No standardise testing
With standardise testing, students start to game the system by studying what's enough. Enough to pass or enough to get high scores. The thirst and curiosity to learn and find out things for themselves diminishes as they progress higher.
With standardise testing, schools get ranked. Teachers seek to get into top schools so that it will look good in their resumes. Parents want their children to get into the top schools for more promising futures. Bottom schools are left with fresh teachers from training college and supposedly lousier students.
Equality
Finland places a lot of focus on equality. Laws in Finland disallow private schools. Children go to public schools and all public schools adopt the same national curricular. So it doesn't matter which school one choose and people typically chooses the school nearer to their homes.
Start schooling later
Schools start later. Schools start at 8 years old for kids.
Play time is important
Children have 15min breaks in between lessons and have a longer lunch break to cater for time to rest and play.
All inclusive
Schooling is free and food and sometimes snacks are provided. Finland wants their children to eat healthy, learn about the value of food and learn to socialise.
Less is the new more
Teachers and students spend lesser time in classrooms as compared those on other countries. Teachers get more time to collaborate with other teachers to improve the school curricular. Learning is made pleasurable for students.
Can this system work here? A school principal that I asked said may not. He said Finland is a first world country whilst Singapore has some way to go before becoming a first world country. Are we doing some ranking here? I wonder.
