EDITOR
Pasi Sahlberg, Professor of Education Policy at reforms of different countries and analysing their effects. In June this year, as a guest of the University of Auckland, the University of New South Wales, is a world authority on educational reforms. His home country, Finland, came to the Sahlberg addressed an audience of New Zealand educators. He realisation as far back as the 1950s that since it could not stake its warmed them up with his opening comments saying, ‘This has future prosperity on natural resources such as oil and gas, it had been one of the most difficult evenings to prepare because I also to find an alternative. Finland decided education would lead its come here to learn about you!’ He said he was especially keen to visit New Zealand because future fortunes. That meant confronting system wide education ‘Everyone outside is looking at reforms. The vision was to have New Zealand right now!’ He a free, high quality education explained that New Zealand system for everyone. Finland is in a unique situation in was in no hurry. Reforms were the world because the whole not implemented until the society is being asked, ‘What 1970s and it would be another sort of education do you want?’ thirty years before Finnish He went on to say that he was education would win acclaim very interested in hearing what as a world leading system. educators in New Zealand had Finland’s education reforms to say because, ‘You have a are based on the principles of new Government and a new equity, and wellbeing. Every approach. Very few have the child has equal access to a free privilege of what you have right public education delivered by now.’ highly qualified teachers at Professor Pasi Sahlberg meets NZPF President Whetu Cormick He explained that after local public schools. There are (L) and Vice-President Cherie Taylor-Patel (M) at the Finnish Finland reached the leaderno private schools in Finland, reform leader’s presentation in Auckland board in international rankings except a very small number of independent language and religious schools. As Sahlberg for education two types of people emerged. ‘There were the would say, Finland is where the Prime Minister’s children can be Finns and Wannabe Finns,’ he grinned. ‘Everyone wanted to be educated alongside those of the cab drivers and café workers. Play like Finland!’ ‘Of course,’ he said, ‘I am not here to tell you how to make your based learning is delivered through compulsory free preschool education so that all children have an equal chance of being ready schools better, but rather, to share our experiences with you.’ for formal school learning which starts at age seven. Children He warned that it is not helpful to look at aspects of the Finnish are in class for fewer hours than in most other countries and system in isolation and try to apply them to another country’s are encouraged to engage in sport and play activities outside of system because context is everything and systems operate as their formal school learning time. Schools are funded for equity whole entities. That said, Sahlberg was happy to share some of and special education is generously resourced. All children are the underlying principles of the Finnish system which he believes served a free nutritious lunch at school and enjoy free health have contributed to his country’s success. Without doubt, audience members had turned up to share in services. Any assessments are for learning and teaching. Results some Finnish wisdom and discover new ways to make teaching of assessments are not shared outside of the school. This approach to educational reforms is very different and learning in their own schools more effective. Sahlberg was from those sweeping most of the western world. World-wide equally interested in finding out what changes his audience felt educational reforms have been led by the Global Education were needed to improve the education system in New Zealand. ‘We are in a very different time from ten years ago,’ he Reform Movement (GERM). The GERM is a business model based on competition, freedom of choice and accountability continued, ‘because we now know how to design improvement – which is manifest through publicly reported results of for education systems. Twenty years ago, no one knew about standardised assessments. GERM advocates believe this Finnish schools. It was Australian and New Zealand systems competitive model provides the essential elements to lift leading the way.’ It was not long before Sahlberg identified some of the factors educational achievement. Sahlberg disagrees and he should know. Much of his that have underpinned the success of Finnish educational reforms. ‘First, don’t rush,’ he said. ‘Finland has a longer perspective on distinguished career has been spent studying the educational
education and that is one reason that reforms can be sustained.’ current Government leans towards a view of education as a He emphasised that the effects of good reforms could be dashed public good and favours fewer school options. It champions by trying to implement changes too quickly. a high quality public education system, more akin to Finnish Whether a long-term plan could be agreed by New Zealand values. Opposition parties favour multiple school options, politicians is a moot question because we have a political divide including private options, believing that competition and choice on how education reforms should proceed. What we do know will help drive success. The competitive view supports the notion is that the current Minister of Education wants a thirty-year of education having predominantly private rather than public strategy for education so that educational reform can be benefits. They are polar opposite views. sustained into the future. Whilst Equity and wellbeing are the three political parties that the other two major drivers form the coalition Government of Finnish reforms. Sahlberg may all agree on a common explained that if you want to direction for education there are base your country’s future no indications at this stage that prosperity on education, then it the opposition parties would is imperative that every person agree to the same set of long is educated equally. That is term educational reforms. why all education is public. Sahlberg highlighted You can’t ensure every single the public-school system as person will receive a top-quality another key to Finnish success. education any other way. It has From pre-school through to to be inclusive. This philosophy University, Finnish education has flow on consequences. is fully publicly funded and For example, Sahlberg told from early childhood through to his audience that notions of Pasi Sahlberg explains the importance of equity to his Auckland tertiary, educational institutions ‘excellence’ no longer have a audience are public. An important place in the Finnish education rationale for the strong public education push is that education is system. The word ‘excellence’ is expunged from all official seen predominantly as a public good. It has after all been chosen documentation on education. ‘We are moving from excellence as the means to make Finland a successful country. for some to equity and wellbeing for all,’ he said. On this issue New Zealand is again politically divided. The These ideas, whilst not necessarily new to the Auckland audience, nevertheless presented challenges, particularly political challenges. If New Zealand chose to adopt these values and principles in re-constructing its own education system, there would have to be political consensus on the direction for Resene education and the value of it to society. That could take a long Discover time to achieve and would require considerable political change before all parties were in agreement. Before inviting questions, comments and conversation, Sahlberg addressed a few items of what he described as ‘fake news’ about Finnish education practices. The first of these is that Finland is scrapping the teaching of Resene Bright Spark subjects and replacing them with topics. This is not true. Finland has a national framework which is a loose guide for schools to write their own curriculum. All the children are involved in the development and assessment of the curriculum. Where they decide on problem-based curriculum approaches, children may be asked what it is they want to learn to attack the problem. That Save time and money with free Resene School Services. will inevitably involve subjects like mathematics, reading, writing, We have assisted thousands of schools with their painting research, science and other subjects, Sahlberg told his audience. It and decorating projects. Let us help you with yours. is nonsense that Finland is no longer teaching subjects. The second myth grabbing international media attention is that there is no homework in Finnish schools. This is another piece of fake news Sahlberg explained. ‘Finnish children are very good at Maths and you cannot be good at Maths without practice,’ he Resene said. The difference for Finnish children is that homework is Flourish only purposeful educational homework and takes no more that 10 – 15 minutes to complete. The third myth is that only the best and brightest can join the teaching profession. It is true that 800-850 apply each year to To find out more visit: enter primary school teacher education programmes in Finland www.resene.co.nz/schoolservices and only 10 per cent of those are accepted into the post-graduate programme. But it is not just the most academically able who are
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chosen. Only 24 per cent of the top students are accepted and 24 per cent of the bottom applicants, who may be actors or sporting achievers with average academic ability, but high resilience and empathy. These are valuable attributes for teaching, as much as academic ability, Sahlberg told his audience. Finland aims to accept applicants for teaching from right across the board, so that amongst the teachers there is a good mix of values, qualities and capabilities, making all schools great. The interactive section of Sahlberg’s address uncovered more interesting issues. Amongst them were some implications for child health and well-being. These included increases in both Finland and New Zealand, of students experiencing suicidal behaviours, addictions, behavioural disorders, social challenges, depression and anxiety disorder. Sahlberg believes that one factor contributing to the increase in these behaviours is reduced sleep time. Research shows that the average number of hours a day that children sleep has reduced from ten to seven and the quality of sleep is poorer. One explanation he offered was ‘screen time’. Some children are spending eight hours a day on a screen. ‘Ten years ago I would have said [young people] prefer books to computers. Now in Finland children have devices at an early age, in the kindergartens and pre-schools,’ said Sahlberg, adding, ‘This is the wrong direction for our children and we must change it.’ Sahlberg also pointed out that over exposure to screens went some way to explaining the decline in PISA results. He offered an interesting take on health and wellbeing saying that to lift our game, we need to see health and wellbeing as skills, not as a state. ‘It is time,’ he said, ‘that our children learned to live healthy lives that are infused with empathy and wellbeing.’ Health
and wellbeing are now subjects embedded in schools’ curricula in Finland. Children learn the components of good health and good mental health. This includes a compulsory one hour of physical education every day which the students are involved in designing. It also involves a fifteen-minute break of free time for every hour of learning. Sahlberg said moving away from evidence-based reforms, such as national standards and testing, to systems of valuebased, school-led curriculum and improvement also help. Such moves shift us further away from test-based accountability to trust-based responsibility. ‘This is the conversation that you as New Zealand educators are having right now,’ he said enthusiastically. He pointed out the collection of dichotomies to be untangled. These include collaboration or competition; public education or private; trust-based system or accountability-based; public assessment information or sample assessment; education as a public good or private good. Sahlberg concluded in response to a question about expectations and targets and whether the school or Education Ministry set these. ‘There are general targets such as wellbeing,’ he said, ‘and there are collaboratively set expectations for the children to achieve. We would fire a Ministry that set expectations,’ he said brightly. The evening had challenged the audience of educators to be involved in the education reform process underway right now in New Zealand. It focussed in on some fundamental questions to be asked and answered before any clear direction can be set. Above all, not one person left the room believing that this process can be successfully concluded quickly. ‘Go far, not fast,’ was the mantra ringing in everyone’s head as they left the man from Finland.
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