Finse leerkrachten maken zich grote zorgen over nivellerende gemeenschappelijke lagere cyclus

Oxford- Prof. Jennifer Chung publiceerde een uitgebreide studie over het Fins onderwijs waarin vooral via diepte-interviews gepolst wordt naar de mening van de leerkrachten, directies,  beleidsmakers …   ( AN INVESTIGATION OF REASONS FOR FINLAND’S SUCCESS IN PISA (University of Oxford 2008).

Het valt op dat de geïnterviewde leraars zich alle grote zorgen maken over het nivellerend karakter van de gemeenschappelijke lagere cyclus die de betere leerlingen geen faire kansen en veel te weinig uitdaging biedt. We citeren even een aantal getuigenissen.

"Many of the teachers mentioned the converse of the great strength of Finnish education (= de grote aandacht voor kinderen met leerproblemen) as the great weakness.  Jukka S. (BM) believes that school does not provide enough challenges for intelligent students: “I think my only concern is that we give lots of support to those pupils who are underachievers, and we don’t give that much to the brightest pupils.  I find it a problem, since I think, for the  future of a whole nation, those pupils who are really the stars should be supported, given some more challenges, given some more difficulty in their exercises and so on.  To not just spend  their time here but to make some effort and have the idea to become something, no matter what field you are choosing, you must not only be talented like they are, but work hard.  That is needed. “

Pia (EL)  feels that the schools do not motivate very intelligent students to work.   She thinks the schools should provide more challenges for the academically talented students.  In fact, she thinks the current school system in Finland does not provide well for its students.  Mixed-ability classrooms, she feels, are worse than the previous selective system: “ I think this school is for nobody.  That is my private opinion. Actually I think so, because when you have all these people at mixed levels in your class, then you have to concentrate on the ones who need the most help, of course.  Those who are really good, they get lazy. “

Pia believes these students become bored and lazy, and float through school with no study skills.  Jonny (EM) describes how comprehensive education places the academically gifted at a disadvantage: “We have lost a great possibility when we don’t have the segregated levels of math and natural sciences… That should be once again taken back and started with.  The good talents are now torturing themselves with not very interesting education and  teaching in classes that aren’t for their best.

Pia (EL) finds the PISA frenzy about Finland amusing, since she believes the schools have declined in recent years: “I think [the attention] is quite funny because school isn’t as good as it used to be … I used to be proud of being a teacher and proud of this school, but I can’t say I ’m proud any more.”

Aino (BS) states that the evenness and equality of the education system has a “dark side.” Teaching to the “middle student” in a class of heterogeneous ability bores the gifted students, who commonly do not perform well in school.  Maarit (DMS) finds teaching heterogeneous classrooms very difficult.  She admits that dividing the students into ability levels would make the teaching easier, but worries that it may affect the self-esteem of the weaker worse than a more egalitarian system        Similarly, Terttu (FMS) thinks that the class size is a detriment to the students’ learning.  Even though Finnish schools have relatively small class sizes, she thinks that a group of twenty is too large, since she does not have time for all of the students: “You don’t have enough time for everyone … All children have to be in the same class.  That is not so nice.  You have the better pupils.  I can’t give them as much as I want.  You have to go so slowly in the classroom.”   Curiously, Jukka E. (DL) thinks that the special education students need more support and the education system needs to improve in that area.

Miikka (FL) describes how he will give extra work to students who want to have more academic challenges, but admits that “they can get quite good grades, excellent grades, by doing nothing actually, or very little.”  Miikka (FL) describes discussion in educational circles about creating schools and universities for academically talented students: 3 Everyone has the same chances…One problem is that it can be  too easy for talented students.  There has been now discussion in Finland if there should be schools and universities for talented students… I think it will happen, but I don’t know if it is good, but it will happen, I think so.  I am also afraid there will be private schools again in Finland in the future … [There] will be more rich people and more poor people, and then will come so [many] problems in comprehensive schools that some day quite  soon … parents will demand that we should have private schools  again, and that is quite sad.

Linda (AL), however, feels the love of reading has declined in the younger generation, as they tend to gravitate more to video games and television.   Miikka (FL), also a teacher of mother tongue, also cites a decline in reading interest and an increase of video game and computer play.  Saij a (BL) agrees. As a teacher of Finnish, she feels that she has difficulty motivating her students to learn: “I think my subject is not the … easiest one to teach.   They don’t read so much, newspapers or novels.”  Her students, especially the boys, do not like their assignments in Finnish language.  She also thinks the respect for teachers has declined in this past generation.  Miikka (FL) also thinks his students do not respect their teachers: “They don’t respect the teachers.  They respect them very little …  I think it has changed a lot in recent years.  In Helsinki, it was actually earlier.  When I came here six years ago, I thought this  was heaven.   I thought it was incredible, how the children were  like that after Helsinki, but now I think it is the same.

Linda (AL) notes deficiency in the amount of time available for subjects.  With more time, she would implement more creative activities, such as speech and drama, into her lessons.  Saij a (BL) also thinks that her students need more arts subjects like drama and art.  She worries that they consider mathematics as the only important subject.  Shefeels countries such as Sweden, Norway, and England have better arts programs than in Finnish schools.  Arts subjects, according to Saij a, help the students get to know themselves.  Maarit (DMS), a Finnish-speaker, thinks that schools need to spend more time cultivating social skills.