Education and Nature in Swe/Fin

I found it very interesting how there is a connection between education and nature in Swedish and Finnish culture. It was refreshing to hear a uniquely different approach to education and early childhood development. To me, it makes complete sense that preschools and elementary schools should allow student more time to run around and enjoy the fresh air. Every single day is vital for the social growth and development of children, and the Finns and Swedes allow for this to be as organic and fun as possible. This, in turn, allows them to maximize classroom efficiency by placing a higher value on the teachers and curriculum than the United States does. It amazes me how Swedish and Finnish students spend less time in the classroom and take fewer standardized tests than American students, yet they far surpass the US in every benchmark in the education arena. I really hope that federal, state, and local educators and policymakers are paying attention to the successes seen in Scandinavia. 

Education in Scandinavia

I loved hearing about the successes of the education systems in Sweden and Finland. Both of my parents taught grade school overseas as well as in Detroit and I'm basically used to hearing a lot of negativity surrounding the functionality of schools.

I was especially interested in how students were essentially guaranteed the same high level of education regardless of their socioeconomic status. There are plenty of people who would not agree with me, but I would support higher taxes to better our school systems here in the States -- the quality of our education here relies much too heavily on which school district you happen to go to. The Swedish/Finnish people have come to appreciate that the money they put into their schools (even if it does not directly benefit their own children) is moving their country forward by creating a more educated general public.

BBC videos

After watching this video I was wondering and thinking how interesting it would be to implement a Finnish/Swedish school system for either a school or school district and follow that school for x number of years, in comparison to an American school. The question really is whether a scandinavian school system implemented in the U.S. would be effective because the cultures outside of school are so different. It would be interesting to see if the American students in a Scandinavian style school did better than in an American school. The school would have to be run by either Swedish or Finnish teachers, or teachers familiar with the school systems there for it to a successful project. I think that asking to implement a Finnish or Swedish type school system in all of the United States is asking for way too much, because facing the facts, the US is a lot bigger than Sweden or Finland. I do think that individual cities or states could reform on their own though, and run an effective school system, similar to the Swedish and Finnish school systems.

I really enjoyed watching this video, and wonder if a Swedish daycare would last in the US.

Early Years Education: Sweden

I watched the 3-part video on the Swedish education system (posted under resources on ctools) and couldn't help but compare the Swedish students' to the American and Korean school system of which I'm accustomed. The most notable differences were the heavy state subsidies, long preschool availability (open early/closes late) , and the mix of individual attention with the loose lesson structure.

American preschools are expensive with strict hours and, often, Americans view strict lesson plans as an indicator of productivity and future success. This is even more pronounced in a country like Korea where even young students are sent to cram schools every evening. No level of Korean schooling is free, either; families are responsible for paying for all levels of education.

More so, the Swedish early education system seems very flexible and catering to the needs of the parents. Swedish preschool hours give both parents the opportunity to work and, like Prof. Eriksson mentioned in class, a Swedish stay-at-home parent is very unusual. Perhaps the fact that many more American mothers (and significantly more Korean mothers) are staying at home is a factor preserving the current US preschool system. Just think, there is less demand in America for early education systems to cater to families as there is often a parent who is available to take care of the child as needed.

Near the end of the episode, the video asked an interesting question:
"Can we afford to invest as much as the Swedes do in personal education?"

Of course, everyone wants to invest in education because, as cliche as it is, children really are the future. However, I question whether large nations such as the USA would take to higher taxes and school reform it would take to model the Swedish system. There would also be the mental and cultural change that many families and students would have to adapt to (whether it is superior or not). Talking of change is easier said than done.