Disclaimer: This is a personal website. All views and information presented herein are my own and do not represent the views of the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State.
What should we teach in our classrooms? Some teachers may look to the standards that outline their subject for guidance or the book and curriculum that has been handed to them by their administration. Some teachers may look to their students and personalize learning goals based on the interests and needs of the individual. Some teachers may look to the world and workplaces that they are preparing their students for and create learning goals that will help ensure success in those environments. Maybe it doesn’t matter what we teach, as long as we are inspiring children and cultivate a sense of passion and lifelong love for learning. I for one am in the very fortunate position to have a lot of control in what I teach. I teach at a school that encourages teachers to design their own curriculum. I teach a subject that is not beholden to any summative evaluation of student knowledge. I have found that I can best serve my students by helping them develop the skills and core competencies that each of them will need to thrive in the 21st century world while also motivating them to find joy in learning and thus become the drivers of their own growth.
Although I know that I value core competencies, I still struggle to identify exactly what I mean by this. Most people have heard about “21st Century Skills” and have a general understanding of the types of competencies involved, things like collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking, but it can be quite a challenge to create a concise list. A quick Google search provides an extremely thorough framework created by P21. In the effort to be all encompassing, the framework is overly complex and in my opinion difficult to apply to a classroom. When I first came to High Tech High Chula Vista back in 2010, they were using the Habits of Heart and Mind, a list that was developed internally at the school that reflected cross disciplinary “habits” that we hoped to develop in all students. Our school then became a part of the “Deeper Learning” network of schools that has it’s own list of competencies that encourages learning core academic content and the skills needed to apply that knowledge. In my own classroom I have used the 7 Survival Skills for the Innovation Economy outlined by Tony Wagner, which I find fit well in my differentiated engineering class due to the skills being broad and cross disciplinary as well as being especially applicable in a design/tech environment. It is hard for me to settle on a specific list though due to complex and foggy nature of core competencies. Competencies overlap and their definitions can be subjective. What does it mean to be a good collaborator or to be creative? This differs from conventional content standards that are far more cut and dry and knowledge based.
I have come to Jyväskylä, Finland in order to explore this question of “What should we teach?”, and to discover if there is another approach to core competencies that may inspire my work in my own classroom. Finland is in the midst of exploring the topic or core competencies as they adopt a brand new National Core Curriculum that has been implemented across the country this school year. In addition to having basic requirements for core subject matter, the curriculum has a list of “Transversal Competencies” that apply to all subject areas.
Thinking and Learning to Learn (T1)
Cultural Competence, Interaction, and Self-Expression (T2)
Taking Care of Oneself and Managing Daily Life (T3)
Multiliteracy (T4)
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Competence (T5)
Working Life Competence and Entrepreneurship (T6)
Participation, Involvement, and Building a Sustainable Future (T7)
Cultural Competence, Interaction, and Self-Expression (T2)
Taking Care of Oneself and Managing Daily Life (T3)
Multiliteracy (T4)
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Competence (T5)
Working Life Competence and Entrepreneurship (T6)
Participation, Involvement, and Building a Sustainable Future (T7)
At first glance there are some similarities between this list and many of the others mentioned above. Critical Thinking is common trend throughout as well as multiple literacies and some form “work skills” or collaboration. The competencies that jump out to me from the Finnish list as unique are T2, T3, and T7. I think these competencies reflect something about the Finnish view of education. In the first few pages of the National Core Curriculum it is explained that the central goal of education is to support the growth of students “into ethically responsible members of society” and supports the students’ “growth into balanced adults with a healthy self-esteem”. There is a general belief here that everyone is important and that the country is stronger because it cares for its people. Finland is a young democracy (it is celebrating it’s Centennial this year) and was occupied by a totalitarian regime during WWII. Due to this they have a common sense of pride in their country. Democracy is so important to this country and the country as a whole understands the role that education plays in supporting that democracy. The competencies of cultural competence, managing daily life, and participation/involvement all seem to show a value placed on developing healthy, responsible, democratic citizens.
I’m excited to visit schools and see first hand how teachers are approaching these competencies in their classrooms. I’m also curious if there is any push back to these competencies in schools. In the States I have seen first hand that with any “standard” that is mandated by some overarching organization there can easily be some resistance. Is this the same in Finland where teacher autonomy is so highly valued, or are these standards that teachers have bought into and that drive some sort of common ideology or mission? All along the way I’ll also be searching for the use, development, and assessment of the core competencies that I have used in my classroom in the past few years. I hope that whatever I discover may help you in some way to develop core competencies in your school.
Hei-Hei for now!
Hei-Hei for now!