# data[].attributes.body
Exams are not testing real life skills as we rarely face such tests in real life

# data[].attributes.body
In real life jobs people have time and access to information in most situations, so exams should be open book, with the internet and have more time

# data[].attributes.body
Film criticising schooling today

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
In South Korea and Finland, it's not about finding the "right" school.

Fifty years ago, both South Korea and Finland had terrible education systems. Finland was at risk of becoming the economic stepchild of Europe. South Korea was ravaged by civil war. Yet over the past half century, both South Korea and Finland have turned their schools around - and now both countries are hailed internationally for their extremely high educational outcomes. What can other countries learn from these two successful, but diametrically opposed, educational models? Here's an overview of what South Korea and Finland are doing right.
The Korean model: Grit and hard, hard, hard work.
For millennia, in some parts of Asia, the only way to climb the socioeconomic ladder and find secure work was to take an examination - in which the proctor was a proxy for the emperor, says Marc Tucker, president and CEO of the National Center on Education and the Economy. Those examinations required a thorough command of knowledge, and taking them was a grueling rite of passage. Today, many in the Confucian countries still respect the kind of educational achievement that is promoted by an exam culture.

The Koreans have achieved a remarkable feat: the country is 100 percent literate. But success comes with a price.

Among these countries, South Korea stands apart as the most extreme, and arguably, most successful. The Koreans have achieved a remarkable feat: the country is 100 percent literate, and at the forefront of international comparative tests of achievement, including tests of critical thinking and analysis. But this success comes with a price: Students are under enormous, unrelenting pressure to perform. Talent is not a consideration - because the culture believes in hard work and diligence above all, there is no excuse for failure. Children study year-round, both in-school and with tutors. If you study hard enough, you can be smart enough.

"Koreans basically believe that I have to get through this really tough period to have a great future," says Andreas Schleicher, director of education and skills at PISA and special advisor on education policy at the OECD. "It's a question of short-term unhappiness and long-term happiness." It's not just the parents pressuring their kids. Because this culture traditionally celebrates conformity and order, pressure from other students can also heighten performance expectations. This community attitude expresses itself even in early-childhood education, says Joe Tobin, professor of early childhood education at the University of Georgia who specializes in comparative international research. In Korea, as in other Asian countries, class sizes are very large - which would be extremely undesirable for, say, an American parent. But in Korea, the goal is for the teacher to lead the class as a community, and for peer relationships to develop. In American preschools, the focus for teachers is on developing individual relationships with students, and intervening regularly in peer relationships.

"I think it is clear there are better and worse way to educate our children," says Amanda Ripley, author of The Smartest Kids in the World: And How They Got That Way. "At the same time, if I had to choose between an average US education and an average Korean education for my own kid, I would choose, very reluctantly, the Korean model. The reality is, in the modern world the kid is going to have to know how to learn, how to work hard and how to persist after failure. The Korean model teaches that."
The Finnish model: Extracurricular choice, intrinsic motivation.
In Finland, on the other hand, students are learning the benefits of both rigor and flexibility. The Finnish model, say educators, is utopia.

Finland has a short school day rich with school-sponsored extracurriculars, because Finns believe important learning happens outside the classroom.

In Finland, school is the center of the community, notes Schleicher. School provides not just educational services, but social services. Education is about creating identity.

Finnish culture values intrinsic motivation and the pursuit of personal interest. It has a relatively short school day rich with school-sponsored extracurriculars, because culturally, Finns believe important learning happens outside of the classroom. (An exception? Sports, which are not sponsored by schools, but by towns.) A third of the classes that students take in high school are electives, and they can even choose which matriculation exams they are going to take. It's a low-stress culture, and it values a wide variety of learning experiences.

But that does not except it from academic rigor, motivated by the country's history trapped between European superpowers, says Pasi Sahlberg, Finnish educator and author of Finnish Lessons: What the World Can Learn From Educational Change in Finland.

Teachers in Finland teach 600 hours a year, spending the rest of time in professional development. In the U.S., teachers are in the classroom 1,100 hours a year, with little time for feedback.

"A key to that is education. Finns do not really exist outside of Finland," says Sahlberg. "This drives people to take education more seriously. For example, nobody speaks this funny language that we do. Finland is bilingual, and every student learns both Finnish and Swedish. And every Finn who wants to be successful has to master at least one other language, often English, but she also typically learns German, French, Russian and many others. Even the smallest children understand that nobody else speaks Finnish, and if they want to do anything else in life, they need to learn languages."

Finns share one thing with South Koreans: a deep respect for teachers and their academic accomplishments. In Finland, only one in ten applicants to teaching programs is admitted. After a mass closure of 80 percent of teacher colleges in the 1970s, only the best university training programs remained, elevating the status of educators in the country. Teachers in Finland teach 600 hours a year, spending the rest of time in professional development, meeting with colleagues, students and families. In the U.S., teachers are in the classroom 1,100 hours a year, with little time for collaboration, feedback or professional development.
How Americans can change education culture
As TED speaker Sir Ken Robinson noted in his 2013 talk (How to escape education's death valley), when it comes to current American education woes "the dropout crisis is just the tip of an iceberg. What it doesn't count are all the kids who are in school but being disengaged from it, who don't enjoy it, who don't get any real benefit from it." But it doesn't have to be this way.

Notes Amanda Ripley, "culture is a thing that changes. It's more malleable than we think. Culture is like this ether that has all kinds of things swirling around in it, some of which are activated and some of which are latent. Given an economic imperative or change in leadership or accident of history, those things get activated." The good news is, "We Americans have a lot of things in our culture which would support a very strong education system, such as a longstanding rhetoric about the equality of opportunity and a strong and legitimate meritocracy," says Ripley.

One reason we haven't made much progress academically over the past 50 years is because it hasn't been economically crucial for American kids to master sophisticated problem-solving and critical-thinking skills in order to survive. But that's not true anymore. "There's a lag for cultures to catch up with economic realities, and right now we're living in that lag," says Ripley. "So our kids aren't growing up with the kind of skills or grit to make it in the global economy."

"We are prisoners of the pictures and experiences of education that we had," says Tony Wagner, expert-in-residence at Harvard's educational innovation center and author of The Global Achievement Gap. "We want schools for our kids that mirror our own experience, or what we thought we wanted. That severely limits our ability to think creatively of a different kind of education. But there's no way that tweaking that assembly line will meet the 21st-century world. We need a major overhaul."

Indeed. Today, the American culture of choice puts the onus on parents to find the "right" schools for our kids, rather than trusting that all schools are capable of preparing our children for adulthood. Our obsession with talent puts the onus on students to be "smart," rather than on adults' ability to teach them. And our antiquated system for funding schools makes property values the arbiter of spending per student, not actual values.

But what will American education culture look like tomorrow? In the most successful education cultures in the world, it is the system that is responsible for the success of the student, says Schleicher - not solely the parent, not solely the student, not solely the teacher. The culture creates the system. The hope is that Americans can find the grit and will to change their own culture - one parent, student and teacher at a time.
Featured image via iStock.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
What the best education systems are doing right

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In South Korea and Finland, it's not about finding the "right" school.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
It's a term typically associated with nurseries, but many primary-school children benefit from a Montessori education, too. We explain what's involved.

In the days when you were looking for nurseries and pre-schools, you may well have come across a number of Montessori establishments. But while this model of education is best known in early years environments, a small number of UK primary schools - including four state schools - are using Montessori methods.

Montessori education explained

The Montessori movement was founded by Dr Maria Montessori, one the most influential early years educationalists of the 20th century. A medical doctor by training, she became interested in education through her work with children with special needs, and began to set up schools, initially for disadvantaged children.

Most Montessori establishments today are pre-schools and nurseries, but there are four state schools in England using Montessori methods in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS: Nursery and Reception), with plans to extend the model up the school. There are also some independent Montessori schools covering the whole primary range.

'What makes Montessori unique is the emphasis on individual progress and giving children opportunities to extend and engage with the learning environment for long periods of time,' explains Barbara Isaacs, Chief Education Officer for Montessori St Nicholas.

Unlike in a typical classroom, where teachers will have a clear plan and timetable for the day that all children are expected to follow, in Montessori schools, a range of activities is set up and children choose what they want to do, engaging with each for as little or as long as they want. 'It's up to the teacher to observe what a child is interested in and find other ways to engage them,' says Barbara.

There are certain key principles of the Montessori movement:

Order and structure Although learning is child-led, children need order and structure to thrive. Everything in the classroom has its place, and children take responsibility for putting one activity away before moving on to another.

Sensory learning Children learn through the senses, so Montessori puts emphasis on preparing teaching materials with great care. 'For example, children use proper ceramic tableware and glasses, rather than plastic child-safe ones,' Barbara says.

Freedom The single most important factor in child development, according to Maria Montessori. The Montessori classroom provides experiences, activities and environments that encourage children to follow their natural instincts.

Sensitive periods The Montessori movement says that children move through 'sensitive periods' when they're particularly receptive to learning a new skill, such as reading, writing or counting. Teachers watch out for these opportunities and take advantage of them, rather than trying to get a child reading or writing at a certain age.

Discipline is seen as something that should come from inside, rather than being imposed. Teachers focus on helping children develop social and emotional skills. Rewards and punishments are not used, and teachers will only step in when a child is behaving in a disruptive or upsetting way.

'In any one morning in a Montessori classroom, a child might do up to nine activities: some alone, some with a friend, some in a small group and some with the teacher,' Barbara explains. 'The teacher's role is to ensure that the environment is perfectly prepared, with everything ready for children to use to support their spontaneous choice. She will have a broad plan of what she would like children to be engaged in, based on their individual interests, and will observe and encourage them as they take part.'

In Montessori primary schools, there is a more curriculum-based structure; for example, there will be a set of tasks that children need to complete over the course of the week, but they choose when to do them.

'Children take responsibility for doing these tasks and discussing them with the teacher, who will monitor their learning,' Barbara adds. 'They track progress through observations, rather than formal assessments and tests, and homework is rarely given.'

Why choose Montessori?

'Montessori works really well alongside the EYFS curriculum, because both focus on the individual needs of the child, good relationships between teacher and learner, and a positive learning environment,' says Barbara.

'For me, the biggest benefit is the emotional wellbeing that comes from making choices independently, and knowing those choices come with responsibility. This capacity for a child to be in control of their own learning builds independence, autonomy and the ability to engage the attention for long periods of time, alongside social awareness.'

Results-wise, primary schools with a Montessori approach do well. 'As a way of teaching, instinctively I know it's right,' says Carol Powell, the former headteacher of Gorton Primary School in Manchester, which uses Montessori methods in the EYFS. 'The children are more skilled than they were before, our results have gone up, and the best thing for me is that they have improved the socialised behaviour.'

Montessori schools and special educational needs

Although the idea of leaving a child with special educational needs (SEN) to take responsibility for their own learning might seem far-fetched, Barbara says the Montessori model works well for many of these children.

'Children with behavioural needs might take longer to settle into the self-regulated process, but being able to follow their individual interests improves their capacity to concentrate and engage,' she explains. 'It's our belief that once a child finds something they're interested in and that gives them pleasure, they will grow in understanding and self-control.'

What parents say

'What struck me most about the Montessori classroom was that the level of stimulus was mind-blowing. It's an environment that really allows children to grow. Teachers talk to children like equals, and the child dictates the pace of what they do day-to-day. Aurelia has developed a very firm sense of who she is. She's confident talking to adults, and is very good at walking into a new environment and working out what she wants to explore. Montessori helped her learn constantly and absorb so much.'
Sharon Kemanes from South London, mum to Aurelia, five

Give your child a headstart

FREE articles & expert information

FREE resources & activities

FREE homework help

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Montessori model of early years education explained for parents of primary-school children.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A required part of this site couldn’t load. This may be due to a browser extension, network issues, or browser settings. Please check your connection, disable any ad blockers, or try using a different browser.

# data[].attributes.body
Period 1 is a waste of time your brain is not ready to sbecause research shows that teenagers shoUld start school later.

# data[].attributes.body
teachers feed us information that could be irrelevant in our future- we memorise them for exams and soon after the knowledge gained is forgotten. schools should focus more on students being able to apply knowledge in real life situations

# data[].attributes.body
a lot of the stuff we learn has no relevance whatsoever to what we need in real life, yet we aren't taught many useful skills, such as paying taxes etc.

# data[].attributes.body
No one teaches us about things we need in life e.g. mortgages

# data[].attributes.body
we could have more lessons on skills we are actually going to use in the future

# data[].attributes.body
We aren’t learning important things that we will need for the future like: mortgages, student pay and money management. And political things like what’s happening with Brexit and the EU. Instead we are revising for tests that once we complete we won’t necessarily need.

# data[].attributes.body
We should have shorter school days, so we concentrate better in the time we have in school

# data[].attributes.body
We should start learning GCSE syllabi earlier

# data[].attributes.body
We should longer holidays

# data[].attributes.body
we could start school an hour or two earlier and finish an hour or two later

# data[].attributes.body
Why do we have to sit down in lines and put your hand up to say something when everyone has free speech

# data[].attributes.body
no important exams maybe just quizzes, but more projects that make students work collaboratively and share ideas.

# data[].attributes.headline
GCSE studies should start in year 9 so that info isn't crammed into a short period of time and we can learn to apply the knowledge as well as learn it

# data[].attributes.subject
GCSE studies should start in year 9 so that info isn't crammed into a short period of time and we can learn to apply the knowledge as well as learn it

# data[].attributes.body
I wasn't taught how to get a job, pay tax or how to vote but I was taught how to dissecting a frog. You see the problem?

# data[].attributes.body
What if school was like dragons den - innovating new ideas and pitching them to develop a wide range of practical skills

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xe6nLVXEC0

# data[].attributes.body
Exams are just test of memory not actually knowledge why do we need exams when in a few years no one looks at GCSEs

# data[].attributes.body
Finland has consistently come top in the world for education systems

# data[].attributes.body
Have G.K (general knowledge) lessons to learn more about real life’s situations and what Ian actually happening in our world rather than learning information that’s would never Be relevant later on in life

# data[].attributes.body
Teachers expect students to be able to memorise information instantly but some people take longer, we should have longer time to learn the syllabus

# data[].attributes.body
Education cost a lot and it becomes questionable whether it is worth that. (Many successful people today have nit had good education )

# data[].attributes.body
In Finland’s they finish school after lunch and barely get homework with only 45 Min lesson so