Main Features of
the Finnish Core Curriculum
1
Development of School System in Finland
1970-2005
…
1970
Comprehensive
School replaces Dual
school system
1980
2000
1990
Frame system
for lesson hours
…
Unification of comprehensive
school
Framework
Curriculum
Course system to
the Senior
Secondary schools
Non-graded system to the
Senior Secondary school
2
Steering System of The Education
School Acts and Decrees
General objectives and distribution of lesson hours
National Core Curriculum
Teacher
Education
(Universities)
Local Curriculum
(Providers of
education)
Matriculation
examination
Teaching and
learning
materials
(Publishing
companies)
3
School Autonomy
• Curriculum
– National Core Curricula by NBE
– Guidelines by the municipality – local orientation
– School-based curriculum
• Annual work plan and budget, recruitment of teachers
and staff
• Decisions on group forming, daily work rhythm and other
practices
• Profiling of schools by contents
• Decisions on text books and other materials
– Central approval procedures abolished 1993
– Decisions on school level
• Pedagogical autonomy of teachers
• Voluntary participation in national development
programmes
4
Sharing Tasks in Education
The
Government
The Ministry of
Education
The National
Board of
Education
Local
organizer of
education.
makes decision about the general
national aims, the division of time
sharing between different subjects and
groups and in addition about career
counseling.
prepares legislation and decides
educational policy.
makes the decision about the aims and
the main contents of the subjects and
groups of subjects, the career counseling
and optional subjects in the national core
curriculum.
NBE also confirms general and special
supporting services and general
guidelines of assessment
creates the local curriculum for schools
and municipalities according to the core
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curriculum.
Preliminary work of preparation
•
•
•
•
Collecting data of the changes in society
Anticipation
Development of legislation
New information about learning and
teaching
• Analysis of the local curriculums
• Achievements (sample-based evaluation)
• Other indicators
6
Preparation of Framework
Curriculum
National Board of
Education
Publishing
house
association
Steering group
Curriculum teams
Co-operation network
Advisory opinion from partners
7
Basic values, tasks and objectives
Learning conception, culture and
learning environment, working
approaches
Distribution of hours
Language program
ICT-strategy
Integrative, cross-curricular themes
Subjects
Support
Subjects
Guidance
Subjects
Pupil Welfare
by Marjo Kyllönen, The Bureau of
Education of Helsinki City
Cooperation
Evaluation and pupil assessment
THE STRUCTURE OF THE CURRICULUM
Integrative, cross-curricular themes
in Comprehensive school
•
•
•
•
•
Growth as a person
Cultural identity and internationalism
Media skills and communication
Participatory citizenship and entrepreneurship
Responsibility for the environment, well-being,
and a sustainable future
• Safety and traffic
• Technology and the individual
9
Integrative, cross-curricular themes
in General Upper Secondary School
•
•
•
•
•
•
Active citizenship and entrepreneurship
Safety and well-being
Sustainable development
Cultural identity and knowledge of cultures
Technology and society
Communication and media competence
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Distribution of teaching hours in basic education
Subject
1
2
3
4
5
6
Mother tongue and literature
14
14
A-language
"------------------------------8
B-language
"---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Mathematics
6
12
Environmental Studies
Biology and Geography
3
Physics and Chemistry
2
Health Education
Environment and nature 9
Region/Ethics
History and Social Studies
Music
Art
Craft
Physical Education
Arts and practical subjects 26
Home Economics
Student Counseling
Elective Subjects
Minimum number of hours
19
19
23
23
24
24
Optional A-language
"---------------------------6
7
8
9
14
8
42
16
6
32
6
14
7
7
3
31
11
10
30
13
30
30
6
.
30
56
3
2
13
222
12
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General Upper
Secondary
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Students about 16 - 19 years of age
about 37 000 new students every year
Divided into courses (about 38 lessons)
School year usually divided into 5 or 6 periods
Consists compulsory, specialisation and applied courses
18 subjects + student counseling
extensive language programme
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Course programme
in GUSS
1 course = 38 lessons of 45 minutes
(= 1 weekly lesson in a year)
Subject
Compulsory courses Advanced courses
Mother tongue and literature
6
2Compulsory foreign language B
6
2Compulsory foreign language A
5
2Other languages
16Mathematics
Short course
6
2Advanced course
10
3Biology
2
2Geography
2
2Physics
1
7Chemistry
1
3Religion/Ethics
3
2Philosophy
1
2Psychology
"5History, Social Studies
5
3Aesthetic Subjects
3
Music
1 or 2
3Art
1 or 2
3Physical education, health education
3
3Careers education and guidance
1
"Compulsory courses
45-49
Specialization courses, minimum
10
Total minimum
75
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Flexible structures
• to make local decisions
concerning curriculum
(municipality)
• to work out an annual
work plan (school)
• to construct an individual
study programme
(student)
• to complete matriculation
examination (student)
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Flexible structures
• student´s study programme is non-graded,
sequence of courses is free or partly bound;
usually the whole programme becomes
completed in 3 years, 4 years allowed
• matriculation examination can be completed in
three consecutive examination periods and can
also be supplemented later on
15
Vocational education and training
• Seven sectors of education (Social
and healthcare, Technology and
traffic etc.)
• 52 vocational qualification
including 113 different study
programmes (3 years, 120 cr)
– Vocational studies (90 cr)
• Incl. on-the job learning (min. 20
cr)
– Core subjects such languages and
sciences (20 cr)
– Free-choice studies (10 cr)
• EU level 3
• gives general eligibility for higher
education
• Apprenticeship training and
competence-based qualification
16
New Technologies applied to
Education
17
ICT in Finnish Schools
• In schools there must be
strategy for students to get
skills and knowledge to get on
with information and
communication society
(Computer literacy)
• ICT (as programming etc.) is
not “official” subject, usually it
is taught as a selective subject
or specialization courses
• Integration to subjects
• Cross curriculum subjects (for
example Technology)
• Club activities in schools
18
ICT programmes in Finland
•
•
•
Finland towards the Information Society
1996-2000
Information Society -programme 2001-2004
Information Society -programme for
Education and Research 2004-2006
Networks
Computers
Teacher training
Methods development
19
Large
The many forms of virtual learning
Courses for new groups of students outside
the school
New courses for students of the school
Autonomy
Experts guiding the students of the school
Courses from other school
Small
Cooperation between schools
Using the Internet in learning and teaching
Teacher or tutor
Student
20
Example: Upper Secondary Distance
Learning
FNBE’s National Project 2000-2004
The objectives of the development project
• to create an open and flexible
opportunity for adults (and young people)
to complete upper secondary school
studies
• to develop learning methods utilizing ICT
• to produce study materials (Internet, TV,
radio)
• to develop regional collaboration
between schools
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Links:
www.minedu.fi
www.edu.fi/english
www.oph.fi
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Thank you for your attention!
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