Honestly, I didn’t even think to connect to the “days of education on Habré”, but it just so happened - I came across a freshly written article by Byrd Kivi “Give us young people!” . An article about what actions in the States and in the UK statesmen are taking to increase interest among teenagers in computer technology. The problem is that becoming a specialist is somehow the few who are eager, but someone needs to work in DARPA and similar offices tomorrow. At the end, there is a link to an article in the Wall Street Journal, “What Makes Finnish Kids So Smart?” , Which describes the realities of Finnish schools. As noted by the respected Byrd, in Finland, the Anglo-American problems seem to be not visible.

That's exactly the article from the WSJ that I want to bring to your attention. As a person with a seven-year experience of living in Finland (unfortunately, interrupted indefinitely), I am quite familiar with the local features. In part, my translation is a tribute to the organization of the Finnish society, but the main goal is to show a good formulation of the educational process with a clear example. I must say, the article draws a completely pastoral picture, so do not forget - the author is not me, but some Ellen Gamerman, and all the claims to it :)

This article is about school. I think this is even more important than university. There is continuity: a good student -> a good student. All selections in bold are mine, [ ] too. The article is quite long, so I allow myself not very significant text abbreviations.
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Ellen Gamerman: What makes Finnish children so smart?

Finnish teens received unusually high marks in international trials. American teachers are trying to understand why.

High school students here rarely get homework that requires more than half an hour a day. They do not have school uniforms, "honorary societies", honorary graduates, calls for late students and special classes for the gifted. There are few standardized knowledge tests, few of parents suffer painfully about colleges, and children do not go to school until the age of seven.

Nevertheless, according to one of the international assessments, Finnish teenagers are among the most intelligent in the world. They won top marks among 15-year-old schoolchildren from 57 countries. American teens showed below-average results, although teachers in the States pay more attention to domestic work, standards, and rules. <...>

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The scientific success of Finnish schoolchildren attracted teachers from more than 50 countries around the world, including an official from the US Department of Education who want to understand the secret of high results. The answer turned out to be simple to understand, but not to translate: well-trained teachers and responsible children . From an early age, Finnish children do much without intrusive care of adults. And teachers prepare lessons suitable specifically for their students. “We have no oil and other riches. Knowledge is what Finns have , ”says school principal Hannele Frantsi.

Visitors and trainee teachers can follow the lesson from the viewing balcony above the classroom of the Norssi school in the city of Jyväskylä in Central Finland. [ , -- . , , ( , 128 . ). , -- . , , ( , 128 . ). ] What they see is a relaxing, traditionally simple approach. The school, which is considered exemplary, does not have its own sports teams, or marching groups, or school balls. <...> [I , " " . ]

Finnish teachers believe that the best results are achieved by concentrating on weaker students, and not on “advancing” the gifted to all others. The idea is that the best students help mediocre, but not to the detriment of their own classes. <...> Teachers and students call each other by name. The only rules of conduct are: no phones, players and hats. Students who want to stand out dye their hair black or make pink dreadlocks. Others wear light T-shirts and stiletto heels to look cooler in the harsh northern climate. <...>

Norssi School operates as a teaching hospital, hosting about 800 intern teachers each year. Senior students work with children, and teachers evaluate their work. The teacher must have a master's degree, and the work goes in a highly competitive environment. More than 40 people can apply for one teacher’s workplace . The salary roughly corresponds to the salary of a teacher in the USA, but on the whole the Finnish teacher has more freedom of action.

In Finland, teachers themselves select textbooks and adapt lessons for preparing pupils in accordance with state educational standards. “ In most countries, an educational institution looks like a car factory. In Finland, teachers are entrepreneurs ,” says Mr. Schleicher from the Paris-based organization OECD, which initiated international knowledge tests among schoolchildren.

One explanation for the success of the Finns lies in their love of reading . Young parents receive a gift set from the state, including an illustrated book. Some libraries operate in shopping center buildings, and the book bus travels to more remote areas like an ice cream truck. [ " " -- -- . , :) " " -- -- . , :) ]

Finnish is not used anywhere outside Finland, and even the most popular English-language books are translated here with a great delay after the initial publication. Many children try to read the latest Harry Potter in English , because they are afraid to know the end of the story before the book appears in Finnish. [ : 21 2007 ; 7 2008 : 21 2007 ; 7 2008 ] Films and television shows are released with subtitles instead of dubbing . One college student reported that she learned to read quickly [ - ] as a child because she was a fan of the 90s Beverly Hills 90210 series.

In November, the US delegation visited the country, hoping to learn how to use new technologies in education. Officials saw Finnish teachers with chalk at regular blackboards and codoscopes instead of PowerPoint presentations. [ ] Kate Kruger was less impressed with technology than teaching quality. <...> High school student Elina Lamponen knows the differences in attitudes from personal experience. She spent a year at Colon High School in Michigan, where strict school rules do not give birth to difficult tasks or diligent students. Lamponen recalls asking classmates if they did their homework. The usual answer was: “Nah. And what did you do last night? ”The schoolgirl adds:“ History assignments often represented a test with the choice of the correct answer. In the few tasks that required free formulation of the answer, very little space was provided for recording. Assignments in the class largely boiled down to sticking something to the poster. ” As a result, after returning home, the native school forced the nineteen-year-old girl to remain for the second year. [ 12 . , 19 . 12 . , 19 . ] <...>

Despite the apparent simplicity of Finnish education, it will not be easy to reproduce in the United States. Having a fairly homogeneous population, teachers face few pupils who do not speak Finnish. In the States, according to the Department of Education, about 8% of students only learn English. [ , . , . , , . . , . , . , , . . ] In Finland, there is less social stratification according to education level and income. [ , .] Finland divides pupils of the last three years on the basis of marks: 53% go to the upper classes, and the rest go to technical schools (all 15-year-old schoolchildren passed PISA testing). In Finland, only 4% of schoolchildren do not complete high school; 10% of students do not receive a technical school diploma. School dropouts in the States are about 25%. [ . , . , . , , . , , -- . , . , . , , . , , -- . , . , . , , . , , -- .]

Other differences lie in the area of ​​financing. Every year, the United States spends an average of $ 8,700 per student. In Finland about 7,500 dollars are spent. Finnish system of high taxes [ , : . -- " ". , : . -- " ". ] provides approximately the same funding for each student — there are no such differences in budgets as there are between schools in Beverly Hills and in less affluent areas. The gap between the best and worst schools in Finland is the lowest among all the PISA member countries. The US figures in this category are average.

Finnish schoolchildren have no obsessive fears and doubts about enrolling in the best university, and no worries about paying for higher education. Higher education for free . Competition to the university depends on the chosen specialty, for example, medicine. But even the best universities do not have the elite status of Harvard.

The lack of competition in admission “to the right educational institutions” allows Finnish children to enjoy a freer childhood. While many American parents are concerned about the placement of their children in science-based preparatory schools, the Finns do not go to school until the age of seven, becoming pupils a year later than American first-graders.

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At school, the Finns rely more on themselves. While some American parents take children to school and meet them from school, arrange meetings with peers and joint walks, young Finns usually solve these issues on their own. In the Ymmersta school of the nearby suburb of Helsinki, some first-graders stomp to school through coniferous groves in almost total darkness. During lunch, they themselves take their food provided by schools for free and carry trays to the tables. There are no internet filters in the school library . In the classroom, you can wear socks [ ], but at home even the smallest children lace skates on their own and put on their own skis. [ : , ; :) : , ; :) ]

Finns enjoy the benefits of one of the highest standards of living in the world, but they are also concerned about a possible lag in a changing global economy. They are tied to electronic and telecommunications companies, such as the Finnish giant Nokia, as well as to the forestry and mining industries. [ , - . -, - , - . -, - .] Some teachers argue that the Finns should promote the best students in the same way as in the States by developing specialized programs for educating talented and “particularly penetrative” people. Parents are also more demanding special attention to their children, according to Tapio Erma, director of the Olari suburban school. “We are increasingly paying attention to American parents,” he says. [ , , -- . , - . . , , -- ... , , -- . , - . . , , -- ... , , -- . , - . . , , -- ... ]

School director Erma is exemplary. Last summer at a conference in Peru, he talked about the possible transfer of Finnish teaching methods. Recently, in his lesson in advanced mathematics, taking place in the afternoon, one of the students fell asleep at his desk. The teacher did not bother him, concentrating on working with the others. Although sleep in the classroom is not encouraged, Erma notes: "we just have to accept the fact that they are children and are still learning how to live."