E33: Equitable Education and Passionate Play with Pasi Sahlberg
In this episode, we’re chatting with Pasi Sahlberg, author, Professor of Education Policy and Deputy Director of the Gonski Institute at the University of New South Wales about inequality in the australian education system, some of the excellent things happening in the Finish education system and how we can help rebalance this inequality.
👉 Raising Wildlings delves deep with Pasi about
His journey that led him to where he is today
The Gonski Institute of Australia and his work there
Equitable Education Systems and what that looks like in Australia
The Australian education funding system
The discrepancy of compulsory instruction hours in schools around the globe
Finnish education initiatives that would translate well into the Australian education system
The importance of play in schools, and how language and educational regulation can make a difference to how play is perceived.
How to communicate the importance of play to principals in schools
👉 Links and Resources
Guest Details
Pasi is a Finnish educator who has worked as a schoolteacher, teacher-educator, researcher, and policy advisor in Finland and has studied education systems and advised education leaders around the world. He has written and spoken widely about teaching and learning in school, teachers' work and school improvement, educational change, international education issues, and the future of schools. His book “Finnish Lessons: What Can the World Learn from Educational Change in Finland” won the 2013 Grawemeyer Award for an idea that has potential to change the world. Pasi believes most kids know what interests them deeply when they are very young, whether it’s spiders, bicycles, guitar or drawing, and that schools should be able to adapt to help them learn as much as they can about their passions.
Pasi Sahlberg grew up in in a small village in Northern Finland. The winters were long and dark, and the snow was deep. Pasi’s father was a school teacher. And that’s what Pasi always wanted to do too, when he grew up.
After training as a teacher, he began a life in education policy. After a number of years, Pasi became the Director General of Education in Finland. Finland regularly tops international academic rankings. The country’s teachers are highly valued and remunerated, and students have a shorter school day than most other countries, with a firm focus on the importance of play.
Within a few years, Pasi’s educational philosophy saw him sought out by many governments around the world. He believes most kids know what interests them deeply when they are very young, whether it’s spiders, bicycles, guitar or drawing, and that schools should be able to adapt to help them learn as much as they can about their passions.
Resources & References
"Let the Children Play: How more play will save our schools and help children thrive" (Oxford University Press, 2019) Co authored with William Doyle
forthcoming books
"Finnish Lessons 3.0: What Can the World Learn from Educational Change in Finland” (Teachers College Press, 2021)
"In Teachers We Trust: The Finnish way to world-class schools" (Norton, 2021 with Tim Walker).
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