2021 Virtual SIMposium Keynote: Education in Finland: What's in it (if anything) for American Educators - Dr. Olli-Pekka Malinen

Finland’s education has gained international attention for the ability to produce good learning outcomes even though students start formal schooling older and spend fewer hours in the classroom than their counterparts in most other developed countries. Finland is also known for its well-trained teachers that enjoy a high degree of professional freedom. In recent decades the ideas of “Finnish approach” have been circulating widely in the global educational sphere. However, some of these ideas are myths, with little connection to reality and often used to promote local policy agendas in nations outside Finland.

In his keynote, Dr. Olli-Pekka Malinen will share the guiding principles of the Finnish education with focus on the landscape of educational support. He will describe their current practice for using technology in professional learning and will also discuss existing challenges such as gender achievement gap in learning outcomes and ensuring equal opportunities for the culturally and linguistically increasingly diverse student population. In addition, the session aims to draw connections between the Finnish and U.S. efforts for providing quality education for all.

Recently, Dr. Malinen invited SIM Professional Developer Dr. Marti Elford, and KUCRL Researchers and Co-Directors of ALTEC, Dr. Amber Rowland, and Dr. Suzy Myers to present on the topic of Virtual Coaching at the UNESCO SDG 4 Conference hosted by the University of Jyväskylä (JYU). The SDG 4 is an annual event at JYU, and highlighted the launching of the UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report about Inclusion and Education.

Want to learn more about Finnish Education?  Watch HOW WE DO SCHOOL FINLAND : Ep 1 What's so Special?