Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.15516/cje.v18i0.2222
Basic Education of the Future – Let’s Turn the Trend!
Najat Ouakrim-Soivio
; The Ministry of Education and Culture in Helsinki
Abstract
Basic education of the future – Let’s turn the trend! was a development project on compulsory education in Finland. The aim was to assess the current situation, examine the reasons for the drop in the learning outcomes at the national and international levels and study the needs to develop teaching and learning in the Finnish educational system. Two working groups coordinated by a broad-based steering group were set up for the purposes of the project. The objective of the working group on competence and learning was to discover means to improve learning outcomes, bridge the gap in the learning outcomes between girls and boys, ensure regional equality, safeguard equal opportunities for further studies and halt the trend of increasing disparities within and between schools. The project also examined the position of minorities and their learning outcomes in the Finnish educational system. The working group on motivation and teaching explored different learning environments, study materials including educational games, and innovations that support learning, investigated how learning motivation and well-being could be improved, and assessed the significance of motivation and school satisfaction for learning and school attendance. The group members also looked at the content and methods of education and pre- and in-service training for teachers. In the autumn an online survey was organized and 7,000 people responded. Also, six regional events were held in late autumn in 2014. The purpose of these events was to facilitate an extensive public discussion about the future of basic education. The working groups’ proposals as well as the results of the survey were presented in more detail at the beginning of March when the report on this development project was published. The proposals are to be exploited in the drawing up of the government programme after the next parliamentary elections in April 2015.
Keywords
basic education; education policy; equality and equity; learning outcomes
Hrčak ID:
164739
URI
Publication date:
30.5.2016.
Visits: 2.451 *