Did you know that the quality of education which the country was ranked first in the world? The answer is: Finland. The
quality of education in the country with the capital Helsinki, is
indeed remarkable that the envy of all teachers in the whole world.
The
world number one earned Finland based on a comprehensive international
survey in 2003 by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD). The test is known as PISA, measuring the ability of students in Science, Reading, and Mathematics. Remarkably, Finland not only excel academically but also excel in the education of children mentally weak. In summary, Finland managed to make all the smart students! So what is the key so that Finland is the country with the world's number one education quality?
Finland
does not provide students with extended learning hours, giving extra
homework, army discipline, or bombard students with a variety of tests. In
contrast, students in Finland start school at a rather slow compared to
other countries, which is at the age of 7 years, and at school they are even
less, at only 30 hours per week. Compare with Korea, ranking second after Finnlandia, the students spend 50 hours per week.
So what is the key?
It turns out that the key lies in the quality of teachers!
Finnish teachers are allowed teachers with the best quality with the best training anyway. Teaching profession itself is highly valued profession, although their salaries are not too big. The
best high school graduates usually just apply for admission in schools
of education, and only 1 of 7 applicants can be accepted. The level of competition is more intense than go to another prestigious faculties such as law or medical school! Compare
with the Indonesian teachers have only modest quality and is the result
of a college education with a quality pickup as well.
With
good quality student and educational training of qualified teachers, no
one if they become teachers with exceptional quality. With
these qualifications and competencies they are free to use whatever
method they like the class, with which they design their own curriculum
and textbooks of their own choosing. If
other nations believe that the testing and evaluation for students is a
very important part for the quality of education, they seem to believe
that the exam and the test that destroyed the student learning
objectives. Too much testing makes teachers tend to teach students only to pass the test, said a teacher in Finland. Though many aspects of education that can not be measured by the test. At
the age of 18 years old students taking the exam to determine their
qualifications in colleges and two-thirds of graduates go on to college.
Students are taught to evaluate himself, even since Pre - Kindergarten! It
helps students learn responsibility for their own work, said Sundstrom,
elementary school principal in Poikkilaakso, Finland. If students are responsible, they work more freely because the teacher does not have to always control them. Students are encouraged to work independently with their own trying to find the information they need. Students learn more when they are looking for themselves the information they need. We do not learn anything if we just write down what was said by the teacher.
THE BEST EDUCATION IN MY LIFE CAME WHEN I TOOK THE INITIATIVE TO LEARN MYSELF
In Finland teachers do not teach by lecture method. School atmosphere is very relaxed and flexible. Too many command will only result in depression and learning becomes fun. Students who later received intensive support either by the teacher or other students. It is also what makes a successful Finland. Based on the discovery of PISA, schools in Finland is very little difference between students who do well and bad.
Remedial is not regarded as a sign of failure but as a chance to improve. A teacher in charge of handling the problem of learning and behavior of students create an individualized program for each student with an emphasis objectives to be achieved, for example: First, go to class; then come on time; next, bring books, etc.. If it gets homework students do not even need to answer correctly, as long as they tried.
The teachers are very avoid criticism of their students' work. According to them, if we say "You're wrong" on students, then it would make student become ashamed. And if they are shy then this will hinder them in learning. Each student is allowed to make mistakes. They simply asked to compare their results with the previous value, and not with the other students. So there is no ranking system. Each student is expected to be proud of themselves, respectively. Ranking system only makes teachers focus on a handful of specific students who are considered the best in its class.
The greatness and the success of the education system in Finland is a combination of high teacher competence, patience, tolerance and commitment to success through personal responsibility. If I fail in teaching a student, a teacher said, then it means there is something wrong with my teaching!
It was actually a very responsible teacher speech.
"The mediocre teacher tells, The good teacher explains, The superior teacher demonstrates,
THE GREAT TEACHER INSPIRES !" (William Arthur Ward)
modified from indoforum.org
