3rd Baltic Sea – 17th Nordic Literacy Conference

 3. Itämeren konferenssi − 17. pohjoismainen lukemisen konferenssi

III конференция стран Балтийского моря –

XVII конференция по чтению скандинавских стран

Den 3:e Östersjökonferensen om läsning − den 17:e Nordiska lässtämman

14−16 August 2016 − Turku/Åbo, Finland

Making meaning - literacy in action

Programme Book

Looking for PRESENTATIONS? Click here!

 

Finns aren't what they used to be

Is the PISA story false?

Read more>>>>

Is this School Heaven? No, it’s Finland

 I have been to the mountaintop. I have trodden sacred ground. I have seen the light. I have been to Finland. It’s the place where teachers go after they die if they’ve been good and taught the Whole Blessed Child; if they’ve rejected the hell of Obsessive Standardized Testing.

Read Lily's blog here and the lively discussion it has caused>>>>>>

9 reasons Finland's schools are so much better than America's

Finland's teachers have high status, professional support, and good pay.

Read about eight other reasons>>>>

Seven big myths about top-performing school systems

The man in charge of the Pisa tests, Andreas Schleicher, says the evidence from around the world reveals some big myths about what makes for a successful education system.

Here is the list>>>>

The International Reading Association

will be the

International Literacy Association (ILA)

I am thrilled to announce that on January 26, the International Reading Association (IRA) will officially become the International Literacy Association (ILA). Welcome to ILA! Says Marcie Craig Post, Executive director of ILA.

The name change is a crucial step in our efforts to emphasize our role as the global professional membership association for literacy leaders and to position ourselves as champions in making literacy accessible to all.

The change from "Reading" to "Literacy" came about as a result of ongoing discussions around who we are, what we do, and where we are going.

check here>>>>

Bilinguals live longer!

Learning and speaking more than one language could delay the onset of dementia by as many as four or five years. In a recent study, researchers at the University of Ghent found that the average age of diagnosis for Alzheimer's patients who only speak one language was 73. For bilinguals, the age was 77. For some, multilingualism delayed onset by five years.
Read more>>>>>
In Finland at least 1/5 of the population is at least bilingual.

Strong Performers and Successful Reformers

One reason for Finland’s success is the high degree of personal responsibility conferred on both teachers and students. In the 1970s and 1980s, management of Finland’s school system was decentralized and traditional academic structures in upper secondary schools were replaced by flexible modular structures, giving pupils more choice in what they study. Teachers were given freedom to design their curriculum and choose textbooks. -

See more at>>>>

Ice ages, famine and war: the recipe for Pisa success?

Paper claims that deadly events boosted Finns’ average IQ

The paper, written by two psychologists and an English anthropologist based in Finland, highlights a strong correlation between a country’s performance in Pisa – which tests 15-year-olds’ applied knowledge in reading, maths and science – and its average IQ. It argues that reasons for Finland’s high average IQ can be traced back to events that took place centuries ago and have little to do with modern schooling.

It also claims that the wealthy were “likely to have had the highest intelligence” and points to “the Finnish famine of 1696-97, in which it is estimated that 30 per cent of the population perished, with the least well-off the most devastated”.

Read more in TES>>>>>

news | Published in TES magazine on 7 November, 2014 | By: William Stewart

SCIRA 50 years

the Swedish Council of the International Reading Association

50 years
Congratulations from FinRA

Renewal of the curriculum

Renewal of the core curriculum for pre-primary and basic education is under way.
   The preparation is carried out in working groups that focus on structure and objectives, conceptions of learning, support for learning and the different subjects taught in basic education. Each working group consists of educational officials, researchers and teachers.
   The preparation of the curriculum is interactive. All education providers can follow the preparation and give feedback at the different phases. They are also encouraged to involve pupils and their parents in the process.
   You can read more about the curriculum reform here.