Finnish National Curriculum Research Articles

국가 교육과정에서 지역 교육과정 개발을 위한 지침 설계 방안 탐색

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to analyze the case of Finland’s 2014 National Core Curriculum in order to draw implications for the design of guidelines for the development of local curriculum within the national curriculum framework. [Methods] The Finnish 2014 national curriculum Document(Basic Education), related materials from the Finnish National Board of Education, and the Helsinki curriculum Document(Basic Education) as an example of a local curriculum were analyzed in this study. This study examined the local participation in the national curriculum reform process, the characteristics of the guidelines for local curriculum presented in the national curriculum documents, and how these guidelines have guided local curriculum. [Results] This study revealed the following. First, the revision of the Finnish national curriculum sought to ensure local participation in the process, both internally and externally. Second, the Finnish 2014 national curriculum foregrounded the significance of local curriculum, with each chapter of the document detailing issues to be decided locally. Third, in the case of the Helsinki curriculum, the guidelines for local curriculum set out in the Finnish 2014 national curriculum functioned to help local actors articulate local perspectives to complement the content of the national curriculum. [Conclusion] Based on the results, the study discussed the need to strengthen the procedural participation of the local actors in the next national curriculum revision process, the need to include specific detailed statements in the national curriculum to support the development of the local curriculum, and the need to rethink the way local curriculum documents are organized.

Globalisation and Cultural Diversity in the Finnish School Curriculum: Ethical and Critical Perspectives

The purpose of this article is to explore and analyse how globalisation and cultural diversity are addressed in the Finnish national curriculum for comprehensive school. The study focuses on both the broad considerations of globalisation and cultural diversity as well as the unique challenges of various school subjects in addressing these topics. The analysis is particularly concerned with the ethical ramifications associated with critical perspectives on globalisation. The curriculum does not provide a direct answer to these concerns. Instead, it emphasises cultural diversity when presenting the many issues encountered by pupils. The primary finding of the analysis is that the conceptualization of globalisation in the Finnish curriculum lacks depth and substance. As an indication of this, the curriculum places a greater focus on cultural diversity than globalisation. Moreover, the Finnish curriculum perceives globalisation and cultural diversity as prospects rather than challenges. In terms of ethical considerations, the curriculum represents a kind of mixed model in which utilitarian considerations are emphasised but refined with duty-ethical considerations arising from universal human rights.

Modifying physical activities for maximizing learning opportunities: perspectives of Finnish physical educators and special educators on inclusive teaching strategies

ABSTRACT Background Recent curricular reforms have aimed to make the Finnish education system more inclusive which requires the implementation of differentiated and individualized teaching practices within schools. In Finland, as it is internationally, efforts have been made to increase adaptive teaching strategies and collaborative practices between different professionals in the physical education (PE) context. So far, current research has revealed significant findings on how pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) can be successfully included in integrated/mainstream PE settings, focusing mainly on the perspectives of PE teachers. In comparison, little attention has been paid to the instructional strategies of different pedagogues involved in the PE classroom. Besides, little is known about how inclusive learning environments with an all-embracing approach that goes beyond the inclusion of pupils with SEND can be created in practice. Paying greater attention to these issues holds strong potential to enrich the existing knowledge regarding instructional strategies in PE and could help other teachers justify their educational choices. Methodology Drawing on the data from a multiple case study in a Finnish context, we explore how four PE teachers and four special education teachers attempted to work inclusively within PE. Document analysis of the current Finnish national curriculum and semi-structured interviews with special and physical education teachers were used to extend the current understanding of pedagogical practices for dealing with diversity in PE. The interviews have been content-analysed adopting deductive-inductive approach utilizing the TREE model and the Inclusion Spectrum. Findings The results of the present study illuminate how PE and special educators often showed willingness to modify the physical activities to meet the individual needs of all learners in PE which included the rules, equipment, and environmental modifications. The findings highlight the variety of instructional strategies used among participants in the PE context. Both teacher professions take individual responsibility for the teaching activities, but their traditional role as independent and autonomous professionals may also be an obstacle for collaboration. This research also identified the important role of collaborative structures and cultures which requires critical reflections of the individual aims and a shared vision of inclusive teaching. Conclusion Overall, this paper contributes to a growing body of pedagogical research portraying the perspectives of PE and special educators involved in the PE classroom. Future research should further examine the perspectives of different professionals as it may contribute to a more comprehensive perspective on diversity and inclusive teaching strategies.

Primary school students’ perceptions of a sustainable future in the context of a Storyline project

All human decision-making is based on different expectations and assumptions about the future. Futures literacy, consisting of knowledge, emotions, and skills, is an essential competency for the 21st century. Educational steering documents, as the Finnish national curriculum, state that the teachers shall scaffold the students in problem solving, critical thinking and into a sustainable lifestyle now and in the future. The task is complex and challenging for the teachers. In this study a Storyline project was used as a frame for learning about sustainable living. The aim of the study was to study how students’ perceptions of sustainable futures are visualized through the Storyline project and the meta-reflective dialogue. The research material consists of recorded group interviews with primary school students. The results of the thematic analysis show that different ecological skills, ecological concepts, and entities related to ecological sustainability, as well as cause-and-effect descriptions related to science, are present in the students' descriptions of the future. As emotional skills, students bring out empathy; empathy both for other people and for plants and animals. Students rely on their own competence to involve in sustainable development and as resources they highlight e.g. technological innovations, the importance of scientific knowledge, circular economy thinking as well as learning skills and social skills.

Finnish Matriculation Examination and National Curriculum and Teachers’ Attitudes, Perspectives, and Practices

The Finnish National Core Curriculum (NCC) and the Finnish Matriculation Examination (ME) are likely to shape what happens in classrooms around Finland, particularly with regard to classroom assessment. The present study aimed at exploring English academically oriented upper secondary school teachers’ of English (n = 85) (1) attitudes to changes in the NCC and the ME happening around 2017, when the data were collected, (2) their perspectives on these changes, and (3) how their assessment practices were shaped by the NCC and the ME. The data came from a survey and follow-up interviews with four teachers. The results indicated that teachers were quite positive about both changes, though anticipated both positive and negative changes in the classroom. Their assessment practices appeared to be shaped more strongly by the ME than the NCC. Their practices also seemed to impact their attitudes to and perspectives on the two changes.

A study on the method of reflecting and presenting competency in the national curriculum pursuing the high school credit system: Based on the example of the Finnish national curriculum

목적 본 연구는 고교학점제를 추구하는 미래 교육과정에서 역량 반영 및 제시 방식이 무엇이어야 하는지 제시하는 것을 연구의 목적으로 삼았다. 방법 본 연구는 해외 고교 교육과정 문서를 분석하여 시사점을 얻고자 하였다. 본 연구에서는 핀란드의 사례를 선정하였는데, 핀란드는 고교 교육과정을 2019년에 개정하고 2021년 8월부터 이를 적용하는데, 이 교육과정에서는 포괄적 역량(Transversal competences)을 지향하면서, 과목 및 진로에 따른 학점 이수 방안을 면밀하게 계획하고 있기 때문이다. 결과 핀란드의 고교 교육과정에서는 학점제를 구성하는 요소들이 역량을 향해 일관성 있게 연결된다. 즉, 교육과정을 목표, 내용, 방법, 평가 측면으로 구분하여 보았을 때, 교과의 목표가 곧 역량 습득으로 진술되고, 교과 내용은 역량을 수준별로 구분한 형태로 제시된다. 또한, 학점제를 구성하는 여러 교과 간 연계 속에서 학생의 주체적인 학습을 통한 역량 습득을 추구하며, 이것이 곧 학점 취득과 졸업장 수여로 이어진다. 결론 이를 통해 본 연구에서는 우리나라 핵심 역량의 위상을 재설정하고, 이것을 바탕으로 교과의 목표, 내용, 방법, 평가 체계를 일원화할 것, 여러 교과가 결합을 통해 역량을 정의함으로써 역량의 의미룔 명료화할 것, 학생 스스로 자신에게 필요한 역량과 이것을 습득할 교과가 무엇인지 선택하게 할 것, 학생들이 학점 이수를 통해 역량을 습득하는 과정을 중시할 것 등을 제언하였다.

Predictors of Parental Contentment with the Amount of Encouraging Digital Feedback from Teachers in Finnish Schools

The Finnish National curriculum obligates teachers to give parents encouraging feedback about their children’s learning and development, the aim being to build a constructive relationship between homes and schools and to encourage close collaboration among all parties. Teachers in Finland nowadays use digital platforms that allow effective online communication. The frequency and quality of such communication vary a great deal. In particular, there seems to be a lack of clarity concerning the amount of encouraging feedback delivered in this way. The focus in this paper is on the extent to which Finnish parents (N = 1117) in both urban and rural areas are content with the amount of such feedback. We carried out a logistic regression analysis to predict parental contentment with the amount of encouraging messaging, with the pupil’s grade level, parental attitudes to digital communication, as well as parental educational level and gender as independent variables. In sum, parents who were less highly educated, with a neutral-to-positive attitude to digital communication and with a child in lower secondary school were most likely to be content with the amount of communication. These results have both research and practical implications in terms of enhancing the understanding of how best to deliver encouraging digital feedback between homes and schools. Furthermore, it seems that teacher education should focus on communicative competence early on. The current study completes our three-part series of studies on digital home–school communication in Finland.

‘Human rights and democracy are not self-evident’: Finnish student teachers’ perceptions on democracy and human rights education

This article discusses democracy and human rights education (DHRE) in Finnish teacher education, drawing on existing literature, curricula and a survey of student teachers’ perceptions. Earlier studies suggested that DHRE in Finnish teacher education is unsystematic, implicit, and dependent on the teacher’s individual interests. These studies highlight a sense of national exceptionalism, where DHRE is assumed to be self-evident. In 2019, we conducted a survey of student teachers (n=300) in one university. Data content analysis reveals that student teachers now see DHRE as relevant and timely, and by no means self-evident. Student teachers believe that DHRE needs to be explicit and part of their professional education. Although the Finnish national curriculum addresses DHRE explicitly, there is a lack of implementation and explicit DHRE teacher education. We contend that the data reflects societal change, and that the notion that democracy and human rights are self-evident needs to be challenged in Finland.

Designing education democratically through deliberative crowdsourcing: the case of the Finnish curriculum for basic education

ABSTRACT In Finland, curriculum design is allegedly carried out through a deliberative process that involves various stakeholders, interest groups, experts and ordinary citizens. To facilitate participation in curriculum design, online crowdsourcing has been applied. The objective of this study is to explore to what extent the design process of the latest Finnish national curriculum for mathematics was open, democratic and deliberative. The theoretical framework of the study is the theory of democratic will-formation of the German philosopher Jürgen Habermas. The comments given on the early version of the core curriculum of mathematics were analysed using directed content analysis, in which the above theory was applied. In the empirical analysis, the comments on the core curriculum were divided into three categories based on the quantity and quality of the arguments: strong, medium and weak modifications. Based on this empirical analysis, it is argued that majority of modifications suggested by commenters did not play a significant role in the curriculum design. Thus, in terms of the theory of democratic will-formation, there are legitimate reasons to suspect that the process was not as democratic as it was intended to be. To conclude, limits and opportunities for deliberative democracy in curriculum design are reflected upon.

Absolwent ośmioletniej szkoły podstawowej. Projekt wpisany w tekst podstawy programowej

The preamble of National Core Curriculum for Basic Education in Poland presents main aims, for example guiding to the values, teaching skills of communication, active participating in culture. However, the analysis of the part devoted to the subject of Polish tongue and culture shows there is contradiction between declaration and strict requirements. The created by Curriculum pupil who ends the education at the Polish primary school mainly is an expert equipped in opulent knowledge on language and literature, not skilled and responsible user of communication and participant in culture. As an opposed model, we can present the Finnish National Curriculum where knowledge is subordinated to practical skill.

Teachers’ perceptions of the Finnish national curriculum and inclusive practices of physical education

ABSTRACTThis paper investigates the relationship between the Finnish national curriculum and inclusive practices of physical education (PE) from the viewpoint of teachers from Finland. Case studies were conducted with the intention of developing understandings of the teacher’s perspective on the current PE curricula at the time of transition to a new curriculum. The present qualitative study was carried out over a period of six months through weekly observations of PE classes and semi-structured interviews with teachers (n = 8) in four different schools in Southern Finland. Data were analysed through content analysis. Themes identified were ‘Pedagogical autonomy and flexibility of the curriculum’, ‘Commitment and responsibility’ and ‘Conceptualisation of PE’. Findings revealed that the flexibility of the curriculum seems to have a positive impact on the participants’ professional practice. Several participants feel morally responsible for developing their schools. Moreover, for most participants, PE should promote lifelong participation in physical activity. A differentiated and reflected understanding of assessing student achievement in PE seems important to accommodate the individual needs of their students with disabilities.

Compute mindlessly. Not! Map consciously

This paper utilizes concept mapping as a tool for conscious and deliberate knowledge building in mathematics and its extension to algorithms. Currently, alleged defects in mathematics education are obvious: instead of conceptual elaboration, everyday praxis relies on routine computations that are likely to lead into alienated concepts with weak connections to prior knowledge. A concept map visualizes the existing conceptual structure, and whenever new information is brought in, it will be placed in the map by clearly explicating its linkage to the previous concepts. In the Finnish mathematics education, such new knowledge is programming content that is integrated into elementary school mathematics in 2014 Finnish National Curriculum. This content is crystallized as the requirements of computational and algorithmic thinking, the utilization of respective data structures, and adequate amount of hands-on practice to internalize good coding conventions. This study examines secondary (N = 19) and higher education students (N = 10) and their conceptual knowledge of mathematics concentrating on the domain of algorithms in particular. The concept maps drawn by the students are evaluated using the SOLO taxonomy. To conclude, a consensus map of algorithms is represented and linked to the elementary mathematics syllabus.

Understanding Finnish student craft teachers’ conceptions of sustainability

PurposeThis study aims to explore student craft teachers’ conceptions of sustainable craft. This is an important issue because the Finnish National Curriculum of Basic Education emphasises sustainability, especially in craft education, and teachers play a vital role in preparing pupils to meet the future challenges. Because the concept of sustainable craft is open-ended, there is a need to rethink pedagogy in craft education and higher education.Design/methodology/approachThe data were collected in the form of essays from future craft teachers (N41) studying craft science in the Finnish higher education system. The essays concerned both general conceptions of sustainable craft and reflections on the student teachers’ craft practices. The data were analysed using grounded theory to gain a deep understanding of how student craft teachers conceptualise sustainable craft. The data were quantified and statistically assessed for dependencies between variables and transferability of results.FindingsThe study revealed that sustainable craft is conceptualised as a system and that student teachers approach sustainability from different orientations: practice, product, immaterial and holistic.Originality/valueThe emerging theory offers a new concrete tool for understanding the abstract concept of sustainability in higher education and suggests that sustainability can be addressed through tangible methods of craft. This theory proposes craft as a tool to conceptualise of sustainability for broader use in education for sustainability (ESD) and as a concrete tool for developing pedagogy for ESD.

Shared Sense-making in Curriculum Reform: Orchestrating the Local Curriculum Work

ABSTRACTThis study aims to gain a better understanding of the Finnish national curriculum reform by examining how the educational practitioners, at the district level, orchestrate the shared sense-making concerning the reform work in their school districts. Qualitative focus group data was collected from 12 groups, throughout Finland, that were responsible for orchestrating curriculum reform work at the district level. Results showed that curriculum reform steering groups recognized the importance of orchestrating shared sense-making. They strived to develop functional, context sensitive, and shared strategies for reform implementation across their districts. They employed a range of strategies for managing, navigating, and regulating the shared sense-making of the local curriculum work.

A Purposeful MOOC to Alleviate Insufficient CS Education in Finnish Schools

The Finnish national school curriculum, effective from 2004, does not include any topics related to Computer Science (CS). To alleviate the problem that school students are not able to study CS-related topics, the Department of Computer Science at the University of Helsinki prepared a completely online course that is open to pupils and students in all schools in Finland. The course is a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), as the attendance scales without an upper bound. Schools in Finland have offered the MOOC as an elective CS course for their students and granted formal school credits for completing (parts of) it. Since our MOOC is exactly the same programming course as our university-level CS1 course, we are able to use the MOOC also as a long-lasting entrance exam to the CS BSc and MSc degrees. After two spring semesters of operation, we have observed that there are school students dispersed around Finland who are ready and willing to take on a challenging programming course online, and bridging the MOOC to a full study right makes a strong incentive to keep working on the programming assignments, even without traditional teaching.

민주주의 실현으로서 핀란드 교육과정개편이 주는 교훈: 누리과정 개편을 위한 논의

본 연구는 향후 있을 누리과정 개편에 앞서 자칫 재현될 수 있는 문제점을 사전에 방지하기 위한 선례분석으로서 1960년 대 이후 핀란드 교육과정개편의 역사와 절차를 살펴보고 거기에서 교훈을 얻고자 하였다. 이를 위해 핀란드 국가교육위원회(Finnish National Board of Education)가 제공한 자료를 중심으로 문헌연구를 실시하였다. 먼저 핀란드 교육과정 개편의 역사를 고찰하기에 앞서 심층적 이해를 돕기 위해 핀란드 교육체제 개혁의 역사를 10년 주기로 살펴보았다. 이어서 1968년 이후 진행된 핀란드 교육과정 개편의 흐름에 대해 알아보았다. 마지막으로 2012년부터 시작된 "2012-2016/7 핀란드 교육과정 개편"을 기간, 참여대상, 절차를 중심으로 살펴보았다. 연구결과에 따르면 핀란드 교육과정 개편은 오랜 숙고기간, 아래에서 위로의, 모든 과정이 공개된 것을 특징으로 하였다. 핀란드 교육과정 개편은 다름 아닌 민주주의 실현의 장으로서 전 국민이 참여하는 국가적 이벤트로서 오랫동안 자리매김을 해오고 있었다. 이 글은 정책적 특성만이 아니라 교육적 특성이 균형감 있게 공존할 수 있는 누리과정의 개편에서 기초자료로 활용될 수 있을 것으로 기대한다. This study aimed to investigate the process of the national curriculum reforms in Finland since 1968. The history of Finnish educational system reform was firstly discussed in order to provide the background and context of the curriculum reforms from 1968 to the present for a deeper understanding of the Finnish curriculum reform processes. Secondly, I provided a contour of the history of Finnish curriculum reform, focusing on the development and revision of early childhood curriculum since the 2000s. Finally, the current Finnish national curriculum reform named the "2012-2016/7 National Core Curriculum Reform" was depicted in details: processes, participants, principles etc. In conclusion, the Finnish national curriculum reform processes provide lessons: long-term reform design, open reform process, and a variety of reform participants including beneficiaries of education and students, which were the ones who have been neglected so far in Korea. In short, the Finnish curriculum reform process can be considered a realization of democracy.

Physics Education in the Finnish National Curriculum

Physics Education in the Finnish National Curriculum

Geography in the Finnish school curriculum: part of the ‘success story’?

The article investigates the status of geography education in the Finnish national curricula from the 1970s until today. Conceptions of teaching, learning and change in society are traced through curriculum texts; in addition, the ways in which these are applied in the subject-specified aims and content of the geography curriculum are explored. This is done in the context of the success story of the Finnish education system. The analysis shows how constructivist ideas of learning have been implemented in the curriculum, but are not necessarily seen in the students’ learning outcomes. Changes in society have been reflected in the underlying values and cross-disciplinary themes defined in the curricula, although their application in geography has been relatively weak. The content of the geography curriculum has remained strongly connected to the tradition of teaching regional geography, while the close linkage between geography and biology has guaranteed a stronger position for physical rather than cultural geography. Some contemporary changes, in information and communications technology (ICT) and geographic information systems (GIS) in particular, have quickly been implemented in the geography curriculum, while some themes – for example, those emphasizing students’ everyday experiences – have remained marginal.

Didaktisk diskussion om barnträdgårdslärares möjligheter att arbeta med matematik i finländsk småbarnsfostran

Title: Didactical discussion on pre-school teachers’ prerequisites for working with mathematics in Finnish early childhood educationAbstract: Finnish teachers encounter an increased focus on learning aspects and a revised legislation strengthens teachers’ professional role for early learning, which also has impact on pre-school teachers’ work in early childhood education (children 0–5 years). The paradigm in early childhood education in recent years emphasizes development, learning and teaching. Mathematics is one content area that has been given a lot of attention in Nordic discussions on education for early years. However, the Finnish national curricula and guidelines for early childhood education give limited support for developing stimulating and goal-oriented educational practice in so called academic fields of knowledge, for example mathematics. This article aims at pointing at some of the prerequisites for working with mathematics in Finnish early childhood education in relation to new research on mathematical development and didactics suitable for early childhood education. Three authentic examples of traditional pre-school activities with toddlers are taken as a starting point for the didactical discussion.

Educating worker-citizens: visions and divisions in curriculum texts

In this article, we are interested in how employment – or employability – is connected to citizenship, and how the ideal subjectivity of worker-citizens is discursively constructed in curriculum texts. The ‘worker-citizen’ is a social construction that connects closely the notion of worker and the notion of citizen. Our analysis is based on Finnish national curricula for upper secondary vocational education. We consider upper secondary vocational education as a field in which individuals learn the new orders of the labour market. Curriculum texts define desirable goals and ideals for what future citizens and future employees should be like. As a result, we argue that flexibility characterises the ideal subjectivity that is discursively attributed to worker-citizens in accordance with neo-liberal reasoning: they have internalised the ethos of entrepreneurship and lifelong learning, and are capable of accepting changes and crossing national borders in order to follow the needs of the labour market. Worker-citizens are willing to accept a minimal level of social security provided by the state, and to look after their own health and employment. However, as consumers they express national loyalty. Personal objectives of worker-citizens are congruent with the objectives of industry and the workplace.