My Top Take-Aways as a Curriculum Expert
If I told you there was a method of education with outcomes of 100% literacy, wouldn’t you want to know what it is?
And if I told you it currently exists in the word and is getting those literacy rates and a 95% graduation rate, wouldn’t you want to know what the secret sauce is?
I know I do!
So, let’s dive into what’s going right in Finland and what that can mean for you as a parent wherever you are in the world!
I’ve reviewed the methods and research done on Finland’s education system and I definitely have some thoughts to share..
Let’s go!
Before I get into all the details , I just want to share with you all the resources on my free learn to read YouTube channel, Dr. Deanna’s Learning for Littles! You can subscribe here: Dr. Deanna’s Learning for Littles YouTube
make sure to subscribe for weekly learn to read resources grounded in what the science says about learning to read!
It’s not a secret that Finland has really great outcomes in their education system.
And with the current literacy crisis here in the states, it just makes sense to look at what they are doing right and what makes sense to bring here!
Now we may not be able to change the entire educational system right here, but for parents, both homeschoolers and otherwise, there are some key insights that you can start applying right away to your child’s development and learning.
I have some major truth bombs to share today and some of them may go against the grain. I’d love to hear what your thoughts are about these ideas and how you may already be using them at home or questions you have!
One of those truth bombs that might get me into a little bit of trouble is how frustrating it is to hear creators that are telling parents their child has to be reading early in order to be ahead. This “start ahead stay ahead” myth is in direct contradiction to what research has to say about child development and by the way… is the exact opposite of what one of the most successful education systems in the world is doing!
Interested? Let’s dig deeper.
So, what am I not saying? I am not saying that we shouldn’t do anything in regards to literacy at a young age and Yes, some children are ready to read at age 3. Some.
But the research indicates that children on average are DEVELOPMENTALLY ready to read at age 6 or 7.
I mean have you noticed that as we have moved more academics into younger grades, we are not increasing our outcomes, actually the opposite?
Could it be we are taking out critical developmental steps?
And the research again says YES!
In fact children who are taught to read before they are developmentally ready DO not stay ahead! They plateau around 3rd grade or even begin to struggle sometimes because they missed key developmental milestones. It’s kind alike how we know that the stages of crawling and cruising are important to the way the brain develops and promotes other motor skills such as walking!
And you guessed it Finland definitely follows the lead on this research!
You see there is a developmental spectrum when it comes to reading, like a bell curve.
And Finland has caught on to this
So here is my first key take away:
LESS is MORE
Less homework shorter school days , no standardized testing at a young age AND a focus on child led learning!
Children are encouraged to develop key skills and to explore their interests..
Kinda sounds like something we can offer in HOMESCHOOLING and if you don’t homeschool, you can keep this in mind as you help your child.
The Finnish school system is not built to stamp out workers… it promotes entrepreneurship and thinking outside the box!
They also spend more time working on developmental skills, things that somehow we here in the states have decided we need to take out such as rhyming.
My next take away from the finnish school system is early intervention, once we see they are outside of developmental range.
And this is definitely something we can do now with our children.
If our child is struggling with something and we are seeing there may be a developmental delay, then it may be time to get that looked at.
If you are in a school setting, put your request in writing for testing.
If you homeschool, look for resources through your pediatrician, co op or other that can point you in the right direction. Addressing things like auditory processing and other thing early on can prevent long term issues in literacy.
If your child is just struggling with some phonics skills, take notes on the things that are causing challenges and then find ways ( I have tons of ideas if you’re wondering) to help them practice those skills.
If you’re looking for a checklist to know what to help your child work on in phonics, check out the link in the description to download my free phonics and reading checklist! I used to do this all the time with students when I was in the classroom and did this to a less formal extent with my own boys! When I noticed a gap in their learning, we addressed it ( not to exhaustion of course) and then were able to build upon that!)
Get your free copy here: Phonics and Reading Checklist FREE!
If you want one to one guidance on how to do that, I do offer personalized one to one consults for families and you can check out the link to my menu of services here: https://deannawestedt.com/parents/
Deanna Westedt 