FOSTEREING DEMOCRATIC CITIZENSHIP

AND PARTICIPATION IN FINNISH BASIC

EDUCATION

PESTALOZZI IN-SERVICE TRAINING PROGRAMME FOR EDUCATION PROFESSIONALS/ HELSINKI 3.10.2013

Kristina Kaihari, Counsellor of Education

Finnish coordinator of Council of Europe’s EDC/HRE –project

CIVICS in Finnish education /National core

curriculum Civics issues are strongly included in underlying values, basis

and implementation of instruction. The mission of Finnish

basic education is ia:

”In order to ensure social continuity and built the future, basic

education assumes the tasks of transferring cultural

tradition from one generation to the next, augmenting

knowledge and skills, and increasing awareness of

the values and ways of acting that form the

foundation of society. It is also the mission of basic

education to create new culture, revitalize ways of

thinking and acting, and develop the pupil’s ability to

evaluate critically.”

VALUES OF BASIC EDUCATION/National core

curriculum

Underlying values:

• Human rights

• Equality

• Democracy

• Natural diversity

• Preservation of environmental viability

• Endorsement of multiculturalism

Basic education promotes responsibility, sense of community,

respect for the rights and freedoms of individual

Civics issues in school subjects

Civics elements are included in all school activities and

subjects in Finland, but they are most closely tied to

• History

• Social studies

• Geographics

• Religion and ethics

• Home economics

• Health education

The Cross-curricular theme “Active citizenship”

in Basic Education

The task is

• to educate students to become contributing,

responsible and critical citizens

->this means participation in and influence on

different areas of society from political, economic

and social activities to cultural life.

• The levels of participation are local, national, European

and global

SOCIAL STUDIES/citizenship (3h/week)

compulsory subject in Basic Education

The task of instruction in social studies is to guide the pupil in

becoming an active and responsible player in society.

must provide basic knowledge and skills concerning the

structure and operation of society, and the citizen's

opportunities for influence.

The purpose of the instruction is to support the pupils' growth

as tolerant, democratic citizens, and to give them

experience with social action and the democratic

exercise of influence.

Reform of the National Core curriculum

• The reform of the Finnish curriculum for basic education

The Governement degree: increasing lessons of

social studies/civics/EDC (2h/w) on primary level (4-6) from

2012

…”enhancing learning and teaching related to excerting

social influence and participation and more in-depth

teaching of business studies”

Pupil and student councils

• Possible and very common in basic education,

mentioned in law -> from 2016 compulsory

• Compulsory in general upper secondary schools and

vocational institutes

-> Self-assessment material 2010:

”Student participation and student council activity in

upper secondary school”

• Municipal Youth Forums encouraged by laws

Elements promoting pupils’ activity /National Core

Curriculum for Basic and Upper Secondary Education

Learning as active knowledge construction: conception of

learning

Learning environment, versatile learning approaches,

cooperation with NGO’s and other stakeholders

Operational culture of the school - > spirit of community,

dialogue

Real opportunities for pupils to be heard and influence

- >student councils

Learning by doing and participating

National survey on EDC & Media Education

• A national evalualuation in Finnish basic and upper

secondary schools on how EDUCATION FOR

DEMOCRATIC CITIZENSHIP AND PARTICIPATION are

realized in schools’ everyday life (september 2011,

results published on 13.3.2012)

focusing on

• conceptualization of EDC&ME in schools’ culture and how it

promotes pupils’ participation

• How pupils are heard and their opportunities to participate

• School council activities

• Cooperation with NGO’s and other; pupils responsibilities

National survey on EDC/ results

Pupils’ most important competences:

• Communication&collaboration skills

• Participation&influencing in society competences

• Learning to learn abilities

Lower secondary schools dealt with democratic issues during

1) history&social studies lessons (98%)

2) Mother tongue lessons (68%)

3) Thematic events, days, weeks, cooperation (over 50%)

National survey on EDC/ results (2)

• 86% found not difficult to teach society issues

• 95 % didn’t find any obstacles to teach politics

Student councils

• Lower secondary 99%, uniform (1-9) schools 92%

• Primary level 60%

Pupils could influence especially on

• the rules of the class

• organizing parties and thematic days

• What and how to learn (50%)

National survey on EDC/ results (3): pupils

responsibilities/ lower secondary (7-9)

• School clubs 36,2%, ”Godpupil” – tutoring 45,5%

• Child sponsorship 15,6%

• Food panel 16,5%

• Support student 89,7%, Peer mediation 22,3%

• Foundraising 94,2%

• Environment groups/eco-school 24,6

• Assisting during breaks, lunch, monitor 39,3%

• Thematic days 88,8%

• School-NGO cooperation 12,9%

• School-entrepreneurship 27,2%

National survey on EDC/ results (4): partners

• Parishes 96%

• Library 93%

• Municipal youth, culture and sports department 89%

• Municipal decision-makers 63%

• Media 60%

• School-entrepreneurship-cooperation 55%

• Village or neighborhood association 45%

• NGO or other 44%

National projects on fostering youth

participation and democratic citizenship

• National Youth Participation Project 2003 – 2007 (FNBE)

• Learning and Living Democracy/ European Year of

Citizenship through Education (CoE) 2005 (FNBE)

• Participating pupil – co-active school 2005 – 2007 (MoE)

• The National Pupil and Student Forum (2007 –

• Finnish Children’s Parliament (2007 –

• National Youth Parliament in the Finnish Parliament

every 2 years since 1998: 23.3.2012, the next 27.4.2014

(Parliament of Finland, MoE and the Centre for School

Clubs)

Events etc. fostering youth participation and

democratic citizenship

• The parliamentary elections candidate panels in schools

in co-operation with political parties 3/2011

• Shadow-parliamentary elections”in schools, March 2011,

• shadow presidential elections” in schools, January 2012

• shadow municipal councils elections in schools, October

2012, shadow Europarliament elections 5/2014

• MEP’s (Finnish Parliament and European Parliament

representatives) visits and presentations in schools

• Next big campaingn MEPs to Schools, January 2014

Events etc. fostering youth participation and

democratic citizenship

• Wide-range (ministries, NGO’s) network seminar on

fostering EDC&particip. 21.3.2012, 19.9.2013, FNBE

• 2013 Special campaign for schools by MoE and FNBE

on fostering scools democtaric culture, childrens’ active

participation and schools’ cooperation with Youth

organizations, other NGOs’, media, enterprises, working

life and society -> distributing information and new

websites by FNBE www.edu.fi

• CoE Pilot Project on Human Rights and Democracy

in Action – Three country audit (Finland, France,

Ireland) -> finalized by 2/2014

Events etc. fostering youth participation and

democratic citizenship

• Key to Democracy – a tool for teachers to teach

democracy, 2012

• As a Global Citizen in Finland –development project

2012

Publication: Schools reaching out to a Global World

- what competences do global citizens need?

• EN charter/Rec translated into Finnish -> distributed to

stakeholders

• Pestalozzi workshops on EDC on October 2011, 2012,

2013 Helsinki (FNBE)

More information

-Student participation and student council activity/self-

assessment material

http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/education/edc/Source/Archives/2010

_Fin_Student_particip.pdf

- Child and Youth Policy Programme of the Finnish

Governement 2012-2015

http://www.minedu.fi/export/sites/default/OPM/Julkaisut/2012/

liitteet/OKM8.pdf?lang=en

- As a Global Citizen in Finland project/ School cases

http://www.oph.fi/english/publications/2011/schools_reaching

_out_to_a_global_world

National Pupil and Student Forum/organized by the

FNBE/ 29.9.2009