Issue link: https://trevordayschool.uberflip.com/i/1315612
Finland offers many paths Unlike in Germany, for example, where students are tracked into an academic or vocational school after 5th grade, this decision is made in Finnish schools after 9th grade. In the ten years prior to this divide, students have been exposed to an incredible arts and crafts curriculum. All students have training in soft crafts (i.e., sewing, textile dying), hard crafts (i.e., carpentry, circuitry, welding), and home economics. These subjects are not considered "extras." They are part of the core curriculum for grades K–9; nearly a third of each school day is dedicated to them. Ultimately, all professional paths and careers are valued, because students have shared in the educational experience and understanding. Their one standardized test is called the National Matriculation Examination. Completely voluntary, students can elect to take the test at the end of In what sense are happiness, good life and well-being ethical concepts? Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels predicted that a socialist revolution would first happen in countries like Great Britain. What made Marx and Engels claim that and why did a socialist revolution happen in Russia? high school. In a 2014 article in the Washington Post, Mr. Sahlberg emphasized that "The test embraces controversial and complex topics." Consider these sample questions: Sahlberg added that "Finnish students are regularly asked to show their ability to cope with issues related to evolution, losing a job, dieting, political issues, violence, war, ethics in sports, junk food, sex, drugs, and popular music. Such issues span across subject areas and often require multi-disciplinary knowledge and skills." The author Linda Darling-Hammond concurs. In her book on the Finnish educational system, The Flat World and Education: How America's Commitment to Equity Will Determine Our Future, she writes that "The Finnish curricula are very much focused on critical thinking and problem solving, project-based learning, and learning to learn.…" As I boarded our plane for home, I thought: In so many ways, Finland was such familiar territory. Top: Students in this Joensuu Middle and High School gather to discuss a project; Bottom: Sixth graders read quietly together at the Viherlaakso School in Espoo, a suburb of Helsinki. 3 4 T R E V O R D AY S C H O O L n W I N T E R 2 0 1 9 – 2 0 2 0