{"id":822,"date":"2023-05-25T06:19:11","date_gmt":"2023-05-25T06:19:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/taughtbyfinland.com\/?p=822"},"modified":"2023-06-10T16:13:18","modified_gmt":"2023-06-10T16:13:18","slug":"hands-on-learning-at-a-finnish-inspired-u-s-school","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/taughtbyfinland.com\/hands-on-learning-at-a-finnish-inspired-u-s-school\/","title":{"rendered":"Hands-on Learning at a Finnish-Inspired U.S. School"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The following post is based on my new YouTube video<\/a> for Copper Island Academy, a Finnish-inspired school in Calumet, Michigan.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first lesson I observed at Copper Island Academy transported me back to Finland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I entered a classroom where I found students wielding carving knives. Heads-down, they cut delicate lines into small blocks of wood. (One student outlined a buck with massive antlers while another carved out the shape of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This kind of hands-on, real-life education is the norm in Finland. Here in America, it’s exceptional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Copper Island Academy\u2014a K-8 school in Calumet, Michigan\u2014offers a studio program that draws inspiration from Finland\u2019s woodwork and textile classrooms. (I began<\/a> a paid partnership with the school earlier this year.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn America, we tend to think of \u2018studio\u2019 as anything about art, like a pottery studio, or a painting studio,” explained Kelly Sloan, Copper Island’s studio teacher. \u201cBut here, this class is just about anything that is hands-on.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The hardest part about studio education, Kelly said, is probably the hands-on aspect. Some students lack fine motor control, and the class may be very frustrating\u2014especially early on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It requires a lot of stick-to-itiveness,” said Kelly. (Stick-to-itiveness is “dogged perseverance,” according<\/a> to Merriam-Webster.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Finns would call this character trait sisu, <\/em>a concept celebrated at Copper Island. <\/em>The word often represents Finland\u2019s national character and derives<\/a> from the Finnish word sisus<\/em> (“guts”).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cultivating Sisu<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For years, I saw firsthand how many Finnish teachers develop sisu<\/em> in their students, and their approach is straightforward. They give children autonomy in their learning while ensuring they have a strong foundation of knowledge and skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Finland’s textile and woodwork classrooms, students have space to think critically, solve problems, and express their creativity. And as they grow in competence, they receive greater autonomy from their teachers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hands-on projects, like creating clothing or building a shed, can develop sisu <\/em>effectively. They often challenge students like no other task at school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kelly Sloan told me about a new student who struggled greatly with a studio project\u2014so much so that he wanted to give up and move on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Kelly encouraged him to persevere. Lesson after lesson, she kept offering him support. And finally, on the day I interviewed Kelly, her student pulled it off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“His pride in himself was enormous,” she said, “that he had figured out something hard, and he got it done.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kelly has seen this pride in Copper Island\u2019s youngest students too. Inevitably, the kindergartners glow after spending weeks completing a demanding project, such as a hat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“They show it to everybody,” Kelly said. “They can’t believe it!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Owning the Learning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Growing up in the U.S., I took one shop class in middle school, and the only thing I remember making was a large wooden clock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But I wasn’t proud of it\u2014for one simple reason. I showed up to class one day only to find that my teacher had put the finishing touches on my project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While teaching and living in Finland, I witnessed a different educational approach (similar to what I\u2019ve observed at Copper Island Academy).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Teachers continuously focus on cultivating student autonomy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From showing up to class prepared to planning a handicrafts project, children in Finland know they must take responsibility for their learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Helsinki, I met a teacher who requires her primary students to log into the school\u2019s computers. It’s a practice that begins in first grade and is painstaking at first. (Using the hunt-and-peck method, first-graders can easily spend several minutes attempting to sign in.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From a short-term perspective, this teacher’s decision is a colossal waste of time. Initially, it\u2019s much faster for her to enter the login credentials without involving the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But from a long-term perspective, prioritizing student autonomy pays off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, her students learn to log in quickly\u2014and most importantly, they learn to take responsibility for a task they can accomplish on their own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Copper Island, kindergartners know they must dress themselves before heading outside. It may be a struggle early on, but with support and encouragement from their teachers, they learn to zip up their jackets and put on their mittens independently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starting From Scratch<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Last school year, every student at Copper Island started at a similar place in the studio classroom. Skills like hammering, sewing, and knitting were utterly unfamiliar to many children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some Copper Island students mastered the basics last year. Others didn’t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“But what’s so exciting,” Kelly Sloan said, “is that students from last year who struggled a lot are now getting it.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kelly has seen tremendous growth in these students. They are growing in confidence, becoming comfortable with the tools, and seeing their projects through to completion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Copper Island Academy only launched during the fall of 2021, but they have already seen many encouraging results. In culinary arts<\/a>\u2014and studio class\u2014students pick up many real-life skills while developing sisu<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This spring, I am creating a video series<\/a> about Copper Island\u2019s innovative model. Watch the latest episode<\/a> to see studio education with your own eyes\u2014and subscribe<\/a> to follow the series on YouTube!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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