Comparative Analysis of Educational Curriculum Systems in England and Finland - Essay Example

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF EDUCATIONAL SYSTEMS CURRICULUM IN ENGLAND AND FINLAND By (Writers Name) Presented to (Instructor) (Course) (Institution, State) Date Comparative Analysis of Educational Curriculum Systems in England and Finland Abstract The education sector in Europe has been influenced by the deindustrialization and economies advancement by different nations. The roles of educational institutions have been transformed to produce not only educated younger generation, but also skilled and innovative future employees. For instance, international schools provide a quantitative picture on a variety of features found in different nations across Europe. The comparison between the education system curriculums in Europe has been vital for placing countries such as Finland at an elevated position with regards to shifting focus from political influence to education provision. Furthermore, the education curriculum in Europe has shifted from the traditional American and British dominion to the highly performing North American and Asian systems. This paper presents a discussion of an analytical comparison of education systems curriculum in Britain and Finland. Introduction Ever since the 1970s, there has been a rapid progress witnessed by European countries in deindustrialization and economic evolution from the conventional Fordism to post-Fordism and a rising knowledge economy. The population has shifted away from ultimate occupations in industrial mass production and capital gathering to an economic freedom atmosphere (Lambert & Morgan, 2010). Several people and groups are venturing into an advanced globalization economy that is highly competitive. This implies that schools and other learning institutions are tasked with the responsibility of producing a well-skilled generation to be able to fit into these new competitive environments through a successful and competent education system curriculum. The environment for human development is dynamic and highly influenced by different environmental systems. This phenomenon is supported by the famous psychologist Urie Bronfenbrenner, who claims that human beings will behave differently at home, school and work. This shows one of the critical roles that education instils in students with regards to their expectation in their future careers. In this study, we choose to analyse education systems curriculum in Britain and Finland. There has been a general notion that the Finnish education system is thriving (Sahlberg, 2011) while Britain’s education curriculum has been on the deteriorating end (Pring, 2013). One aspect that is determined for a nation to enter into the European Union is the requirement to have an improved education system. Discussion Numerous changes in the recent years have been witnessed in the current education systems that have been unable to maintain same pace with the economic development. Traditionally, politicians viewed education institutions as factories for learning an aspect which has been overtaken by innovation as the main reason for schooling (Leadbetter, 2008). Countries, where education curriculum has been at par with the changing face of society, have always diversified their education curriculum that has seen students succeed both at a school level and at the individual level in their careers. Finland Finland is an example of a nation where initially, the education system curriculum had been overlooked for many years. Close to thirty years ago, Finland relied heavily on trade with the adjacent Soviet Union. The crumple of the Soviet Union in 1990 saw the nation go into an economic catastrophe. This made the government realize the need for immediate drastic change. Consequently, the nation began investing in education through an elaborate curriculum that established a compulsory nine-year basic education together with other numerous educational reforms that affected teachers and other education stakeholders in the sector. These reforms were aimed at enhancing that quality education is offered through a productive, interactive and creative atmosphere intended to be applicable to future professions and careers. The nine-year inclusive basic education was referred to as “peruskoulu” which represented a seed of Finish education miracle (Sahlberg, 2011). Finland has a current population of approximately 5.5 million people out of which 1.1 million are young children who are supposed to receive education (World Bank, 2011). The nation set up several education committees that foresaw the development of education curriculum from the traditional content knowledge to the methodology of teaching, learning and research inclusion in the education strategy making. Through peruskoulu several learning institutions were merged to form single nine-year basic municipal institutions administered by local authorities and foreseen by the Finnish National Board of Education (FNBE). At the attainment of 16 years, students were at liberty to either choose to proceed to general upper secondary or join university or vocational secondary school/college. At 18 or 19, students were also allowed to join the working force (Hanhijoki et al., 2012). The Finnish education curriculum reforms were established in order to attain four distinct elements that were quality, competence, equity and globalization, which represent a concrete groundwork for any successful education system (Hanhijoki et al., 2012). Peruskoulu model of teaching eradicated group teachings and established an environment where students with different needs from different backgrounds to be able to learn together without any barriers. Under this arrangement, a modular curriculum structure was created where students were given an equal opportunity to complete 75 different courses. They were also allowed to repeat any of the courses and choose their preferred ones upon completion (Sahlberg, 2011). Testing was standardized and the nations examining body National Matriculation tasked with providing formal qualifications at the age of eighteen. The curriculum also provided a platform where teachers offered tests for students, an aspect that increased creativity in classrooms. Through the curriculum, students are given an opportunity to gain knowledge through constructivism guidelines that allow them to undertake decision-making tests that enable them to sharpen problem-solving skills (Lambert & Morgan, 2010). The education system in Finland has transformed knowledge that has been considered a process rather than the traditional thought of being a product that was collectively made. It is dynamic, ever-changing and an important facet of the successful education system (Gilbert, 2005). The Finnish education curriculum reorganization has been very triumphant as compared to other reforms. For instance, there are several understandings and meanings brought about in the word curriculum. It refers to the planned education guided by a learning institution. Hidden curriculum, on the other hand, is described as involuntary learning in schools that is equivalently important. However, successful education systems curricula are characterized by vigilant setting up from a constructive background perspective whereby active participation from all stakeholders is brought on board and incorporates activities both within and outside the classroom setting to cater for the student’s general need. All these components are part of the Finnish education system curriculum that has foreseen a great transformation (UNESCO-IBE, 2011). Britain According to prominent global publications like Lessons from PISA in the United States and British School’s White Paper together with global education strategy 2020 (World Bank, 2011), there is a similar feature of high performing education systems that makes it an important requirement for all those who want to progress in life. This means that in nations such as England, education instructors and institutions focus on tests as a means of maintaining relative school placements as an effective learning technique. Results achieved in education systems, therefore, play an important role in widening the gap between transferable skills and knowledge that students attain in schools with what they need to apply in real world economic knowledge (Marriot, 2007). Currently, England is estimated to have a population of 53.01 million people, whereby children make up an estimated population of 13.3 (World Bank, 2011). The education system provides a compulsory full-time education for children between the ages of five to seventeen years of age. Furthermore, students above 18 years are also required to receive obligatory upper age education that is in line with the Education and Skills Act of 2008 (DfE, 2010). These education systems provide an equal platform for all students to acquire education. There are, however, several changes in the education system where schools are being transformed into academies, free schools and paid-for public schools by the state. The education curriculum in England was established in 1988 following the Education Act of 1988 which many academicians do not adhere to. The curriculum main intention was to improve the teaching standards that have a poor legacy to the future. England’s education curriculum is characterized by regular testing. These are in the form of National Curriculum assets (SATs), which are meant for students at the age of between seven to eleven and GCSEs and IGCSEs tests for 16-year students. Students are then allowed to sit for GCE A-levels at the age of 18 or other comparable examinations. According to Sahlberg (2011), there is a global demand to develop both teaching and learning school curriculum systems despite the reason being perceived as political. Finland falls among the 34 OECD nations that have incorporated education curriculum transformations. These changes have received international recognition and progress. On the other hand, England education system recognition has drastically fallen. According to a publication by the Schools White Paper, this has been one of the hottest debates in the education industry (DfE, 2011). England’s education curriculum has been blamed for the lack of reform strategies over the decades, an aspect that has seen the education industry fail to produce the required results. This position is affirmed by Stewart, who states that the problem within England’s education systems goes beyond teachers and schools, but rather a whole curriculum system (Stewart, 2012). Finland has invested heavily in education with an approximately 6.9 percent of the GDP where attainment has equally been high as compared to England. Furthermore, International benchmarks indicate that Finland scores highly in sciences, reading and mathematics according to tests conducted by the Programme of International Student Assessment (PISA). This affirms the position that high investment on education under clearly set strategies ensures that students are guaranteed success at high levels (OECD, 2013) through providing equal opportunity for all to attain an education. The education curriculum system in Finland is impartial whereby performance gaps among students are quite minimal as compared to England’s curriculum. The performance difference in schools is as little as 8% of the total variation in the student’s performance. Moreover, the education curriculum system in Finland advocates for an equally small student-teacher ratio of 14:18 simultaneously (OECD, 2012) which has enhanced performance. The class size in England is totally different where the performance of students is directly related to many schools a student can attend together with his class. According to research by, there is a falling trend of pupils from comprehensive schools getting entry into Oxbridge whereas the population in the independent school is increasing (Leonard, 2013). Under such inequalities, the education curriculum transformation will be diversified rather that unify the education system thereby not achieving the intended results. For instance, Every Child Campaign was initiated in England to highlight inequality issues in the education system in order to instigate low-income families to stay put in education, but due to poor stately, the campaign did not reflect the real causes of inequalities among families. Teachers are an integral part of implementing education curriculum and systems. They have a major role to play in implementing the education curriculum to students and society at large. There are an ever increasing number of children who need to get education worldwide. According to a report by the UNESCO, many teachers are needed as the population of students is constantly increasing (UNESCO, 2011). It is, however, important to have a well-trained a qualified teaching force as they play a pivotal role in improving the performance of learners (OECD, 2012). The quality of teachers in Finland and England educational curriculum systems differs. In Finland, the minimal education level for one to join the teaching profession is M-level, whereas, in Britain, fewer teachers have attained a post graduate qualification (DfE, 2010). Furthermore, most of the Finnish teachers come from the top performing graduates annually (Sahlberg, 2011). Many teachers in Finland also consider the profession influential and stay in the career for life. In England, the teaching profession length is considerably falling. This general observation directly affects the overall output for teachers in the two nations putting Finland in an upper position. There is a distinct feature about geography teaching in the curriculum of the two nations. In Britain, the Education Act of 1988 provided that the subject be taught compulsory for pupils at the ages of five to fourteen. There were many concerns the subject be made compulsory for 15-16 old students but was never implemented. Geography in England education curriculum entailed different subjects which were reduced in order to allow for an inclusive and other skill to be explored in classrooms (Rawlings, 2001). In Finland, education curriculum reforms in 2005 provided that geography taught as an environmental science subject for pupils between the ages of seven and eleven. In the upper secondary curriculum, two main geographical courses concentrations were incorporated (FNBE, 2012). The underlying factor behind geography was to allow learners to understand the position and place of Finland in Europe. Instructors, schools and students are at liberty to select from a diverse field of geography without a national standardized testing. There are key components of geography that are taught in Finland learning institution’s curricula which are skilfully taught. They include knowledge, experiments, experiences, thinking skills and contextualism. Conclusion There are two main elements used as instruments in benchmarking the success an education system globally, standardized testing and international comparisons. They are key features which can as well build or destroy the education curriculum system. According to Robinson, policy makers in the education sector should conduct a thorough research and sow seeds of possibility in ensuring that an effective education system is established that will be beneficial to the society (Robinson, 2013). For a successful education curriculum system to prevail, two important components should be incorporated. These are equity and flexible systems that keep up with changes that occur in the global economic environment. Under these two factors, young children should, therefore, be nurtured in a broad and diverse perspective in order for them to discover their talents and build careers upon them (Robinson, 2013). All children, regardless of their economic conditions, should access education and all other required support. Learning institutions should move away from traditional rigidity in education curricula to crafted systems that reflect the current needs of the society (Rubin, 2011). The Finnish education system is one of the best ranked globally and cannot be practiced anywhere because it reflects the needs and culture of Finland population, unlike England’s system which need to be transformed. References List Department for Education (DfE). 2010. The Importance of Teaching: Schools White Paper, London: DfE. Finnish National Board of Education (FNBE). 2004. National Core Curriculum for Basic Education. Helsinki: FNBE Available online at http://www.oph.fi/download/47672_core_curricula_basic_education_3.pdf Gilbert, J. (2005) Catching the Knowledge Wave? The Knowledge Society and the Future of Education. New Zealand: NZCER. Hanhijoki, I., Katajisto, J., Kimari, M. and Savioja, H., 2012. Education, training and demand for labour in Finland by 2020. Helsinki: Finnish Board of National Education. Available online at:  2025http://www.oph.fi/download/144754_Education_training_and_demand_for_labour_in_Finland_by_2025_2.pdf[last accessed on 10 April 2013]. Lambert, D. & Morgan, J. 2010. Teaching Geography 11-18: A Conceptual Approach. Maidenhead: Open University Press. Leonard, K. 2013 ‘Paul Murphy: Teachers lack Oxbridge ambition’ BBC News Wales 18 April. Available online at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-22093484 [last accessed 10 March 2013]. Marriott, A. 2007. ‘The transition from A level to degree geography ’, Teaching Geography, 33 (1) 49-50. OECD. 2013. PISA in Focus 27. Paris: OECD.  Available online at http://www.oecd.org/pisa/pisainfocus/pisa%20in%20focus%20n27%20(eng)–FINAL.pdf [last accessed on 14 January 2016]. OECD. 2012. ‘Teachers’ salaries’, Education: Key Tables from OECD, No. 6. Paris: OECD. Available online at: 10.1787/teachsal-table-2012-2-en [last accessed on 20April 2013]. Pring, R. 2013. The Life and Death of Secondary Education for All. Oxon: Routledge. Robinson, K. 2013. ‘Why We Need to Reform Education Now’ Huffington Post.05.03.2013. Available online at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sir-ken-robinson/reform-american-education-now_b_3203949.html [last accessed 14 January 2016]. Sahlberg, P. 2011. Finnish Lessons: What can the world learn from educational change in Finland? New York: Teachers College Press. Stewart, W. 2012. ‘Gove accused of building on shaky PISA foundations’ Times Educational Supplement Magazine 2 November 2012. Available online at http://www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storycode=6298801 [last accessed 20 April 2013]. UNESCO.2011. Global Education Digest: Comparing Education Statistics Across the World. Montreal: Institute for Statistics (UIS). 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