Here is some of the directing principles of the school and the vision they have.
School Values
1. focused on child
2. integrity and fairness
3. tolerance and equality
4. sustainability
5. sense of communication
6. holistic wellness
Vision
The inclusive Saunalahti School is a learning and expert community that enables growing roots and wings to children.
Their Mission
A child is not brought up so that he can be as pleasant and effortless for us as he can be, but so that he can be healthy and strong to fill in his future place in the world and discover himself.” –Maria Jotuni
The sense of community and personalized learning in this building could be felt the minute you walked through the doors. I loved walking into the classroom and seeing students all over the room working, communicating, collaborating, and investigating. The teacher gives the students the objective and the materials, then the students go where is most comfortable to begin their work. They are not hindered by a strict block schedule.
The second school we visited was Mantymaki Elementary School in Kauniainen.
The principal shared with us the future of his and other Finnish schools through a project called The National Dream School Project.
Although the school was not as new as the previous, the key components that make the Finnish schools so great remained the same. We were shown more of the "handycrafts" components here with wood-working, sewing, dance, and other work that in the US we would have as electives in the middle or high schools or not a focus in school at all.
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| 3-D Printers |
As I reflect on the experiences, one big takeaway is how they move forward with no testing, whereas I feel we are now inundated with testing in the US. Saunalahti has personlized learning plans for each student and the teachers meet with the parents at least three times a year to go over this plan and set goals for both home and at school. More meetings to go over these goals can be made on an as needed basis if they see the current methods are not helping them meet make advances.
There is no evaluation for the teachers. As the principal of Mantymaki said, we trust our teachers. Test scores to assess teachers doesn't make sense because all kids are different and the teaching style has to change with each class.
The teachers here have a desire to be the best in their field and always strive to continue their learning too. As the needs of the students grow, the teachers change how they work and teach. There are some teachers I work with that do follow this path but there are many who would rather make it easy for them or not change their ways. It was empowering to see these teachers at work.
There is a trust in the teachers and the teachers in their students. Recess/breaks can happen for 15 minutes every 30 minutes or as they get older some are 30 minutes after every hour. These are not supervised by teachers, but instead it works as collaboration time for them. The students are getting the necessary movement or brain breaks they need to stay engaged.
See the articles - Why Are Finland's Schools Successful? and How Finland Keeps Kids Focused
The days can also be very flexible. Younger students days are not as long and some students may start early for more interventions with a small group and the rest of the class arrives later. Then the early group dismisses before the group that arrives later.
They have clubs for the kids that may involve interests and many are run by students themselves. This goes back again to the trust in the child or learner to use their time effectively.
If I had to put just single words to what I saw they would be personalized, fluidity, quality, trust, visibility, personalized, engaged. I'm just in awe of how they make this happen and can only think if only we could get to that place.....
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