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Historical Evolution

The Finnish education system has undergone significant changes over the past few decades.

In the 1970s, Finland introduced a comprehensive school reform, replacing the two-track

system (which separated students into academic and vocational paths at an early age) with a

single, unified system. This reform emphasized equity and access for all students.

In the 1990s, Finland decentralized its education governance, giving schools and

municipalities more control over their curricula and resources. This shift allowed for greater

flexibility and innovation at the local level.

By the 2000s, Finland began to focus on enhancing teacher professionalism. Teachers were

required to hold a master’s degree, and the curriculum was redesigned to emphasize

transversal competencies, such as critical thinking and collaboration. These changes have

contributed to Finland’s consistent success in international education rankings.

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Nowadays…

Emphasis on Transversal competencies

The role of teachers

The “secret ingredient”: The quality in teaching is often highlighted by Finland as the reason why its education system succeeds.
Trust as base: Teachers are respected by society
High standards: A master degree is required for all teachers from primary to vocational education
Autonomy in activities and assignments
Student-centered classes

Teaching Methods

You can find examples of other student-centered approaches in the Finnish education system, such as:

Theme-Based Learning: Classes are centered around a theme. Ex: All subjects discuss about plants.
Project-Based Learning: Classes are centered around the development of a project. Ex: Collaboration across subjects for a Science exposition fair (all subjects)

Design-Thinking Learning/Invention Pedagogy: Classes are centered around the design or invention of a product. Ex: Design a solution to reduce waste at Finns’ houses. (physics, math, language, arts)

Problem-Based Learning: Classes are centered around an open-ended problem, not necessarily real-world based. Ex: Discussion and presentation about “How would the society function today if the internet was extinguished?” (history, language, math, geography)

*Phenomenon-Based Learning: Classes are centered around a real-life phenomenon.Ex: Investigate, discuss and take action over pollution in Finland. (physics, math, geography, chemistry)

The difference between the approaches

Multidisciplinarity	Interdisciplinarity	Transdisciplinarity
Involves several disciplines, each of which provides a different perspective on a problem or issue.	Refers to the integration of the contributions of several disciplines to a problem or issue by bringing interdependent parts of knowledge into harmonious relationships	Its intellectual frameworks goes beyond the disciplinary perspectives.
Ex: Geography and biology discussing and contributing separately for a single presentation about pollution in Finland. The subjects keep their “voice”	Ex: Geography and biology teachers created together an interactive game (activity) that will be applied only one time about the pollution in Finland.	Ex: The school design and activate a Pollution project in the city - collecting trash from the beach - wish the conception and help of several teachers.