THE FINNISH EDUCATIONAL ECOSYSTEM: Working for Equity and High Learning utcomes

Abstract

This chapter provides an overview of how the Finnish educational ecosystem has strived for equity and high quality. Several fundamental elements in the Finnish system combine for the purpose of making education available for all. These features are flexibility of the educational structure, lifelong learning throughout the system, enhancement-led and encouraging evaluation practices, superior education and professional roles for teachers, and local responsibilities in developing curricula. Finland has been among the top countries in PISA achievement measurements for the last decade. Society and learning environments are changing and the Finnish educational system is seeking new modes of organizing teaching and learning. One area in which the idea of an ecosystem is growing more important is the use of educational technology, typically called information and communication technologies (ICT), in teaching and learning. After describing the general educational ecosystem, the chapter will also introduce how to strengthen students’ learning with technology. It provides an example of how technology changes an entire school culture and makes it more like an ecosystem.