Day 6: Helsinki

"...the most important part of any successful education system -- the teacher..." (quote from Finnish educational system literature)

What started out as a cloudy, dreary morning in Espoo ended up being a beautifully bright afternoon in Helsinki! We arrived at our hotel around noon and luckily, were able to get into our room right away to leave our luggage. We walked back over to the train station for a quick sandwich before heading over to the teacher education building of the University of Helsinki. Being able to see the classroom/teacher dimension of their educational system was just half of why we decided to come to Finland. The other half deals with how teachers are trained before going out into the workforce.

Jari Lavonen (Ph.D, professor, head of the teacher education department at the University of Helsinki) made some time in his schedule to meet with us this afternoon. He leaves tomorrow for a trip to Japan so we did not take too much of his time. The time that we did spend with him was very enlightening. To keep with the tradition of our other posts :) , here's what we learned today:

1. About 10% of the people that apply to the teacher education programs are accepted.
2. Each university has complete autonomy when it comes to the selection of the open slots. At the University of Helsinki, applicants take a comprehensive reading test that measures how well they apply and analyze. Then, the applicants are given an educational topic and discuss this in teams of 4 while the faculty members observe how well the students are listening, participating, articulating, etc. Finally, the applicants are interviewed.
3. Even though Sweden is very close in proximity to and hold similar values in their society, their universities have a difficult time recruiting students to join the education field.
4. Teachers go to school for five years (except pre-school teachers which is 3 years unless they choose to keep going the full 5 years) and leave with a Master's degree.
5. There are no teacher tests (Praxis) or portfolios at the end of the program. They feel that their rigorous application process yields the most motivated and eager students.
6. When monies/salaries are comparable, Finnish teachers make comparable to the US national average (around $40,000).
7. Teachers are required to take 3 days of professional development a year. Most of that time is used for school planning and improvement. They feel as though the teacher prep programs have prepared these teachers to go out and learn on their own.
8. A PhD and a EdD are of equal importance and value in Finland.
9. Society holds the teaching profession in high regard. It is a sought after profession that not just anyone can do.
10. Finland does not have "police" (as Dr. Levonan called it) for checking in on schools and teachers.
11. There is no discussion of accountability or emphasis on testing.

It was very evident that Finland holds a high standard for their teachers and their teacher education programs. But with that high standard, comes trust and a certain degree of freedom or autonomy. Dr. Lavonen commented that in Finland, it is understood that classroom teachers can and do make the biggest impact on a child's education. He (as many other educators that we spoke with) does not understand why and how the US tests young children as much as we do. It is not a part of their educational system, as it is here.

Dr. Lavonen was very kind to meet with us and we really learned so much from him. It was very interesting to hear how such a high-ranking system trains their teachers.

After our visit, we walked around Helsinki. We were able to go into the Helsinki Cathedral today, as well as view the ships in the harbor. And of course, we couldn't visit Helsinki without at least one meal at Hard Rock Cafe!!!

Tomorrow, we are taking a guided bus tour of the city and plan to visit some of the museums. :) If the weather is nice, we will take a ferry ride to an island that has a sea fortress that used to be controlled by Russian forces.