New School Year – where is Finnish education heading next?

We get a lot of visitors from different countries, who are seeking new ideas and inspiration from Finland. Finland is known to have created a very unique and original education system that has managed to combine stress-free and learner-centered approach with excellent learning results. Therefore it is natural that our visitors are anxious to see…

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Education, society and economical growth – what is the equation?

Learning Scoop Latin America representative, Beatriz Arze, performed in a radio program “Business Frequency” in Bolivia last Friday. The program is part of a Bolivian Business Magazine, and it is specialized in economy and business. Since education is closely tied to economic growth, societal development, business environment and people’s wellbeing, they interviewed Beatriz about the…

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Activating methods in classroom

A teacher stands in the front of the classroom and talks. Students are listening, maybe taking notes. After the lecture students write their notebooks and fill out exercises. Sounds familiar? This model of teaching where a teacher pours information and pupil´s role is just to listen and sit still,  is an old school method. Sometimes…

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True Equity: Finnish Commitment to Responsive Policy

This past January I had the joy of visiting Finland to learn more about equity in Finnish schools as part of my undergraduate thesis research. I was lucky enough to be hosted by Johanna of Learning Scoop, and spend a day touring a school and speaking with students and teachers to round out my experience.…

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Nine years of teaching and learning in the heart of Europe

Cherry trees and tulips blossom in all colors now in Brussels. I miss this international and bohemian city. I also miss the location, it was so easy and fast to travel to other European cities at weekends. I worked nine years as a class teacher in the European School in Brussels, seconded by the Finnish…

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Partnership with families in Early Childhood Education

When educators from around the world come to Finland, get introduced to the Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) system, experience and observe real situations and interaction among children and adults, they get very excited and overwhelmed with many thoughts and ideas they would like to have as a takeaway back home. During the previous…

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Team Learning – a valuable tool for 21st century skills

Learning in the Finnish high school has previously had a strong focus on the individual student and the Matriculation Examination. Learning and teaching both, have been lonely jobs. Today, there is a change towards more collaborative methods. In the autumn 2016 schools in Finland started to work with the new core curriculum, and we were…

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Why do we need Phenomenon-based Learning?

”Finland Will Become The First Country In The World To Get Rid Of All School Subjects!” I look at the headline in international magazine and think: ”Oh, really?” I glance at the current Finnish National Core Curriculum for Finnish Basic Education on my table and think, what are all the 16 different school subjects presented…

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