Less is more!
Within the framework of Erasmus+ project two teachers from our school went on the training on educational system in Sweden and Finland. A few days spent observing the work of local schools allowed to learn about the features of the system considered to be the best in Europe.
Scandinavian education is based on two pillars: a student and a teacher. Teachers are excellently prepared to work with students (which does not mean that they have completed many years of studies - in Sweden almost everyone could become a teacher until recently). They are characterized by their enthusiasm and a really strong commitment. The various methods they use in lessons are based on the most modern equipment, thought-out teaching aids and the experience of many years. The Swedes are proud of their educational system, which was created in 1842 and still includes the guidelines of the first core curriculum. Therefore in addition to the classes we know very well - mathematics, physics, history, chemistry, etc. - students learn how to cook, sew, and do small locksmith work. First of all, it is a variation of everyday school life, and secondly it allows some to discover a technical or a craft bent. It is much easier to make decisions about the future. Interestingly enough, in those schools - especially Finnish ones - the lading principle is "Less is more". Based on it, the material developed on individual subjects is not overloaded, tasks seem easy, especially in relation to the level of knowledge in our schools. There, however, children have a lot of time to strengthen it, they must also acquire some of the knowledge by themselves, and this results in a high ability in reading comprehension, information retrieval and analysis.
A characteristic feature of Scandinavian schools is the statement repeated by local teachers that the student is responsible for learning. It is the students who should be set on acquiring knowledge and education, and thus on active and effective participation in lessons. Young people placed in such a situation from an early age accept it as an obvious one. It is also treated as an obvious matter by parents who, as has been emphasized many times, fully trust teachers and the educational methods they use.
It all adds up to the shape of the Swedish and Finnish schools, which are an example of education to follow throughout Europe.
Zofia Tulczyńska and Katarzyna Ziółkowska
Scandinavian education is based on two pillars: a student and a teacher. Teachers are excellently prepared to work with students (which does not mean that they have completed many years of studies - in Sweden almost everyone could become a teacher until recently). They are characterized by their enthusiasm and a really strong commitment. The various methods they use in lessons are based on the most modern equipment, thought-out teaching aids and the experience of many years. The Swedes are proud of their educational system, which was created in 1842 and still includes the guidelines of the first core curriculum. Therefore in addition to the classes we know very well - mathematics, physics, history, chemistry, etc. - students learn how to cook, sew, and do small locksmith work. First of all, it is a variation of everyday school life, and secondly it allows some to discover a technical or a craft bent. It is much easier to make decisions about the future. Interestingly enough, in those schools - especially Finnish ones - the lading principle is "Less is more". Based on it, the material developed on individual subjects is not overloaded, tasks seem easy, especially in relation to the level of knowledge in our schools. There, however, children have a lot of time to strengthen it, they must also acquire some of the knowledge by themselves, and this results in a high ability in reading comprehension, information retrieval and analysis.
A characteristic feature of Scandinavian schools is the statement repeated by local teachers that the student is responsible for learning. It is the students who should be set on acquiring knowledge and education, and thus on active and effective participation in lessons. Young people placed in such a situation from an early age accept it as an obvious one. It is also treated as an obvious matter by parents who, as has been emphasized many times, fully trust teachers and the educational methods they use.
It all adds up to the shape of the Swedish and Finnish schools, which are an example of education to follow throughout Europe.
Zofia Tulczyńska and Katarzyna Ziółkowska