Why does Finland offer the Best Mathematics?
Finland has long been known to offer one of the worlds best education systems, specifically, in mathematics and science. Its holistic approach to teaching allows for a much more amiable classroom environment and a ‘teach-to-learn’ rather than a ‘teach to pass the test’ perspective. Finnish school days only last 5 hours, with little to no homework. Their laid back, stress-free design succours students in thriving both inside and outside of the classroom. This modern, student-centred outlook, along with very high requirements for teaching staff (All teachers must have a master’s degree and their teaching performance is regularly assessed) allows for Finland to outrank the United States education system, and be gaining very quickly on Asian countries.
Finnish Maths teachers also place a large amount of focus on and highlight the importance of one-to-one assistance and personalised, detailed feedback. Not having enough time for each student is a well known issue especially in countries such as the UK and United States where classroom sizes are considerably larger. Teachers attempt to tackle this by making sure they interact with the students who need the most assistance first, and walk them through their desired topic as well as providing feedback on how they can best boost their understanding of the topic.
Finnish mathematics curriculums tend to circumvent superficial learning and focus more on allowing children to build a passion for the subject themselves. Students are provided with challenges varying in style and difficulty rather than specific exam questions, allowing them to acquire flexible problem solving skills, and a very deep understanding of the subject with a unique, adaptable skill set. Along with this, Finnish schools also focus on developing and transforming the mindsets of their pupils: metacognition is an essential skill. A ‘growth mindset’ is the key to understanding that mistakes are opportunities for growth, and that criticism is very valuable. Taking this attitude to Mathematics sparks a rapid improvement in learning.
The PISA (Programme for International Student assessment) is a test taken by 15 year old students, measuring their ability in reading, mathematics and scientific knowledge. Finnish students consistently perform well above average, scoring 507 points in Mathematics, compared to an average of 487 points in other countries such as Austria, Belgium, France, Germany and the majority of other European countries. Clearly, the innovative design of the Finnish Education System has a very successful impact.
