Chapter 3: Learning The Craft of Teaching and Learning from World’S Best Practice: The Case of Finland

What lessons can we draw from international comparative studies of students’ learning for improving teaching and learning? For example, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has now conducted three major international comparison rounds, in a series called Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), of 32 to 57 OECD and other associated countries in 2000, 2003, and 2006. Certain countries perform consistently well in these tests. For example, in reading literacy tests the countries with the best averages in 2000, 2003, and 2006 were Finland, Finland, and Korea (Finland being number 2 in 2006) (OECD, 2001, 2004, 2007). Similarly, PISA test scores in science and mathematics literacy were outstanding for Finland. In Table 3.1 the position of Finland in all these areas for the three PISA tests is shown.