Increasing Achievement in Science Education: Learning lessons from Finland and Estonia Neil McIntyre (Webster’s High School, Kirriemuir, Scotland)

Increasing Achievement in Science Education: Learning lessons from Finland

and Estonia

Neil McIntyre (Webster’s High School, Kirriemuir, Scotland)

Scotland (Šotimaa)

Kirriemuir

Edinburgh (capital)

Aberdeen

Glasgow

KirriemuirPopulation~7000

JM Barrie1860 - 1937

Bon Scott1946 - 1980

John Logie Baird (1888 – 1946)

Alexander Graham Bell (1847 – 1922)

Alexander Fleming (1881 – 1955)

Famous Scottish Scientists

Programmefor InternationalStudent Assessment (PISA) Results 2012.

Rankings based at age 15.

13th May 2015

Winston Churchill(1874 – 1965)

Winston ChurchillBritish Prime Minister during World War II

“We fund British citizens, resident in the UK, to travel overseas to study areas of topical and personal interest, to gain knowledge and bring back best practice for the benefit of others, their profession and community, in the UK.”

Categories funded include: Education, Crafts and Makers, Science/Technology and Innovation, Young People.

Finland – Helsinki (May 2014)

Week 1Helsinki School of Natural Sciences(Upper Secondary School: Age 16-19) Week 2

Kulosaari – bilingual school.Subjects taught in either Finnishor English. (Lower secondary and Upper secondary: Age 13-19)

Week 3Reaalkool Science School.(Age 7-19) Week 4

Viimsi School(Age 7-19)

Estonia - Tallinn

1. Education Structure

2. Curriculum

3. Learning and Teaching

4. Other Factors?

1. Education StructureFinland and Estonia

Education Structure in Scotland

Age: 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

In Helsinki and Tallinn there are schools which specialise in science education. In Scotland there are no schools which specialise in science education currently.

Helsinki School of Natural Sciences(Upper Secondary School: Age 16-19)Pupils attend from all over Helsinki and further afield.

Tallinn Secondary School of ScienceSelective school.One of the highest achieving schools inEstonia. (Age 7-19)

There are two main types of school in Scotland:State school – free education to all.

Independent “private” school – Fee paying schools (sometimes selective)

Webster’s High School – where I teach.

Glenalmond College (Perthshire, Scotland ~ £25000 (34000 Euros) per year.

In Finland and Estonia the main National exams come at the end of year 12 – when the pupils are aged 18/19. The exams cover the work pupils have covered during upper secondary school from 16-18 years of age.

In Scotland pupils sit national exams at the end of each year in the Senior Phase.

Age: 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

University entrance exams are common in Finland and are becoming increasingly common in Estonia.

In Scotland, University entrance exams are only really used for popular courses such as medicine. Most University places are given on a pupils educationalachievement at school.

2. CurriculumThe Finnish and Estonian school curricula is extremely broad through to 18/19 years of age. All pupils must take compulsory modules in all subjects and learn “core” knowledge. Therefore pupils have to take science subjects to the end of upper secondary school.

This is not the case in Scotland:

Age: 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

The content covered in the Finnish and Estonian science curriculum is similar to that covered in the Scottish curriculum.

Estonian Year 8 chemistry textbook (for children aged ~14/15).

The methods of teaching I observed in Finland/Estonia were similar to the methods we use in Scotland. In four weeks I didn’t see any teaching methods which made me think “we don’t do that”.

3. Learning and TeachingIn most cases science teachers in Finland and Estonia have a Master’s degree in their subject area and complete a teacher training course.

In Scotland all science teachers must have a relevant science degree and have completed a teachers training course to teach in a state school. However, in an independent school it is not essential to have completed a teacher training course.

10-15 minute breaks between lessons in Finland/Estonia. Finnish and Estonian teachers thought this was very important. In Scotland there are no breaks between most lessons.

Good links with Universities at Viimsi and Reaalkool

4. Other Factors?Programmefor InternationalStudent Assessment (PISA) Results 2012.

Rankings based at age 15.

Finland and Estonia have computer systems that keep parents/carers regularly informed about what their child is learning at school. “Wilma” (Finland) and “ekool” or “Stuudium” (Estonia).

Involving Parents/Carers in education

These computer programs allow teachers to:

* input test dates/homework so parents are always informed.

* Alert for good and bad behaviour. Parents can get text messages to alert them.

* Message parents and pupils (and they can message the teacher).

* Share resources e.g. PowerPoints, worksheets etc with parents and pupils.

Finnish/Estonian teachers and pupils talked highly of the computer systems. In Scotland we do not have anything as good as this!

Children start to learn English formally at school at ~ 9 years old.

I could have conversations (in English) with Finnish and Estonian children who were only 11 years old!

This cannot be explained purely by “good teaching”.

The Language Issue in Finland and Estonia:

Throughout my school visits I was continually impressed with the language skills of pupils.

All senior pupils I met could speak a minimum of two languages fluently. Some could speak three languages and a few even four by the time they were 18.

Do languages have a knock-on-effect to other subjectssuch as science?

Do Finnish and Estonian children have a “natural advantage” over most UK children who speak only English?

Children watch many T.V. programmes in English. They do not dub films/programmes in Finland or Estonia. They have subtitles. They are immersed in the English language from a very young age.

What I have done since my last visit in May 2014

• Spoken to many Scottish teachers/headteachers• Sent my report to science organisations in the UK

and Members of Parliament• Spoken at various conferences• Written articles about my experiences

What lessons I would like to see Scotland learn from Finland/Estonia

Scotland to have its own version of “eKool”

Scotland to have 10/15 minute breaks between lessons

Scotland to make science subjects compulsory rather than optional past the age of 15.

All senior Scottish pupils to undertake a research project similar to what Estonian pupils do.

AcknowledgementsMr Summers (Webster’s High School)

Winston Churchill Memorial Trust and Mercers’ Company

SchoolsHelsinki School of Natural SciencesKulosaariReaalkool Viimsi

The organisers of this conference

Ms Ülle Kikas