As if reading my mind, the Director started discussing Finnish pre-schools as a place for students to become independent. The students are given a huge deal of responsibility at a very young age. "It would be faster if the teachers or parents dressed and undressed the students with their boots and indoor clothes, but then the child doesn't learn to do it himself." Students know that they are expected to be independent, and I saw evidence of it as I witnessed students cleaning up after themselves without being reminded and walking to the bathroom on their own.
Preschools in Finland are places for children ages 3-7. The only compulsory year of preschool is the last year, which would be the equivalent of Kindergarten in the US. It was just made compulsory this year though, and it is to prepare students to enter primary school in 1st grade. However, even in this Kindergarten, the things that are emphasized are playing and being outside. Being outside is so essential to Finland from what I have observed. The Director said that in a 4-5 hour day, preschoolers will spend a minimum of 1-1.5 hours outside.
As we continued to discuss the philosophy behind preschool, the Director explained that the education is extremely personalized. Each parent sits down with the teacher at the beginning of the year and discusses what they would like their child to learn and how they learn. The teachers then make an individualized plan for each student. How is it possible to give such individualized instruction? One way is that there is a ratio of 1 teacher for every 7 students in pre-school. In the 3 year old classes, the ratio is 1 teacher to 4 students. There are also assistants in the classroom. Some of the assistants are University students, and some of them are doing their one year of compulsory civil service (if you opt out of the 6 months of military service). The students recognize all of these adults as teachers though.
I did notice that students were beginning to learn to read and work on math in the Kindergarten classes. I asked the Director if that was the norm to get them ready for primary school. She told me that most preschools did start teaching these concepts, although some of the primary school first grade teachers try to discourage it. They advise them to just keep letting them play, do physical activity and work on different arts. I love how much play is valued in all the schools I have observed so far.
I have yet to get into a high school classroom. They are in exams this week, and everyone has a one week ski break next week. After that though, I have made some high school contacts of teachers who will let me into their classrooms. I'm so curious to keep exploring how this independence, individualization and idea of play carries on into the upper grades. I'm hopeful that these concepts aren't lost as the classes are broken down into individual subjects. Looks like I will find out in March!