El Éxito Educativo de Finlandia: Michael Moore

00:10:05
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HGu5zyq5yI

Summary

TLDRThe video discusses Finland's education system, known for producing the best-educated students globally. Unlike the standardized-test-driven approach in other countries, Finland's education emphasizes minimal homework, short school hours, and fostering a joyful learning environment. Finnish schools do not use standardized tests extensively and provide equal opportunities across all institutions by prohibiting private tuition-based schools. The schools focus on a holistic curriculum that includes arts, physical education, and critical thinking, aiming to teach students happiness and self-respect. Finnish students have a shorter school year compared to other Western countries but outperform by having more free time to explore interests. They also learn multiple languages and engage in independent learning approaches. This system partly originates from American educational ideas, highlighting the Finnish commitment to nurturing well-rounded individuals.

Takeaways

  • 🎸 Finland is known for quirky activities like air guitar and excels in education.
  • 📚 Finnish students have minimal homework, fostering more free time.
  • ⏰ Finnish schools have shorter school days and years than Western countries.
  • 🧠 Education focuses on critical thinking and happiness, minimizing standardized tests.
  • 👨‍🎨 Schools emphasize arts, music, and physical education for holistic development.
  • 🚫 Tuition is illegal in Finland, ensuring equal educational standards.
  • 🔤 Students often learn multiple languages, enhancing cultural knowledge.
  • 🤝 The system prioritizes student happiness and respectful interactions.
  • 🌳 Children are encouraged to explore and learn outside traditional classrooms.
  • 🚸 Schools create independent individuals, even allowing young kids to commute alone.
  • 🎓 Finland adopts American educational ideas but implements them effectively.
  • 🏫 No school rankings as all Finnish schools are considered equal.

Timeline

  • 00:00:00 - 00:05:00

    Finland is recognized for having some of the best-educated students globally. Previously, Finnish and US schools performed similarly poorly in international assessments. Finland, however, took initiative and implemented new educational strategies, catapulting their students to the top of the world rankings. The Finnish education system stands out for requiring little homework, allowing children ample time to explore personal interests and life outside of school. Finnish students have shorter school days and years, contributing to their educational success. There is an emphasis on learning languages, with many students becoming multilingual early on. Their educational approach focuses on deep understanding rather than drilling for standardized tests, which are minimal in Finland.

  • 00:05:00 - 00:10:05

    The Finnish education system values holistic learning, incorporating arts, physical education, and outdoor activities into the curriculum to stimulate children's minds. Unlike in the US, the education is equitable, with all schools offering the same standard of education, eliminating the need for school rankings. Private schools, common in other countries, are largely absent in Finland, ensuring that all children, regardless of socioeconomic status, receive the same quality of education. This equity promotes social cohesion, as students from diverse backgrounds learn together, growing up to be more empathetic and integrated. In Finland, education isn't treated as a business but as a student-centered service. By focusing on happiness, critical thinking, and mutual respect, Finnish schools aim to nurture well-rounded individuals rather than just test-takers. These principles, although revolutionary, are inspired by American educational ideas, highlighting a contrast between their original intention and current educational practices in the US.

Mind Map

Video Q&A

  • Why is Finland's education system considered the best?

    Finland focuses on minimal homework, short school days, and a well-rounded education including arts and physical activities.

  • What is the secret to Finland's educational success?

    A relaxed approach with less homework and emphasis on play, arts, and critical thinking contributes to their success.

  • How do Finnish schools support students' happiness?

    Finnish schools prioritize student well-being and happiness, integrating these values into their education system.

  • Do Finnish students have standardized tests?

    No, Finland does not emphasize standardized testing, focusing instead on holistic education.

  • What is the length of the school day in Finland?

    Finnish students often have shorter school days, typically around 3-4 hours for younger students.

  • How important is play and extracurricular activities in Finnish education?

    Play and extracurricular activities like music and sports are highly valued and integrated into the education system.

  • Is tuition charged in Finnish schools?

    No, charging tuition is illegal, and all schools are public and equal in quality.

  • How many languages do Finnish students learn?

    Many Finnish students learn multiple languages, including Finnish, Swedish, English, and others.

  • Why did Finland eliminate most forms of standardized testing?

    They believe standardized tests do not truly measure student learning or promote critical thinking.

  • How do Finnish schools rank and compete with each other?

    Finland does not rank schools as all are considered equal, and there is no competition between schools.

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  • 00:00:00
    [Music]
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    Finland is ranked at or near the top of
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    having the best educated students in the
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    world which left everyone wondering
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    really
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    [Music]
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    Finland these are the people who gave us
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    the air guitar
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    [Music]
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    championship and the sports of cell
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    phone throwing and wife
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    carried these are the genius that
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    cracked the code to good
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    education I mean how is it that the kids
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    in Finland are ahead of the rest of the
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    world so here's what happened back in
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    the day Finland schools sucked on the
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    level that our suck on when they tested
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    the world's kids both Finland and us
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    were usually about the same you know
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    somewhere down the list of Nations but
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    Finland didn't like that so they tried
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    some new ideas and in no time Finland
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    shot to the top of the world their
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    students were number
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    one how did they do
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    that that was the one question I wanted
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    an answer to and I went straight to see
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    the enemy's minister of Education before
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    I could say anything she blurted out
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    their top secret they do not have
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    homework wait so you reduce the homework
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    you give them in school yes they we
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    should have more time to be kids to be
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    youngsters to to enjoy the life how many
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    hours of homework did you get last night
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    um about 10 minutes or something 10
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    minutes of homework yeah yeah maybe 15
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    minutes or 20 minutes 20 minutes but 20
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    minutes yeah well if I would have done
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    the homework uh I I think it would have
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    been like 10 minutes tops usually I
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    don't really do homework that much the
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    whole term homework
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    uh is kind of obsolete I think in that
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    way that your homework is obsolete yeah
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    yeah in that way that uh these kids they
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    have a lot other things to do after
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    school like what uh like like being
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    together like being with a family uh
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    like uh doing sports like playing music
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    like reading so they have the homework
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    what if all they want to do is climb a
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    tree they could climb a tree yeah they
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    can CL climb a tree when they live and
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    to climb a tree but they'll end up while
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    climbing the tree probably finding out
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    about different insects and they can
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    come to school next day telling me about
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    what they
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    found compared to the older kids how
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    many hours a day do the younger ones go
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    to school
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    um Mondays 3 hours Tuesdays four hours
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    it varies it's 20 hours a week so there
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    oh
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    man now does this three or 4 hours at
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    school include the lunch hour yes how
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    are they learning anything how are you
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    getting anything done your brain has to
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    it has to relax every now and then if
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    you just constantly work work work then
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    you stop learning and there's no use of
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    doing that for a longer period of time
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    Finland students have the shortest
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    school days and the shortest school
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    years in the entire Western
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    World they do better by going to school
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    [Music]
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    less how many languages do you speak
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    English yeah Swedish Spanish Finnish and
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    Swedish Finnish English and German
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    French German Finnish and English
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    English Swedish and French and
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    Spanish so you were an exchange student
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    in the US yeah when you got back here in
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    school what did you notice that you felt
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    relieved about uh no more multiple
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    choice exams they no multiple choice
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    exams here or or or very few of them if
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    any because they all of my exams in the
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    US how do you answer the question right
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    if it isn't listed as one of the four
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    choices answer you have to know it
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    actually yeah you actually have to know
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    it
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    yeah but there was one thing I heard
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    over and over again from the fins it was
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    that America should stop teaching to a
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    standardized test get rid of those uh
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    standardized tests National testing the
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    standardized tests a standardized
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    testings what you are teaching your
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    students is to do well on those tests
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    and you're not really teaching them
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    anything no we are teaching them we're
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    teaching them how to flunk a test and
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    then a bunch of schools fail the test
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    and those schools are turned into
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    charter schools and then somebody makes
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    a lot of
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    money but school is about finding your
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    happiness Finding what you know finding
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    a way to learn what makes you
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    happy they figure now about one third of
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    the school time the students are in
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    school is spent preparing for the
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    standardized test
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    and so they've eliminated a lot of
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    things that aren't on the test so music
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    is gone art is gone poetry is gone yeah
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    in many schools Civics isn't even on the
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    test so now schools are driving Civics
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    yes Civics American Civics
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    okay unbelievable we got rid of poetry
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    really yeah yeah why it's a waste of
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    time when are they ever going to learn
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    when are they ever going to speak as
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    poets when they're adults how does that
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    help them get a
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    job
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    we try to teach them everything that
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    they need so that they could actually
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    use their brain as well as they can
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    including PE including Arts including
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    music anything that can actually make
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    brain work better the children need to
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    be baking they should be singing they
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    should be doing art and going on nature
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    walks and doing all these things because
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    there's this very short time that
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    they're allowed to be
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    [Applause]
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    children if you don't have standardized
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    test here in Finland uh how do you know
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    which schools are the best and you know
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    people need a list the neighborhood
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    school is the best school it is not
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    different that than the school which can
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    be for example situated in the Town
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    Center because all the schools in
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    Finland they are all
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    equal when we move to a new city City we
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    never ask where the best school is it's
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    never a question so nobody has to shop
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    for schools there's nothing different in
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    any of our schools well are the same it
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    is illegal in Finland to set up a school
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    in charge tuition that's why for the
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    most part private schools don't exist
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    and what that means is that the rich
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    parents have to make sure that the
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    public schools are great and by making
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    the rich kids go to school with their
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    everyone else they grow up with those
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    other kids as
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    friends and when they become wealthy
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    adults they have to think twice before
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    they screw them
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    over in the United States education is a
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    business their corporations making money
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    here it's so student centered that when
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    we had to redo our playground they had
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    the Architects come in and talk to the
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    kids would they listen to yes yes there
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    are things on our playground that the
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    students really wanted being in school
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    here is more independent we're created
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    more like adults than in the United
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    States I mean we don't need a whole pass
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    to go to the bathroom during class yeah
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    yeah we'll see students commuting on on
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    the subway uh even as young as seven and
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    eight going on their own to
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    school when I started doing teacher
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    training practice back in the
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    US I I was in these certain
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    neighborhoods teaching these kids and
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    telling them you can be anything you
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    want to be when you grow
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    up this is kind of a
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    lie and when I came to
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    Finland a lot of my teaching is based on
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    what the kids want and what they see for
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    their future so it it doesn't feel so
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    false to say you can really be whatever
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    you want to be when you grow up because
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    they're making it happen already they
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    already have such power
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    that's
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    upsetting to think about that that our
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    kids don't have
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    that that's really
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    beautiful it's not that we have figured
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    out something that nobody else has done
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    in Education that's wrong many of these
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    things that have made Finland perform
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    well in education are in initially
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    American
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    ideas we try to teach them to think for
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    themselves and to be critical to what
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    they're learning we try to teach them to
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    be happy person to be respect others and
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    respect yourself you're concerned with
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    their happiness oh yeah what the hell do
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    you teach I teach math so the math
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    teacher says the the the the first thing
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    out of your mouth of what you wanted
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    these students to get out of school was
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    to was to be happy to have a happy life
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    yep and you're the math teacher yeah
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    when do they have their time to play and
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    socialize with their
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    friends and grow as human
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    beings cuz there's so much more life
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    around than just school you want them to
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    play I want I want children to play and
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    that was the
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    principle I'm planning the American flag
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    right here in the middle of your school
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    and claiming this great idea for us
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    thanks for stealing
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    it yeah that's how that's how we grow
Tags
  • Education
  • Finland
  • Homework
  • Standardized Tests
  • School System
  • Student Happiness
  • Critical Thinking
  • Arts and Music
  • Languages
  • Holistic Education