Why Finland is top worldwide in Education rankings

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Of course, some of it is funny...

"Finnish schools vary so little because the schools have the same curriculum".

ummmm--maybe it is also because the Finnish socio-economic/language population also varies so little from school-to-school.

The rest is pretty interesting though. I have heard over and over about play-based learning in the early years. Second child is going that route. First child was in a more academic setting.

yes, finland is not exactly a melting pot of diversity. There are a bunch of white, Finnish people there and that's it. They don't deal with the massive diversity that is great but also is challenging to the UNited States school systems.

Is "diversity" the new code word for the poor masses of inner city blacks and Hispanics that are dragging down the test score averages? I do not think diversity on its own is "great", why is that automatically assumed? Finland and South Korea lead the list of successful schools, I hardly think they would prefer to change their homogenous population to one of "diversity" if it acts to diminish the success of the educational system. Where exactly did the term come from as there have been multi-cultures here for centuries-- but all of a sudden this is a the new "pc" code word to describe the lowest socioeconomic races in the country.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Of course, some of it is funny...

"Finnish schools vary so little because the schools have the same curriculum".

ummmm--maybe it is also because the Finnish socio-economic/language population also varies so little from school-to-school.

The rest is pretty interesting though. I have heard over and over about play-based learning in the early years. Second child is going that route. First child was in a more academic setting.

yes, finland is not exactly a melting pot of diversity. There are a bunch of white, Finnish people there and that's it. They don't deal with the massive diversity that is great but also is challenging to the UNited States school systems.

Is "diversity" the new code word for the poor masses of inner city blacks and Hispanics that are dragging down the test score averages? I do not think diversity on its own is "great", why is that automatically assumed? Finland and South Korea lead the list of successful schools, I hardly think they would prefer to change their homogenous population to one of "diversity" if it acts to diminish the success of the educational system. Where exactly did the term come from as there have been multi-cultures here for centuries-- but all of a sudden this is a the new "pc" code word to describe the lowest socioeconomic races in the country.

It doesn't' t matter whether or not diversity in itself is a good thing. That's how this country is and will continue to be. If you aren't in a "diverse" group, you have nothing to worry about, your DC' s test scores should be comparable to the South Koreans. See e.g. TJ admissions

[Anonymous]

Which preschool in N Arlington is game based?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Which preschool in N Arlington is game based?

CCCC

[Anonymous]

Is Montessori considered play based? Sorry for my ignorance.

Any suggestions if we already missed the opportunity for anything play-based for older child (2nd grade)? Are there things we can do now outside of school?

[Anonymous]

Montessori has some aspects of being playbased in that the children can choose what to do, but so much of the work is individualized and not group oriented or creative. Some Montessori schools do have group playtime, lots of outdoor time, and have children work together, so it depends on the school. I would also like to know where these great creative playbased full day preschools are? When I go on tours, I see the playbased portion of the day mostly supervised by aids or teachers with little training. Children I know at those schools are still not playing cooperatively or doing anything very creative so they are lacking both academically, creatively, and socially for me.

[Anonymous]

And by full day, I'm looking for preschools that care for children a full 10 hours. There are a half dozen private preschools near us open for 8-9 hours which just doesn't cut it for working parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And by full day, I'm looking for preschools that care for children a full 10 hours. There are a half dozen private preschools near us open for 8-9 hours which just doesn't cut it for working parents.

That's a daycare, not a preschool.

[Anonymous]

PP, Are you a SAHM? In the working world, everyone I know realizes that there are full daycare programs that call themselves preschools because they have a preschool teaching component and follow an academic year. Why does it make so much difference to you what it's called? CCCC is a full day full year playbased but organized and creative preschool/daycare so I'm looking for more of these and less "daycare" where children are minimally supervised during their playtime. That school is inconvenient to me, has a long waitlist, and can't fit all of Arlington's kids much less all the kids of working parents in the DC area.

[Anonymous]

PP, cut your hours and spend some time with your kids. Be a mom. They and you will appreciate it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP, cut your hours and spend some time with your kids. Be a mom. They and you will appreciate it.

Agreed. I absolutely hate to say this, but 9-10 hours- 5days/week in a school at ages 2-4 years old is waaaaayyyy too long.

Even if you need to work longer--I'd seriously consider getting a sitter after 3pm so the child can decompress, etc. and have some one-on-one or alone time.

Even the best full-day preschools do not have any scheduled curriculum after the naptime--post 3pm. They really just function as extended day and I often find them to be chaotic after that time...kids and staff are worn out, etc. Most of the behavioral problems really escalate then too.

The only legitimate studies I've seen with any negative correlation on daycare/preschool is the correlation between aggressive and defiant behavior and over 30 hours/week in a center.

Our preschool is open 7am-6pm, but the Director states that it is not intended to be used for that full-time everyday by any one child. It merely accomodates different parental work schedules.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've said this before on previous Finnish education threads here, but I'll say it again. This comes from some experience, as DW lived in Helsinki and I visited her often.

Don't look at PISA scores, look at the end outcome. What type of innovations come out of Finland? The only successful companies are Rovio (Angry Birds game), Supercell (Clash of Clans - also a game), and formerly Nokia which would be bankrupt already if not for Microsoft's huge cash injection last year. I suppose Marimekko is a Finnish "success" depending on who you talk to.

Yes, Finland has a small population, but even when scaled for that, why do we see so much more innovation coming out of the US? How can the US children, so poorly educated according to PISA scores, end up producing so many innovations compared to their counterparts in Europe and Asia? Why does the US dominate in terms of top universities and Nobel prize winners?

My theory (and it's a theory) is that PISA scores do measure one aspect of ability (math/science), but school systems who focus too much on it fail to teach creativity and teamwork skills.

Is there a problem in the US education? For sure. The kids at the lower levels of the socioeconomic scale lose out, and the teacher's unions put the best interests of the teachers and not their pupils as the priority. There is definitely room for reform, but the Finnish model is not necessarily the goal.

Linux. Ever heard of it? Or Benecol, or Xylitol? Boom. Theory blown.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've said this before on previous Finnish education threads here, but I'll say it again. This comes from some experience, as DW lived in Helsinki and I visited her often.

Don't look at PISA scores, look at the end outcome. What type of innovations come out of Finland? The only successful companies are Rovio (Angry Birds game), Supercell (Clash of Clans - also a game), and formerly Nokia which would be bankrupt already if not for Microsoft's huge cash injection last year. I suppose Marimekko is a Finnish "success" depending on who you talk to.

Yes, Finland has a small population, but even when scaled for that, why do we see so much more innovation coming out of the US? How can the US children, so poorly educated according to PISA scores, end up producing so many innovations compared to their counterparts in Europe and Asia? Why does the US dominate in terms of top universities and Nobel prize winners?

My theory (and it's a theory) is that PISA scores do measure one aspect of ability (math/science), but school systems who focus too much on it fail to teach creativity and teamwork skills.

Is there a problem in the US education? For sure. The kids at the lower levels of the socioeconomic scale lose out, and the teacher's unions put the best interests of the teachers and not their pupils as the priority. There is definitely room for reform, but the Finnish model is not necessarily the goal.

Many American innovations are actually created by foreigners who come here and go to grad school. Our ability to attract these innovators has more to do with our immigration policy than it does with our education system.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP, cut your hours and spend some time with your kids. Be a mom. They and you will appreciate it.

Love the judgmental crazies on this site

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP, cut your hours and spend some time with your kids. Be a mom. They and you will appreciate it.

Love the judgmental crazies on this site

+1000
My kid is in preK - started at age 2 1/2 and does about 8-10 hrs m-f there. Guess what? He loves it there, we have zero issues with behavior and as full time working parents are happy to know he's well cared for. This is why I HATE living in nova in general. People here are way overly opinionated. east coast sucks in this way. why cant people be just a liitle more supportive and relaxed around here? why is it always a competition for "best mom" esp in north arlington? Judgmental mothers who think they are being great moms when often they are the ones who should be judging themselves.