Page 27 - 樂善堂梁銶琚學校（校刊2019）

Jokiniemi Primary School Inclusive

Education

not the outcome or their grades. The principal emphasized that it is beneficial to develop students’

collaboration, social skills and social sensitivity in class and to teach students about diversity
because the world they enter after school has all kinds of people. It is of the utmost importance
that children learn how to interact fruitfully with learners with different abilities, to build a

harmonious society together. Educators in Finland strongly believe that children will succeed if they
get along with different kinds of people because they are open-minded and accepting of others
rather than just book-intelligent. The strong belief that educators share is impressive.

A teacher shared a story about one of her students with special learning needs, who struggled

to communicate with others. Instead of adopting traditional methods, she tried a different
approach. She focused on improving the student’s communication skills as she felt that the
student would benefit more. Teachers in Finland are highly respected and trusted by society. The

teachers, most of whom hold master’s degrees, are able to decide how best to teach their students
autonomously. They also believe that subject knowledge and life skills are equally important so in
Jokiniemi Primary School every student has cookery or ironing lessons three times per week. Other
than the knowledge of different subjects, students are well equipped with these basic skills so they
can take care of themselves and of others, and eventually become grown-ups with a sense of social

responsibility. As educators in Hong Kong, we should think more deeply about how to prepare our
students for tomorrow’s world. This should include what we can do to equip our students with the
skills they need for effective learning, instead of simply asking them to memorise things.

We believe that the Finnish education system has achieved the three levels of “education
equality”, a theory introduced by James S Coleman. The three levels of equality of education
are the equality of basic educational conditions, the equality of the educational process and the
equalization of educational outcomes. We now have a deeper understanding of “people-oriented”

education. Students will become proactive learners when they are granted more freedom and
choices, and their learning experiences will surely be more meaningful.

Inclusive classroom settings

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