Michael Lawrence and Dr. Fabio D'Agostin | Creating Schools…

This was a myth I was not aware of until a school administrator actually said to me, “I think the parents might have something to say about that” when I was speaking about the flaws in standardized curriculum and testing as used in the Australian system.

During the last few years I introduced as many elements of the Finnish system as I could within the framework of a conservative Australian school. In order to explain myself I took the opportunity each year to speak to the parents of the students in my homeroom in order to explain why some of the things I was doing might differ from those of other teachers.

Phrases such as ‘student satisfaction and enjoyment’, and ‘student autonomy’ were new but very welcome to them. Parents were, without exception, were enthusiastic to hear a teacher speak of the interests of their children and place importance on the enjoyment of learning and school in general.

Not a single parent ever told me, “I just want you to get the marks for my child. Don’t waste time worrying about whether they enjoy it!”

These meetings were one of my favorite times of the school year, as parents were keen to really open up about their child’s education once you made it clear that your interest went beyond grades and marks. They always agreed that being happy at school was far more important than having top grades but not being happy. They understood that this happiness would, almost inevitably, lead to success academically.

Indeed, from my own observations of Australian schools, the more conservative schools (one would have thought such schools would be looking at Finnish education for the improved academic outcomes, though the gains in student wellbeing are enormous) are the most likely to observe immediate success from the application of the Finnish methods as in a number of ways they are actually closer to the model of school one sees in Finland, and often the high priority placed on learning is present to some extent, as is a respect for teachers and educators.

These schools also have the resources to ensure that staff can access the required training, with visits to Finland and study at Finnish universities all possibilities for the future.

As for those Australian schools not flushed with money and facilities? I have spent a lot of time in these schools, working a fill-in teacher gives you a very real insight into what is happening in classrooms. Those who teach in these schools are the unsung heroes of Australian education. It is their work that enables the other schools to achieve the best ATAR scores and NAPLAN marks, as the schools achieving this can do so with the cream of the students: those whose parents were able to take the children away from ‘non-performing’ schools, travel to school and pay often hefty school fees.

These schools can benefit with classroom management systems which encourage trust and the building of responsibility as seen in Finland. Students in these schools may not see a lot of this and in many cases it could transform their lives. Simple adjustments to timetables with breaks allowed as seen in Finland have already shown their value in many Australian schools.