Anonymous wrote:
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.
Look, I think the Finland worship is idiotic, too. But, you're really kind of wrong in stating innovation lacks in Finland. It has been puting more into R&D than the US, for example, by about 50%, for nearly a decade. To wit:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/13/AR2005071302227.html
It is also No. 4 in the world in the Global Innovation Index:
http://www.wipo.int/pressroom/en/articles/2012/article_0014.html The US is No. 10.
Oops, suddenly we forgot we are not comparing apples to apples because of the size.
Many of the "innovators" in US are foreigners-the Russian physicists and Asians. They come here for the opportunity and money.Where are the "smart" Americans? Finland doesn't have the culture where all want to be rich or celebrities or both.Money is a good motivation for innovation.