School Leadership 2.0 Editor's Note:

 SL 2.0 members, Kimberly Licato (Westhampton Beach School District) and Jackie Ammirato (Longwood School District) recently toured Finland to see firsthand the school system that is arguably the best in the world.  They share their impressions in a series of blog posts that continue today.  Thanks Kimberley and Jackie for sharing your trip with us.

Blog #4 Kim Licato and Jacqueline Ammirato

Sustainability, Service and Safety

Themes began to emerge after our third school visit.  Sustainability, service and a feeling of safety were reoccurring in our conversations with headmasters and teachers.  Each concept, deeply embedded in the schools’ culture and interwoven seamlessly into curriculum, held an equal degree of importance.   This particular blog will address the sustainability that we observed throughout our visitations.

“Sustainability”, in the context of Finnish schools, is more closely related to the concept of sustainable development defined as development that meets the needs of the “present” without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.  In every school we visited, there was an awareness of their environment.  Environmental sustainability was woven into the daily routine.  Students of all ages were encouraged to be cognitive of the environment and mindful of natural resources.  Reusing of materials and recycling ideas were visible throughout the various buildings.  Each schools’ design appeared to be an extension of the landscape surroundings creating an impression of melding the school and environment as one cohesive existence.  Large rocks were used to climb on or as a meeting spot to chat with friends.  Pathways surrounding the schools and the forest were areas where students could walk, exercise and breathe in the fresh air while outside for their routine breaks between classes.  In lieu of the long line of cars dropping off students typical at schools in the US, a plethora of bikes, scooters and skate boards were visible on the schools’ grounds.

Students participated in cleaning and picking up debris on the school’s grounds in one of the locations.   From our observations, students appeared willing if not enthusiastic and eager to partake in cleaning up the outside of the school.  The students conveyed a sense of ownership and responsibility for the school grounds.  While observing this situation, we could not help but to wonder how this scenario would play out in a public school setting in New York.  Would students flat out refuse to partake?  Would parents call the principal and superintendent to complain about their child participating in janitorial duties? Would teachers complain that instructional and class time was being wasted?  Would the union(s) voice their concern about students doing the work of a union member?  Were we witnessing a cultural difference between Finland and the US  regarding sustainability, the environment and the education of their youth?

The Headmaster from the school whose students were involved in cleaning the surrounding environment spoke to us regarding the school’s plan to participate in a national environmental awareness program sponsored by the European Commission.   The European Commission supports turning sustainable consumption and production into profitable business opportunities, which is crucial to improving the state of the environment. On their home page, the European Commission states that the commission aims to protect, preserve and improve the environment for present and future generations.  Working closely with organizations such as the European Commission to solve or give awareness to problems in today’s world that will impact the future is an example of how these Finnish educators incorporate real world issues into teachable moments and assist students in being creative in developing potential solutions.  This allows Finnish students an opportunity to learn more about their environment and gives them ‘heightened’ awareness to environmental issues, all while allowing them to partake in activities that will aid them as future citizens of their country.

Classrooms were designed with functionality in mind and most rooms were not rectangle in shape.  Hexagon shaped rooms with many windows were more common in the lower level schools while the high school had several different room shapes. Rooms were sparsely adorned Any visible items were student created.  Furniture at all levels, including students’ desks and chairs, were designed in a typical “Scandinavian-like” fashion, lightweight and easily reconfigured to move from individual work, to partner, small group or large group configurations.  Technology, such as Smart boards and computers, were in all classrooms and utilized by teachers during our on-site visits.   In general, classrooms resembled functional workspaces with few distractors.  Students were encouraged to be comfortable in their school environment while working and to find the situation that best fit their individual learning style.

Another example of the concept of ”sustainability” is evident in the lunch room.  In Finland lunch is provided in all schools for all of Finland’s children.  The meals consisted of healthy, appetizing choices with vegan and gluten free options available.  When we inquired about how students liked their lunches, students responded favorably but mentioned that they had a few favorite lunch choices.  Water, milk and juice were available while sugary drinks/foods and high caloric items were not. In both the lower and upper level schools students were responsible for cleaning up their lunch table and returning plates and utensils to a designated area.  The concepts of “reuse” and “sustainability” were demonstrated for students during lunch in that all dishes, glasses, utensils and trays were not disposable items.  After lunch, all students took on the responsibility of clearing their own plates and placing the items in the designated bins in a specific area of the kitchen.  Teachers commonly chose to eat lunch with the students.  During one of our visits a young girl accidentally dropped a glass.  Within moments she had a broom in hand and began to clean up the mess under the watchful eye of the teacher who had just finished having lunch with her.  At one point the student realized she needed some way of picking up the pieces and the teacher asked her to think about what she needed to complete the clean up.  A few students joined in to help.  The teacher used this accident as a teachable moment.  Rather than instruct the student on how to clean up and what would be needed, the teacher simply asked the student to problem solve and think about what resource would help her to complete the task of picking up the glass.

As observers, we were struck by the involvement of students in every aspect of the school day.  Students took ownership of their environment and responsibility for their own actions within the environment.  They often problem-solved and quickly worked to rectify problems, errors or accidents.  Teachable moments were capitalized on and learning was acquired by “doing”.  

The question posed is ……”Is this constructivism in practice?”  If we accept the definition of constructivism as learning that is an active, contextualized process of constructing knowledge rather than acquiring it then the answer is a resounding YES!  Finnish students are not passive bystanders waiting to be told what to learn and in what manner to learn it.  They are active participants steering their own learning by honing the skills necessary to problem solve and construct viable solutions.  Is this constructivism mentality another example of cultural differences concerning education?  Are these embedded practices a significant contribution to the global success of Finland’s schools and students?