We all know how crucial education is. But have you ever wondered whether or not, the environment or the way you were learning was best for you?
Scotland's education system is too comprehensive. There's too many exams, too much stress and too many students failing. So lets take the 2000 mile journey to Helsinki, Finland.
Here all the students are dressed in ordinary clothes and speak almost flawless English, unlike those in UK, who can hardly communicate in the languages taught in schools. The atmosphere here is almost completely stress free, there's an early start which creates more time for the students after school. All classes are mixed ability and there's no homework. There's also a lot of breaks for the kids to socialise and enjoy themselves.
Back in Scotland however, the atmosphere is tense. Every student is dressed in the same colour. The students address the teacher as Mr/Ms/Mrs, unlike in Finland where the teachers are addressed by their first names. School starts at around 9am, and ends late, leaving not much time for students after school. The classes are split into sections, National 4 (lower), National 5 (middle) and Higher. This method can be intimidating, many students are underestimated and not given enough time to show what they're capable of. There also isn't a lot of free time for the students and many teachers have 'favourites' which is never fair.
Stress is one of the main problems in Scottish education, many students feel that their whole 13 years of school are depended upon by a single set of exams. In Finland tests/exams are less frequent, and students aren't dependent on a single set of exams.
Scotland and the UK can take a lot from countries like Finland. Even changing simple aspects of school life, will have such a profound effect on so many lives. It's only a matter of making this happen.
Article by Lewis Cranston
Scotland's education system is too comprehensive. There's too many exams, too much stress and too many students failing. So lets take the 2000 mile journey to Helsinki, Finland.
Here all the students are dressed in ordinary clothes and speak almost flawless English, unlike those in UK, who can hardly communicate in the languages taught in schools. The atmosphere here is almost completely stress free, there's an early start which creates more time for the students after school. All classes are mixed ability and there's no homework. There's also a lot of breaks for the kids to socialise and enjoy themselves.
Back in Scotland however, the atmosphere is tense. Every student is dressed in the same colour. The students address the teacher as Mr/Ms/Mrs, unlike in Finland where the teachers are addressed by their first names. School starts at around 9am, and ends late, leaving not much time for students after school. The classes are split into sections, National 4 (lower), National 5 (middle) and Higher. This method can be intimidating, many students are underestimated and not given enough time to show what they're capable of. There also isn't a lot of free time for the students and many teachers have 'favourites' which is never fair.
Stress is one of the main problems in Scottish education, many students feel that their whole 13 years of school are depended upon by a single set of exams. In Finland tests/exams are less frequent, and students aren't dependent on a single set of exams.
Scotland and the UK can take a lot from countries like Finland. Even changing simple aspects of school life, will have such a profound effect on so many lives. It's only a matter of making this happen.
Article by Lewis Cranston