Early years education: Sweden versus the UK Part 2 (of 3)

Despite not starting formal education until seven, by age eleven, Swedish and Finnish children approach the top of Europe's literacy league tables. Finnish children spend fewer hours in school than any other in Europe, yet their children's achievements in numeracy and literacy are the the envy even of Sweden.

Talking of envy, don't you wish you had gone to a preschool like the one shown in this video? Wouldn't you feel happier sending your child to such a school? Imagine being a teacher there - or simply working in the kitchen!

Sweden is not some weird utopia. Swedes just happen to have some enlightened ideas about preschool education. There's nothing in this video that wouldn't work in the UK or USA, or with your children.

Incidentally, if you visit www.teachers.tv you can (after free registration) download a higher quality version of this and other films about education.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• preschool
• nursery
• reading
• kindergarten
• ks1
• SATs
• Motala
• Sweden
• children
• development
• baby
• einstein
• literacy
• play
• teaching

[etowngftddummy]

I hate to sound like a jerk, but I kinda giggled when the girl at 7:32 faceplanted

I'm probably a terrible person....

[TheReliquary]

You probably are! But I'm glad you pointed it out because it's a good example of letting kids take risks even if it means they sometimes fall over and have to be picked up.

It was a little girl (I think) who fell over and I love how in Sweden they encourage girls to be just as adventurous and risk taking as boys. Too many kids are wrapped in cotton wool when young and then have no idea how to evaluate risk when older - youtube is full of funny vids depicting the painful results. Cheers!

[isabella2215]

I'd like to live there!

[Sushimom000]

Are real montisorri or waldorf schools similar to this swedish-style in the united states? I'm not sure, but I think waldorf delays learning to read by a number of years while they focus on real play and natural education through exploration. Can anyone explain please?

[insomniacgrace]

Interesting and impressive!

[aryllia]

@cashernandes1 Well, when I went to school we were taught English already at age... 9 or 10, with soft starts already when we were 8 where the teacher would pick up something like a pencil and tell us what it was called in English. It is also one of the "three big" subjects together with math and Swedish. You'd think we're a colony with the way English is obsessed over in school, giving it the same importance as our own language XD

[leafs121688]

What amazes me is hoe quiet these kids are in class. When I was in elementary school it was hard to get kids to focus, they'd be antsy all the time

[cama9103]

@Inflameeslover rösta sd då :p

[cashernandes1]

What I find most impressive is how everyone seems to have a pretty good level of English!

[mjonas10]

@ReadThisIfYourStupid Ironic that you point out Sweden's tiny population as some kind of flaw before proceeding to talk about entrepreneurship. Strange logic there. Isn't that tiny number, in relation to those exports you mentioned (and you could add Ericsson), the very proof that Sweden is an extremely industrious country?

[effidrin]

@ReadThisIfYourStupid

please were did you get youre information

Our economy is way better than the english Its really strong today.

A question to you:

how can you build a country of an small elite.

This solution of an small elite is what I see examples of when I work out of sweden.

Workers as myself behaving like animals, and people with higher education are behaving better in some ways.

I really dislike it and are sad for that theese peoples life are a waste.

[effidrin]

@isabella2215 If we compare how people behave in countries outside of sweden I will say. Youre much much more afraid of loosing face and thats why you never try things out to the fullest. I notice people are often afraid or not used to take risks/experiment, ofcourse errors coming up now and then. But it helps you advance to a higher level in the long run.. We also discuss and listen to each other..

I really hope all goodhearted people in nice and noble coutries will be like us one day.