1. Finnish Curriculum Reform 2016 - Building the Future
Irmeli Halinen
Head of Curriculum Development,
Finnish National
Board of Education
CURRICULUM REFORM IN
BASIC EDUCATION IN
FINLAND

2. EDUCATION
IN FINLAND
EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
AND CARE
IRMELI HALINEN

3. EDUCATION ACTS AND DECREES
LOCAL
CURRICULA
NATIONAL
CORE CURRICULA
GOVERNMENT’S DECREES
TEACHING AND STUDYING
LEARNING
Local curricula are renewed on the basis of the national core curricula. School work based on the renewed curricula starts August 2016
IRMELI HALINEN

4. Pupils, teachers and the curriculum
Basic Education Act 30 § Every school day, every pupil is entitled to have instruction, and guidance and counseling according to the curriculum, as well as sufficient support in learning and school attendance directly as the need arises.
IRMELI HALINEN

5. Holistic curriculum approach
Curriculum covers practically all areas of school work and describes the main principles and guidelines for providing education and organizing teaching and learning.
IRMELI HALINEN

6. CURRICULUM REFORM 2016?
IRMELI HALINEN

7. What is the story of Finnish basic education
we would like to hear in 2036?
What kind of future
we want to build?
How do we perceive learning?
How is good learning process like?
How the surrounding world chances?
What is worth learning in that world?
IRMELI HALINEN

8. Building the future together
Content
Way of working
Shared ideas, common direction
IRMELI HALINEN

9. Four keys to curriculum reform
Changing role of pupils
Working together, participation
Exploratory and creative learning
World of change
Environment, globalization. economy, world of work, technology, diversity of society
School
Impact on children’s environment
Changing concepts of learning and competence
Wide and transversal, ethical, sustainable
Interaction, learning to learn, working with knowledge
Changing role of teachers and teaching
Learning conception
Working together and building learning entities
IRMELI HALINEN

10. Four keys to curriculum reform 2016
Changing role of pupils
Working together, participation
Exploratory and creative learning
World of change
Environment, globalization. economy, world of work, technology, diversity of society
School as a learning community
Impact on children’s environment
Changing concepts of learning and competence
Wide and transversal, ethical, sustainable
Interaction, learning to learn, working with knowledge
Changing role of teachers and teaching
Learning conception
Working together and building learning entities
IRMELI HALINEN

11. Essential in the curriculum reform 2016
Why?
How?
What?
How our school could be a better learning environment and supporting and encouraging community? For meaningful learning? For meaningful being?
IRMELI HALINEN

12. Pupils’ experiences as a starting point
Competences
School culture
Learning
IRMELI HALINEN

13. Rethinking Basic Education
Rethinking the underlying values and the task of basic education
Rethinking the learning conception, and pupils’ and teachers’ roles
Renewing the idea of learning environment
Rethinking the school culture and the relationship between the school and the community
School as a learning community
Diverse and open cooperation
Rethinking what is worth learning in school - the roles, goals and content of school subjects, and their influence on the development of transversal competences
IRMELI HALINEN

14. Main goals in the curriculum reform 2016
To enhance joy and meaningfulness of learning and the active role of pupils
To strengthen the identity and well-being of every pupil
To support the ability to work with others, to communicate and interact, to think and learn, and to live in a sustainable way
To emphasize work across subjects towards transversal competences, using multidisciplinary learning modules as new tools for teaching and learning
To renew the objectives and main content areas of school subjects
To support municipalities and schools to develop as learning communities.
IRMELI HALINEN

15. Rethinking the school culture
Learning community
Wellbeing and safety in daily life
Interaction and versatile working approach
Cultural diversity and
language awareness
Participation
and democratic action
Equity and equality
Environmental responsibility and sustainable future orientation
IRMELI HALINEN

16. Rethinking competences
Taking care of oneself and others, managing daily life,
Cultural competence, interaction and expression
Multiliteracy
ICT- competence
Working life competence, entrepreneur-ship
Participation involvement, building a sustainable future
Thinking and learning to learn
National Goals for Basic Education and Transversal Competences - knowledge - skills - values - attitudes - will/volition
Development as a human being and as a citizen
IRMELI HALINEN

17. Objectives set for transversal competences
ICT
competence
General description and objectives
Why? How? What?
Focus in grades 1-2
Focus in grades 3-6
Focus in grades 7-9
IRMELI HALINEN

18. ICT COMPETENCE Competence in information and communication technology
ICT competence is an important civic skill
It is both an object and a tool for learning
ICT provides a tool for making one’s own thoughts visible in many different ways and promotes the active and creative role of pupils
Pupils develop their ICT competence in four main areas:
Practical skills and personal production
Responsible and safe action
Information management as well as inquiry based and creative work
Interaction and networking
IRMELI HALINEN

19. General objective for responsible and safe action
The pupils are guided in using ICT responsibly, safely and ergonomically
Grades 1-2:
Together with the teacher, the pupils search for safe ways of using ICT and the related etiquette. Attention is paid to the importance of how a good working posture and the appropriate duration of working periods affect well-being.
Grades 3-6:
The pupils are guided in responsible and safe use of ICT and the related etiquette, and knowing of the basic copyright principles. In their schoolwork, they practice using various communication systems and educational social media services. The pupils obtain knowledge and experience of the health impacts of good working postures and working periods of a suitable length.
IRMELI HALINEN

20. Grades 7-9:
The pupils are guided to use ICT in a way that is safe and ethically sustainable. They learn how to protect themselves from possible information security risks and how to avoid losing data. They are guided towards responsible activities by reflecting on, for example, the meaning of the concepts of information protection and copyrights and the potential repercussions of irresponsible and illegal activities. The pupils are instructed to adopt working approaches that promote health and ergonomic ICT use.
IRMELI HALINEN

21. ICT as a part of the learning environments and working methods
Information and communication technology is an important part of good and versatile learning environments. It supports the pupils’ participation and the development of their skills of working together. It also supports their personal learning paths.
The diverse media culture is taken into account in the development of learning environments. New ICT solutions are introduced to promote and support learning.
The pupils’ own ICT devices may be used to support learning in a way agreed with the guardians. It must be ensured that all pupils have possibilities for using ICT at school.
Diverse and appropriate use of ICT expands the pupils’ possibilities for developing their working approaches and networking skills. This builds their abilities for independent, interactive and critical acquisition and processing of information and its creative production.
IRMELI HALINEN

22. ICT competence and subjects 1
Promoting transversal competences
ICT competence
An objective in chemistry
To guide the pupil to use ICT
for acquiring, processing, and presenting
information and research results
and to support the pupil’s
learning by using illustrative
simulations
Promoting competence in chemistry
CHEMISTRY
IRMELI HALINEN

23. ICT competences and subjects 2
Promoting transversal competences
Multiliteracy, ICT-competence
An objective in math
To guide the pupil in
preparing and interpreting
tables and diagrams and
using statistical key figures…
Promoting math
competence
MATH
IRMELI HALINEN

24. Multidisciplinary learning modules in basic education
Pupils are entitled to at least one integrative, multidisciplinary learning module every school year
Learning modules integrate skills and knowledge of various school subjects, teachers work together
Pupils participate in the planning of these modules
Goals, content and ways of working are planned and decided at the local level
They should be interesting and meaningful from the pupils’ point of view
They realize the principles of the school culture
They promote the development of transversal competences
IRMELI HALINEN

25. CURRICULUM REFORM 2016 in a nutshell
Inclusive school
Multifaceted and deep learning
Transversal and subject competences
Sustainable way of living
IRMELI HALINEN

26. Links: