland's top marks to the fact that teachers are given the flexibility, and, more important, the respect, to manage their own curriculum under a national framework. Testing restricts potential, he said, adding that teachers in Finland are allowed to be innovative in their classrooms.
Another aspect demonstrating the strength of the Finnish school system is strong leadership, Dr. Sahlberg said. Principals are carefully selected, and in the city of Helsinki, for example, schools seek the help of external consultants to select principals, he said.
"If you have a good coach who knows where to put the players, then it works. I think that's the same idea. A good school principal can use the resources and teachers in the best possible way," said Dr. Sahlberg, a former teacher in Finland.
— Caroline Alphonso and Katherine Harding
Globe and Mail
2004-12-08
www.gloneandmail.ca