So my school visits are progressing... After next week's ski holiday winter break, I will have several more schools to visit coming on the radar:
I look forward to visiting a school in Kirkkonummi (about 40 kms away) where the principal has written a problem-based mathematics curriculum and she was a Fulbright teacher about five years ago. After the winter break, I will also have the opportunity to visit the English School in Helsinki and return to the Viikki Teacher Training School. My Fulbright buddy Eija has also suggested several schools in the Helsinki metropolitan area that I should pursue.
I am most excited about the ten schools that Kari Kinnunen (who is with the teachers union) has offered to coordinate for me. Kari will initiate the contact with 5 schools in Espoo and 5 schools in Vantaa which are both right outside Helsinki, but not visited near as much as the Helsinki schools. I continue to learn how small Finland is -- Kari had a Fulbright teacher colleague from Chicago at his school many years ago.
My preference for most of my schools will be to establish a relationship with some teachers and return to the school several times. Check back to see what I learn. Any questions you wonder about?
Since you asked, I do have 3 questions for you:
ReplyDelete1. I wonder about the administration in the Helsinki school system. Are administrators more likely to have educational backgrounds or are they also shifting towards having more business/management professionals in charge?
2. I've been reading more and more about the level of respect that educators have in Finland. I know that a Masters Degree is required and some sources say the field is held in high regard like a doctor or lawyer would be. Are teachers compensated as such?
3. How much of a factor do you think the homogenous make-up of Finnish school children plays into their educational success? So much of the focus and challenge in the American school system is on differentiating instruction for various levels of learners, socioeconomic classes, ethnic/cultural differences, etc. etc. Is that even on the radar in Finland?