Finnish Education Forum

Finland’s digital-based curriculum impedes learning, researcher finds

Via Yle Uutiset: Finland’s digital-based curriculum impedes learning, researcher finds. Excerpt:

Finland's new digital and phenomenon-based curriculum programmes hinders student learning, according to a new study from Helsinki University. 

The psychology researcher behind the study, Aino Saarinen, told Yle's Swedish news service that one of the reasons behind the recent decline in Finland's ranking on Pisa education lists is an increase in the use of digital learning materials.  

For some time now - thanks to regular top placement in the international Pisa education rankings - Finland has been touted as having the best education system in the world. And to improve on this, policymakers made the decision to bring digital tools to the forefront of classrooms. 

In 2016 the education ministry announced plans to put an extra 50 million euros towards helping teachers learn to use electronic devices in their work.  

But, according to Saarinen those efforts and investments do not appear to have paid off.  

"The more that digital tools were used in lessons, the worse learning outcomes were. This was found in all areas of the Pisa measurements," she said, noting that it was not a question of students being unable to use the devices.  

Instead, she said students can easily be distracted by the devices themselves - like laptops or tablets - and often start using them for something besides schoolwork. Saarinen said the results surprised her, but only to a certain degree. 

"There have been similar findings from research in other countries. And many parents have said the same thing," she said. 

Phenomenon-based learning 

Apart from an increase in the use of digital tools, Finland's curriculum in 2016 introduced phenomenon-based learning strategies. This method of learning encourages students to become more active in their studies, to cooperate in study and research groups. The process is quite different from subject-based teaching methods in that students are given more personal responsibility than older, more traditional methods do. 

This type of learning works for students who perform well in school and receive support from home, according to Saarinen. But less naturally-gifted students face the risk of being left behind in a phenomenon-based learning environment.  

"Proponents of this method have claimed it would even-out the differences between students with various [academic] backgrounds. But in light of the research it looks like exactly the opposite has happened," Saarinen said. 

Saarinen said the more risk factors students have, the worse they do in phenomenon-based classrooms. One risk factor, according to the researcher, is being male. 

Although Finland remains near the top in Pisa rankings, there have been declines in recent years, and boys have regularly earned overall worse grades in school than girls.

Finland: Upper secondary school students overwhelmed by stress, union warns

Via Yle Uutiset: Upper secondary school students overwhelmed by stress, union warns. 

More attention needs to be paid to the wellbeing of high school students and young adults, says the Union of Upper Secondary School Students (SLL). 

The organisation said at a national congress that it was concerned about young people’s coping skills, given that one in three students said that several times a week they felt overwhelmed by school work, according to a survey by the national public health watchdog THL. In addition, some 35 percent of high school students said that they had been concerned about their mental wellbeing in the past year.  

"No balance between work required and time available" 

"Students have been forced into a situation where there is no kind of balance between the work required and the time available. Courses are full of requirements so that it is common that people don’t even have time to work together. Learning feels like it’s entirely about performance – this must change now that the curriculum is updated. We must be courageous enough to pare down the targets," SLL chair Alvar Euro said in a statement.  

The Finnish Education Evaluation Centre said that senior high school students find it more difficult to ask for help than to get it. Meanwhile the students’ union has called for the entire education community to place emphasis creating on a caring environment. 

"When people are concerned about their personal wellbeing and that of others, then help must be readily available. At the moment there are huge variations in the availability of student care services. Psychology, counselling and medical services in particular require better resourcing," Euro concluded.