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Comment by crisp | Hacker News Reader

A 25-year-old Finn here.

Like kettu228 explained, those major changes took place a few months ago when the schools started again this fall.

Along with these changes, some teachers have started to try new techniques in teaching such as removing all the tables from the class and replacing them with couches and beanbags [0]. Instead of the traditional (and frankly boring) ways of teaching, they try to cheer up pupils and make learning more fun. Some of the pupils are even able to participate in class planning.

I wish these changes had been there when I was in elementary school. Personally, it really seems to be the right way to go, though only time shows how it will affect. I'd wanted to learn, discuss and debate more about current hot topics, learn (more) IT and be part of influencing what we are taught.

[0] http://nyt.fi/a1305870531097 (Pardon me, the article is in Finnish but it proves the point)

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I myself went to a high school which functioned this way. We started the week in our groups for a 30 min meeting where we set the goals for the week. After that we studied what we wanted. There were workshops all day with english, math etc that you could go to if you had any questions. But mainly you sat with your friends in small groups and studied.

And yes, you were alone responsible for when you took breaks etc. This way of studying were in my opinion much more effective. Sure I perhaps didn't put in as much time studying as people who went to traditional schools did. But once i studied I were much more focused and to be honest. When you sit in a class and the teacher ramps on about something that is of no interest to you, how much are you able to recollect?

Also another positive side of it were that if I had it easy for some topics I could focus others which I had a hard time for. I remember that I didn't study either swedish or math at all in 6th and 7th grade.

Out of curiosity, did any students from that school go to any of the top global universities? Like Oxbridge/Ivy League/Etc? I wonder how those students do in comparison.

Also, as a kid who learned much better through class interaction with a teacher, your school would have been a nightmare for me, instead of doing so well in school I likely would have failed. Undiagnosed ADHD is terrible for self-driven learning.

I live in Sweden and it's less common for students to study in Ivy-league schools abroad.

And yes, it's a very special way of learning - puts a lot of responsibility on the student. But on the first day of the weeks in the group meetings your mentor checks up that you managed to hit your goals last week etc - and if they notice that you keep up failing your targets they will take this up with the parents and possibly make up a study plan for you and see to it that your in the workshops of those subjects between the agreed times.

How did they make sure you learnt things like history or French?

How were you tested?

For example in our country (UK) we have a curriculum that we teach to, so this week we had to teach our kids about hard drives, CDs, Blu-ray and USB sticks. Then we test them on the details and when you would use each.

We had an online portal with projects to finish. If you finished to the 20th project in 9th grade you were awarded what in UK would be seen as a C, 30 B, 35 A.

After each project is completed it's assigned to you in the webportal.

Each 10th project were a more demanding one including a test with a teacher and each 5th test were to be declared verbally to a teacher.

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