International Scenes Education
Some educational critics might assert the preceding paragraphs support their contention
that American schools are not effective. Twenty-second out of a pool of 67 countries or
territories is still TWENTY-SECOUND! Our student should be firs. We must seize the future.
Being second is unacceptable. Such comments provide evidence of autoimmune response
dealing with future educational challenges employing present-centered, comfortable
assumptions. We must realize that we all suffer from this cultural, psychological, met cognitive”
ailment” We are “in” our cultural context so deeply that we are unaware of it, much as a fish is
unaware of the water in which it swims.
EDUCATION IN PARTICULAR COUNTRIES
No nation is an island unto itself. We are living at “warp-seed” globalization. We are
challenged not to retreat, but to embrace our evolving word for the benefit of all. Some people
are enthusiastically welcoming opportunities for new humans relations. Others seem to ignore
the world as a global community.
As we consider that six countries (Finland turkey, Australia, china, Brazil and South
Africa) in this chapter, we must do so with a mindset of expansive global consciousness we must
wean ourselves from overreliance on standards’, testing, and test scores. We must purge
ourselves of classifying individuals, conformity, privileging certain group, and evercontrolling
students and teacher. We must reject those curricular and pedagogical approaches designed to
train student for slots in the marketplace. Einstein observed, “Imagination is more important than
knowledge.
FINLAND
“The aim finish education policy is coherent policy greeted to educational equity and a
high level of educational among the population as a whole. The principle of life-long learning
entails that everyone has sufficient learning skills and opportunities to develop their knowledge
and skills in different learning environments throughout their lifespan.
The objectives of basic education are to supports pupils’ toward humanity and ethical
responsible membership of society, and to provide them with the knowledge and skills necessary
in life. The instruction shall promote equality in society and the pupils’ abilities to participate in
education and to otherwise develop themselves during their lives.
BACKGROUND
The republic of final exemplifies a county that has progressed fro, an agrarian society in
the 1950s and lagging behind its northern European neigh boars in educational attainments you
an information society whose economy was judge the most comparative in the world from 2001
to 2005. Just prior to its stellar economic in the organization for economic Co-operation and
Development‘s program for international student assessments. This Finnish student surpassed
their peers from 32 countries in reading, literacy, mathematical literacy, and scientific literacy.
However impressive, these test scores really provide little information useful to educators
and others. As Ari Anticline suggests, a more useful and valid way to consider these result is to
investigate what, specially, those individuals involved in finish education actually did to have
their students attain such results. Inquiring into the “why” of such result-investigating in detail
what actions and what procedure were implement, and what organization strategies were
implemented-can furnish other educators from around the world with new knowledge and new
motivation to innovate within the educational arena.
THE UNIQUENESS OF FINLAND
Finland declared its independence from Russia. Until that time, Finland had been claimed
at times by Sweden and at other times by Russia. Because Finland shares an eastern border with
Russia it has been a peace agreement. National leaders realized the wisdom of balancing their
actions between the East (the Russians) and the West (the united States and its European allies).
Since 1995, it has been a member of the European Union.
Geographically, Finland is a No;dic country and share many parallels throughout its
history with the other Nordic countries (Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), but essentially it is not
Nordic. Neither is Finland Scandinavian. Its culture and language differ greatly from the
Scandinavian peoples.
As indicated previously, Finland evolved from an agrarian state into an industrial,
capitalist, welfare state and, since the 1980s, into a postindustrial, or information, society, today,
Finland has transformed itself into a competitive state within the global community. Although
competitive, it still is a welfare state. Meaning that the government has formed a productive
relationship between labor and capital. Social welfare shapes much government action and
activities of societal groups. Specifically, this means that minimum levels of the following
services are nonnegotiable; education, health, social security, employment, and housing. These
services are provided ad rights of citizenship.
Finland’s success as an information society and knowledge based economy essentially
provide the financial based have for the health of Finland’s welfare state. Electronics leads the
information society. Some have identified Finland as the Silicon Valley of Europe, a key
member of network societies.
Finish education: cultural Linchpin
Finland can be defined a learning society. Thorsten Husen has four criteria with to define
such a society: 1. People are afforded opportunities for lifelong learning. 2. Formal education is
available to all ages in the society. 3. Informal learning is prized and independent studies are
urge and 4. Other institutions are in vided In to the educational enterprise.
Ministry of Education
The ministry of education I Finland has a board range or responsilities to educational,
scientific, and cultural matters. The Ministry is accountable not only for promoting education in
school, colleges, and universities, but for science, culture, sports, and youth work. It also
responsibilities relating to the civil education of all Finns so that they recognize their
responsibilities as it benefits personal goal as well as society’s goals.
Within the Ministry of education are to ministers: the Minister of education and science,
responsible for educational and research relevant to educational issues, and the Minister of
culture, who manages matters relating to “culture, sports, youth copyright, student financial aid,
and church affairs. Finland has a long history of including religious instructional in its
curriculum. Its religious curricula deal with the teachings of the Evangelic an Lutheran Church
of Finland or the Orthodox Church of Finland. However the finish government is neutral with
regard to religion and churches in cultural context and experience.
The finish Educational System
The comprehensive school: presently, the finish educational system is divided into preprimary,
9 year comprehensive schools, post comprehensive general and vocational education, and higher
education and adult education. The from, or age-based class, are very similar to how U.S
elementary schools are organized. However there is a major difference regarding primary teacher
placement. In most school, teachers are kept with the same group of students for several years in
a process called looping. Essentially, teacher determines how long they remand with a particular
group of students. It a teacher to desires, he or she can remain with the same group of student for
the entire primary school experience -6 years. This practice allows teacher to know their student
at a deeper level.
The lower secondary school of the compressive school engages student for there
additional years. In this division, comparable to grades 7 to 9 in U.S. school, the student are
organized into subject are classroom. Those student who to complete their compulsory education
to complete 10th years of schooling. Completion of this curriculum is requisite for gaining entry
into upper secondary post comprehensive education, enrolling students 16 to 19 year old. All
students attending comprehensive school have an academic year 190 school days.
The post comprehensive education (upper secondary education): The post comprehensive
curriculum has there track offering: compulsory, specialized, and applied. The total curriculum
contains 38 lessons focused on specific subject “mother tongue and literature (Finnish or other
national language), foreign language, a second foreign language, environmental studies civics,
religion or ethics, history, social studies, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, geography,
physical, education, music, visual arts, crafts, and home economics. “the national board of
education is charged with generating the core objectives and the content foci of the complete
curriculum; the detailed curriculum is generated by educators at the local level.
Although there are no exams for students to attain there for completing the
comprehensive and post comprehensive schools, there is a matriculation exam students must take
if they wish to be accepted for college or university study. This exam contain four tests; a test in
the mother tongue, a test in the second official language, a test in a foreign language, and a test in
either mathematics or general studies. All these test are open ended, stressing critical reflecting
the curriculum that a student’s has taken in school. Students are free to those the exam’s level of
difficulty. However, they must take on exam at the upper level and pass it. They mush pass all
tests, regardless of level.
Lessons from Finland
Just what did Finland do to make it an educational envy of the world? Certainly, it was
not the Finnish school year of 190 school days. The curriculum subject did not seem out f the
ordinary. Your authors suggest the following novelties that this Finnish Ministry of Educational
introduced; going from an agency that was highly centralized managing education with
curriculum geodes exceeding 700 pages to an organization working more as a catalyst to get
educators at the local level to assume responsibility for creating curricula and assessments; going
from a central authority prone to issue edict as to what teacher should do in schools and
classroom to an organization that expressed confidence hat teacher, with excellent preparatory
programs, could be trusted with creating curricula and innovate pedagogical strategies and a
stress on local and idiosyncratic assessment generated by teacher.
Perhaps the most significant novelty embraced by Finnish authorities at the national level
was their exhibiting trust in educational processionals, particularly teacher. They also trusted
educators at the college and university levels to create educational programs that would graduate
competent, creative and committed educators. Additional, student having clinical experiences in
model have opportunities to learn how to develop innovative and challenging curricula. They
also acquire skill in creating appropriate assessment instrument (test and alternative means) for
communicating to students their learning strengths and areas needing improvement. In Finland
there are no external standardized tests administered to students. Students are not ranked as result
of any assessment. The primary means of teacher feedback to students is delivered in narrative
from, noting not only knowledge gained or needed to be gained, but also the effectiveness of the
student learning process employed. Finally, education students come to realized that teaching
and related activities such as developing curricula and assessments are not solidarity activities. In
many Finnish classrooms, the teacher has a cadre of fellow educators to assist in teaching.
Collaboration with students and individuals remedial work educator to assist in teaching.
TURKEY
Background
Turkey is both geographically and culturally unique. The republic is an independent
country located in both Europe and Asian. It is both Muslim and secular, its European area
occupies only 3 percent of turkey, in a region called Thrace. The remaining 97 percent of turkey,
identified as Anatolia, is an Asia Minor. Muslim makes up almost 99 percent of the population
most are Sunni. The remaining 1 percent is Christians and jaws. Regarding the total population,
80 percent are Turkish, the remaining 20 percent being Kurdish. Essentially there are no Arabs.
The Turkish people speak Turkish, which is the nation’s official language. The Kurdish people
speak Kurdish. However, Arabic, Armenian and Greek are also spoken.
It appears that Turkish citizens wish to be included in both the Middle East and Europe.
For several years, the Turkish government has attempted to join the European Union. Some
member countries of the European Union favor turkey joining; other does not. Although the
European area of turkey, Thrace, has been occupied by humans for more than 20 centuries,
modern Turkey is a more recent Political organization. It rose from the ashes of the Ottoman
Empire, which official ended in 1922. A Turkish nationalist, Mustafa Kemal, successfully led
Turkish forces against Western military forces for control of the reign. In November 1922, the
National Assembly assumed governmental control of Turkey. The people elected Mustafa Kemal
president. Letter, kemal was celebrated as Attic meaning Father on Turkey.
Turkish Educational System
The Turkish educational system has two main derisions; formal education and no formal
education. Under formal education are preprimary educations, primary education, secondary
education, and hunger education. No formal education contains specific program and activities
designed especially for student who did not have success I formal education or who for various
reasons, did not attend such programs. There are private schools at all levels of education. Many
of which are Islamic. Both private and public schools must follow the directive of the ministry of
National Education.
