On the trail of the Finnish school miracle – Part 2: Visiting a Classroom • #gyereacomeniusba
A swirling snowfall greets us in the morning, with a fleet of snowploughs clearing the roads. We travel slowly but safely on our way to observe our first Finnish lesson.
The physics class begins with review—a back-and-forth recap of the previous material.
The new topic—direct current circuits and power sources—is introduced through real experiments and demonstrations. The circuit boards are the same size as those used in Hungary. Surprisingly, after the introduction of the new topic, students immediately take a test. Its purpose is to see what they’ve understood so far. Then comes immediate grading with personalized feedback and necessary clarification.
The classroom comes alive—it turns into a buzzing anthill. In pairs, the students now repeat the experiments themselves using smaller equipment. The teacher stops at every desk, explains, helps and supports. In the end, the entire class summarizes what they have learned together.
It’s clear that every student is engaged throughout the whole lesson. There’s no homework—because why would there be? They leave the classroom with real knowledge in their heads. Next class, just like every time, they’ll start by reviewing what they learned today.
The teacher then puts on a high-visibility vest and heads to hallway duty. The vest signals to students who they can turn to for help if needed.
Shoes and coats on—and out they run into the snow to play. On the playground, teachers in vests keep an eye on things, while others lead games. Participation is completely voluntary, of course.
Kids wear waterproof trousers or overalls over their clothes to avoid getting wet or chilled. But even if they do get wet, their damp clothes go into high-capacity drying cabinets—and every child also has spare clothes. What foresight! What equipment!
But when and how do teachers rest? You'll find out in the next part!
Stay tuned. Keep reading—it's worth it!
DON’T FIT IN THE BOX?
COME TO COMENIUS!
#hanemférszbeleadobozba; #gyereacomeniusba
English (UK) 
