Finnish Curriculum: What is Determined by the State and What is Determined by the School

How are curricula developed in Finland? What is determined by the state, by a local government and by a school? This material presents answers to these and other questions about the curriculum.

The state level

The scenario of basic secondary education is established at the level of the national curriculum, say Finnish experts. Its main principles should be the development of students both as individuals and as citizens of a democratic society, providing conditions for the development of all students without exception, as well as laying the foundations for lifelong learning.

Therefore, the national curriculum provides a single basis for local curricula and promotes equality in the education sector throughout the country.

For instance, at the state level, the Finnish education system provides general instructions for the development of a school culture, design of learning environments, work methods, student support and assessment of their achievements. The national curriculum is based on international agreements, the education development plan, scientific research, key principles of educational policy and legislative documents.

The Finnish national curriculum contains 7 transversal competencies that must be taken into account in the course of formation of a study program for each subject as well as in determining the goals and key areas of the educational content:

• thinking and ability to learn;
• cultural competence, interaction and self-expression;
• self-care and daily life management;
• multiliteracy (ability to create and interpret various texts);
• ICT;
• labor competence and entrepreneurship;
• participation, engagement and building a sustainable future.

The document also contains recommendations for setting goals, content areas, pedagogical methods and assessing achievements per different age groups of students – grades 1–2, 3–6, and 7–9.

The local level

The curricula of each municipality and school are formed on the basis of the national curriculum. They describe in detail the conditions and nuances of schooling in the region. They also take into account local needs and perspectives; they are more flexible and can be changed quickly, if necessary.

The general part of the local curriculum may consider the following issues:

• local features and perspectives that complement basic values and concepts outlined in the national curriculum;
• interaction of all participants of the educational process (school personnel, students and their parents) regarding the development of the school curriculum;
• the educational trajectory of the community’s children – from pre-school education to primary and basic secondary education;
• consideration of local characteristics and needs in the formation of the curriculum;
• total number of study hours by subject (minimum or maximum).

Therefore, the local curriculum is a strategic and pedagogical tool for regional players. It is believed that its implementation will motivate educators to renew educational processes. After all, the rapid changes that we currently notice in all areas, require flexibility and an operational response from the school system. The Finnish experience shows that this task can be solved only by combining efforts of all units and participants of the educational process.

The school level

The curriculum of the educational institution is aimed at the formation of pedagogical leadership, setting goals for the development of the school culture and, of course, the implementation of the school curriculum (i.e. what happens directly at lessons). It describes issues related to responsibilities, cooperation and the level of involvement of participants of the educational process.

The curriculum of an educational institution must take into account the interests of students and the nuances of their development, provide them with support and well-being, give teachers an understanding of the goals, content of learning and assessment, and also be understandable for child’s parents or guardians.

According to Finnish experts, the school’s mission is to preserve and at the same time to reform society and culture. Therefore, when it comes to the development of the school and the formation of the school curriculum, the following questions naturally arise:

• what should be changed and what should be left unchanged?
• do teachers have enough knowledge and competences; what new skills do they need?
• what values, vision and strategy should be in the modernized school?
• what are the roles of school principals, teachers and parents?

Therefore, administrations are recommended to first of all decide on the values and vision of the school. Values guide the operational culture in the school, determining the daily choice of actions by each educational process participant. Adherence to common values is the most important task for everyone in school and extracurricular activities, from the administration to students and their parents (guardians).

Thus, in order to determine the values of the educational institution and form the curriculum, vision and strategy, all educational process participants must answer the following questions:

• how to make the values seen in the everyday life of the school?
• how are values transformed into pedagogical practice in our school?
• what values, which guide teaching and learning of various subjects, contribute to a good and meaningful life of students?
• how do values affect the educational community – how do we commit and involve school principals, teachers, parents (guardians), the surrounding society to these values?

It is advisable to analyze each written value based on these questions. In Finland, as a result, consolidated tables are drawn up, where everyone’s responsibility for compliance with defined values is set forth. This facilitates the formation of the general strategy and operational culture of the educational institution.

Vision is a visualization of the future in which the school wants to be after a certain period of time. In order to achieve this goal, all participants of the educational process should understand and adhere to common values, be aware of the content of each subject study program and competencies for its implementation. And also be flexible and ready for operational changes, responsibility and interaction.

And already on the basis of values and vision, a strategy for the development of an educational institution is formed, that is, a program of actions, the implementation of which will lead to the implementation of this vision.

This material was prepared for the Learning Together project and published on the NUS portal at the end of 2021 based on the results of a webinar from the Finnish Learning Together project + the EU project together with the Reform Support Team.

This document was produced with the financial assistance of the European Union and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland. The views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union or the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland.