[Phys-L] Could the U.S. Finnish the K-12 Educational System?
From: rrhake at EARTHLINK.NET (Richard Hake)
Date: Tue Aug 2 18:37:59 2005
To avoid littering the lists with a tiresome litany of vitriolic
complaints, if you have no interest in the present subject; or object
to long posts, references, self references, or to cross-posting as a
way to tunnel through inter- and intra-disciplinary barriers, please
take a few milliseconds to hit "DELETE" now.
Some subscribers may be interested in a recent Washington Post
article titled "Focus on Schools Helps Finns Build a Showcase Nation"
[Kaiser (2005)].
Kaiser's report complements an earlier opinion piece by W. Norton
Grubb (2005) in the Los Angeles Times titled "Everything I Really
Need To Know I Learned In Helsinki." Grubb's piece stimulated my post
"Could the U.S. Put Finnishing Touches on K-12?" [Hake (2005a)].
Kaiser writes [bracketed by lines "KKKKKKKKKK. . . .":
KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK
As recently as the 1970s, Finland required that children attend
school for just six years and the education system here was nothing
special. But new laws supported by substantial government spending
created, in barely 20 years, a system that graduates nearly every
young person from vocational or high school, and sends nearly half of
them on to higher education. At every level, the schooling is
rigorous, and free.
"The key," said Pekka Himanen, 31, a renowned scholar with a PhD in
philosophy (earned at age 20) who is a kind of guru of
information-age Finland, "isn't how much is invested, it's the
people. The high quality of Finnish education depends on the high
quality of Finnish teachers. You need to have a college-level degree
to run a kindergarten. You need a master's-level degree to teach at a
primary school. Many of the best students want to be teachers. This
is linked to the fact that we really believe we live in an
information age, so it is respected to be in such a key information
profession as teaching."
The principal of the Arabia Comprehensive School, Kaisu Karkkainen,
49, has the same answer when asked the reasons for Finland's
educational accomplishments. "Three reasons," she said over a tasty
lunch of chicken, rice and green salad in her school's cafeteria:
"Teachers, teachers and teachers."
KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK
Finland's exemplary K-12 system appears to reaffirm veteran educator
Larry Cuban's (2003) sage comment:
". . I know from both experience and research that the teacher is at
the heart of student learning and school improvement by virtue of
being the classroom authority and gatekeeper for change. Thus the
preparation, induction, and career development of teachers remain the
Archimedian lever for both short- and long-term improvement of public
schools."
I commented on Cuban's observation in "Teachers: the Archimedian
Lever for Elevating Public-Schools," [Hake (2005b)] and "The
Archimedean Lever" [Hake (2005c)].
Thanks to Paul Hickman, chair of the American Association of Physics
Teachers (AAPT) Teacher Preparation Committee for informing me of
Kaiser's Washington Post article.
Hake, R.R. 2005a. "Could the U.S. Put Finnishing Touches on K-12?
online at
<http://listserv.nd.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0506&L=pod&P=R10096&I=-3>.
Post of 20 Jun 2005 21:26:37-0700 to AERA-C, AERA-D, AERA-G, AERA-H,
AERA-J, AERA-K, AERA-L, AP-Physics, ASSESS, Biopi-L, Chemed-L,
EvalTalk, Math-Learn, Phys-L, Physhare, PhySoc, POD, STLHE-L, &
TeachingEdPsych.
Hake, R.R. 2005b. "Teachers: the Archimedian Lever for Elevating
Public Schools," online at
<http://lists.asu.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0506&L=aera-l&T=0&F=&S=&P=160>.
Post of 3 Jun 2005 17:18:11-0700 to AERA-C, AERA-G, AERA-GSL, AERA-H,
AERA-J, AERA-K, AERA-L, AP-physics, ASSESS, Biopi-L, Chemed-L,
EvalTalk, Math-Learn, Phys-L, PhysLrnR, Physhare, POD, STLHE-L,
TeachingEdPsych, and TIPS.
Hake, R.R. 2005c. "The Archimedian Lever," online at
<http://listserv.nd.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0506&L=pod&P=R3137&I=-3>
Post of 4 Jun 2005 15:54:40-0700 to AERA-C, AERA-G, AERA-GSL, AERA-H,
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EvalTalk, Math-Learn, Phys-L, PhysLrnR, Physhare, POD, STLHE-L,
TeachingEdPsych, and TIPS.