Ms. Tam Suk Yin Lancy, our principal, and Ms. Lai Mo Yu Alice, the head of Science department, together with a group of senior teachers and principals from different DSS schools have joined a trip to Finland to learn about their education system and the secrets in getting a very high score in PISA tests (the Programme for International Student Assessment) from 29th April to 7th May, 2017.
Finland is well-known of having high PISA scores, as well as providing a low-stress environment for students. Students enjoy their school life very much, with little homework assigned (average takes only 30 minutes a day) and more outdoor playing time. They believe in “Equity”, which no one is left behind and everyone is receiving the same education.
The most impressive thing about Finland education is the quality of teachers. In Finland, only the top 10% of graduates can be accepted into the teaching programmes in Universities. Only Master holders can work as teachers. And this makes teachers professional and of high quality, both academically and morally.
Compared with the pedagogy we have in LTPSS classrooms, Finland actually has fewer activities in lessons, though not necessarily less interactive. But if we are aiming at improving the quality of staff members like Finland, we may need to promote moral responsibility of teachers in professional developments. Recruiting teachers that are passionate in education, rewarding the staffs that have kept a consistent good performance, and integrating similar workloads into one to minimize redundant workloads for staffs may help in stabilizing a strong team in the school.
