Finland's Visual Arts Curriculum

Came across Finland's Visual Arts Curriculum on Ian Chia's Learning to Nurture Ideas blog. The post expressed how Finland privileges the arts in schools.

"Finland has a long term approach to arts in education. Rather than valuing STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) over the arts like many Western countries, Finland considers the arts to be vital and weaves it through their entire education system."

The Finnish education system has received praise in large part because of student scores on the PISA exams. Contrasts have been made between the American system and the one supported by Finland. As we struggle in this country to rethink education and strive to reach consensus on what needs to be valued in our classrooms, I would recommend examining the Finnish Arts curriculum. It was a reminder of experiences I think we all hope to foster in our schools.

I shared some excerpts from the Arts curriculum below. What do you think about Finland's emphasis on the Arts? Unfortunately, in times of financial despair, it seems as if the arts if compromised. For someone who grew up in an arts rich household and attended schools that valued a renaissance approach to learning, it would be impossible to think of an educational experience that is devoid of the arts. As always your thoughts are appreciated.

Teaching according to the in-depth syllabus should give pupils an opportunity to work in the long run according to their talents and interests and create the conditions for a lifelong interest in visual representation and for further studies

Teaching should be based on an idea of a human being, where the individual has ethical and moral ability to choose and actively shape their lives and recognize the importance of beauty in it. Education shall support students’ spiritual growth and personal integrity and help him to develop into a thinking person with discernment.

The goal of education is that student by expressing themselves with art, learn to evaluate and assess himself and his environment and to build and develop their worldview based on both personal experience and heritage. Teaching should help students to become aware on what for him is important in life and to express this by visual means.
Education must develop students’ capacity for creative problem solving. Pupils should learn to express themselves and to master materials and technology. He will receive guidance in assessing and appreciating the quality of the visual environment.

The need for artistic expression is to be based on the student’s own motivation and the student must have an active role in studying and learning
Important approaches are creative problem solving, student’s own artistic expression and construction

New Culture of Learning

I wanted to share an excerpt from Douglas Thomas and John Seely Brown's, A New Culture of Learning. I read through this section of the text several times before setting my iPad down to think about ways to foster schools that honor recommendations offered by Thomas and Brown.

When we think about what a new educational environment might look like in the twenty-first century, we can imagine a number of things. Imagine an environment that is constantly changing. Imagine an environment where the participants are building, creating, and participating in a massive network of dozens of databases, hundreds of wikis and websites, and thousands of message forums, literally creating a large-scale knowledge economy. Imagine an environment where participants are constantly measuring and evaluating their own performances, even if that requires them to build new tools to do it. Imagine an environment where evaluation is based on after-action reviews not to determine rewards but to continually enhance performance.- New Culture of Learning

What particularly resonated was the concept of constant change. Academic institutions are shaped by the unique perspectives of students, teachers, members of the community and through connections made with individuals scattered throughout the world. Each year the dynamic shifts as new connections are made, class make-ups are altered and opinions evolve. Participants are driven by inquiry and possibility and learning is the result of open conversations between committed stakeholders.

Commentary about the meaning of evaluation triggered critical reflection as well. Unfortunately, our assessment system is built on reward in the form of a grade (for students) or measurement (for teachers). What is lost is the concept of nurturing growth. How many of us are finished products? Skills can always be developed, knowledge deepened and talents honed. Evaluations should not be used to determine a final statement, but instead foster reflection and stimulate further inquiry and action.

We can all imagine a different environment. I guess the real question is how do we get there?

MHS Graduate Profile

Wordle addition of the MHS Graduate Profile. Posted as a follow-up to The Great American Teach In podcast. One can look at the Graduate Profile as a manifesto of what a group of passionate educators believe is important.

The Great American Teach In

Thoughts about The Great American Teach In scheduled for May 10th. What are your thoughts about the event and are you going to participate?

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Think Different

I came across this video over the weekend. It was embedded into a post by Wes Fryer on his blog Moving at the Speed of Creativity. What does it mean to think different as the video suggests? Moreover, as an educator, how can we examine school through a different lens and rethink experiences crafted for students?

In your opinion, what does it mean to "Think Different" about school? Curious to hear what you have to say.

How Do We Get Kids to Care

Next installment of my podcast series. This podcast examines how high school can foster compassion and empathy in students. The podcast was inspired by a program supported by Facing History and Ourselves. The organization has built a program around the documentary Reporter. The documentary follows Kristof on a trip to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and introduces the audience to how Kristof uses social science and journalism to, "expand his readers' universe of responsibility." A series of discussions and resources have been posted on the Facing History site to facilitate exchanges about the documentary.

The story inspired met to think about moving students beyond a basic level of understanding about contemporary events to develop stronger emotional connections. Take a listen and let me know what you think.

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Two Is Better Than One

A powerful dynamic has emerged at the high school I work at. Starting in September several new classes were offered. A majority of these new courses are interdisciplinary, meet for an extended period of time and are co-taught between two teachers from different content areas. In addition to these courses, the high school has initiated a program where classroom teachers are supported by instructional leaders and special education consulting teachers. It is common to walk the halls and stop into a classroom where two teachers are working with students during a scheduled instructional block.

We have moved to embrace a co-teaching model of instruction. Classes that have been approved by our BOE and will run next year reflect this shift. Students will have the chance to enroll in Latin American Studies; a class being co-taught by a Social Studies and Spanish teacher or Journalism in the 21st Century; a course being lead by an English instructor and multi-media specialist. The notion that teachers instruct in isolation has been challenged by the willingness of educators to form partnerships with their peers.

A benefit of administration is the opportunity, either formally or informally, to visit classrooms. There is a noticeable difference between classes supported by two teachers as opposed to a lone instructor. This is not to say that our classes headed by a single instructor are less than, but instead, that a powerful dynamic emerges in a successful co-teaching environment. Instruction is personalized. Having two teachers in the room allows students to interact with adult mentors in a more intimate and personal manner through frequent conferences and mini-lessons. Exchanges between classroom participants are enhanced as a result of the unique perspective each educator inserts into a discussion. We encourage students to entertain a diverse range of perspectives before constructing concluding thoughts. In a co-teaching class, learners are compelled to assess and reflect upon intellectual diversity. Content knowledge is deepened through both the interdisciplinary approach and the expertise of two passionate educators.

It is also worth noting that our teachers have enjoyed the opportunity to instruct in a co-teaching environment. Teachers who are part of our interdisciplinary classes or work closely with an instructional leader or consulting teacher, comment on the different environment formed as the result of having two teachers in the room. Collaboration between committed educators is actualized in the classroom through the true fulfillment of common planning time and curriculum mapping. I also think that teachers appreciate the chance to learn from a respected peer. Teachers have grown both in content knowledge and pedagogically from the ability to observe how a peer interacts with students. There is a growing comfort to take risks. There is a built-in partner to endure the emotional roller coaster ride that high school teachers experience.

A co-teaching situation might not work for all. There are some teachers who are not comfortable working in this environment. Additionally, it is a fiscal challenge to support a co-teaching environment. However, the early returns have been positive and from personal observation, it is hard to ignore the emerging dynamic of what might be best for our students.