Page 26 - 樂善堂梁銶琚學校（校刊2019）

Inclusive Jokiniemi Primary School

Education

Diocesan Preparatory School

Po Leung Kuk Gold and Silver Exchange Society Pershing Tang School
Po Leung Kuk Grandmont Primary School

Learning for all - Inclusive Education in Finland
nd
We visited Jokiniemi Primary School on 2 May. It has 800
students in Grade 1 to Grade 9, 56 teachers and 40 teaching assistants,

including therapists and nurses for students with special educational
needs. This school visit provided us with a unique opportunity to look
A teacher displaying teaching at how schools in Finland have made inclusion a reality. The experience
resources for students with
special learning needs truly opened our eyes and inspired us in many ways.

The Finnish education system aims to provide equal opportunities
for all children in three ways so Jokiniemi Primary School offers
a “three-tier support structure” model for students with special

educational needs, which includes General Support, Strengthened
Support with pull-out sessions and Special Support with personal
A tailor-made booklet education plans. In the school, there are 28 mainstream classes
with many symbols as a
communication tool made by and seven classes for autistic students and others with different
speech therapists needs. Most students with special needs attend mainstream classes.
Those with more severe needs have separate classes in groups of six. Each of them has a special
education teacher or a medically-trained assistant who supports them in their classes. Compared
with that of Hong Kong, the higher teacher-student ratio effectively helps teachers to discover

students’ strengths, build their confidence and cater for their special needs.

The separate classes are placed
alongside mainstream classes and

students do activities like art and
sports together. The natural learning
atmosphere allows students to learn
to cope with all kinds of people. In

Jokiniemi Primary School, students are
friends with one another regardless
of their abilities. Teachers evaluate
the students on their progress every

day. They value each individual, but
A photo of Group D with the deputy principal of Jokiniemi Primary School

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