USA! USA! USA!

Thinking about the comparison of other countries educational system that we have been reading about makes me wonder how much of a concern it is to me personally and professionally that countries are beating the US in test scores in many areas. Two such countries are Taiwan and Finland. What can we learn from their system of education?

High achievement is important to me as a teacher and as a member of society yet, I don’t believe that it is the best indicator of a quality education.   I point to our visit with Jane as an example.   Taiwan has top test scores in math and education is highly competitive. Jane made it clear that there are many things about the American public education system that she likes better than the system in Taiwan.  She chooses to have her own children educated outside of the system that she works in. That speaks volumes to me. Test scores show that Taiwan’s achievement is at the top of the charts.  Is it worth top test scores to have children away from their families for most of the day to the point where homes are really more like hotels? Would I ask my own children to live the life that Taiwanese children do?  Do I think it is better overall?  The answer is no. I value family life  much more.

Finland seems like a much more pleasant student and teacher existence, with much less time spent in school but with test scores and rankings that are high like Taiwan.  Throughout the reading and video clips it is clear that the decentralization of decision making , combined with the  focus on  teacher training,  has been  a reform that works in Finland.  Still centrally, and it sounds like equitably, funded Finish teachers have the skill and training and are given lots of autonomy in the classroom. Teacher trainees are the cream of the crop and training regularly circles between learning   theory and implementing it in practice.  A mentoring component is also in place.  Early intervention is a high priority in Finland.  Teachers spend much of their time helping students who need extra support in small groups or individually. The investment in quality educators has paid off in high student achievement. I would be much more willing to live with this system than the system from Taiwan.

I dream of using the early intervention model that Finland has. I can picture a classroom where students are learning and as confusion is seen on their faces, I,  as the teacher delivering/facilitating that instruction , can note that and then later in the day sit with that child or  small group of children and  investigate the source of confusion and  support them in their struggle to understand until the confusion turns to understanding and another little life is saved! This happens currently, but not to the extent that is necessary.  I don’t want to fall into the “wait to fail then help’ model . I can work towards making this a reality in my current classroom situation within the scheduled school day ( as it already exists outside of student contact hours,..after school tutoring, my lunch hour, prep time, etc.)  I’m not exactly sure how it will all work out, but it is a goal of mine.

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