Why are these kids getting more recess? Because their superintendent went to Finland
After one South Carolina school superintendent got to visit Finland and see how they run their education system, he decided there was definitely one thing he was importing to the United States: more recess.
Pickens County Superintendent Danny Merck wrote in an essay on the school system’s website after his trip about how Finnish schools give young students recess every hour.
“Each class hour in Finland consists of 45 minutes of class and 15 minutes of play. They understand that it is impossible to keep all students engaged for more than 45 minutes at a time and that physical play is key to every child’s mental development,” Merck writes.
“The first time I walked into an elementary school gym in Finland, my jaw dropped: three full-sized basketball courts, side-by-side! Vigorous sports like floor hockey, soccer, and basketball are the norm for students of both genders at recess, allowing students to burn off energy and focus when they get back to class.”
Merck has already put the recess plan into action at some elementary schools in his upstate district, WYFF reports. Several elementary schools in the county have new schedules this year, with recess every hour, according to the station.
“The response to the program has been so positive that we definitely expect more schools to adopt it,” Pickens schools spokesman John Eby told WYFF. “But it isn’t easy to make such a large change to the schedule mid-year. I think it may be next fall before a lot of schools try it.”
Merck and 22 other South Carolina educators went to Finland last month, Fox Carolinas reports. “The trip (was) a field study, led by Public Education Partners, Furman University’s education department, and the Riley Institute at Furman,” according to the station.
Merck said he learned a couple other important lessons on success from Finland, which he boiled down to a short rhyme: “Build more. Feed all. Test less. Play ball!”
“Nothing in Finland’s schools stood in starker contrast to America than their approach to testing. Finland’s reputation for outstanding education stems from their consistent performance near the top of the world on the PISA Test (Programme for International Student Assessment), which is given to 15-year-old students worldwide,” Merck writes.
“In the U.S., Federal law requires multiple high-stakes tests every year from 3rd-8th grade. In Finland, the number of high-stakes tests students take in 3rd-8th grade is zero.” Finnish students have only one high stakes test, and that’s not until the end of high school when they want to apply for college, he explains.
The Finnish also make sure to feed all their students for free every day, he writes.
Another big difference, Merck says, is “how much the students worked with their hands. They were constantly making, crafting, and building! Finland is not afraid to put simple tools in the hands of a second grader. Their students not only use their hands for creative things like art projects, they learn basic life skills. This sort of hands-on practical learning keeps students—especially boys—engaged in what they’re doing in the classroom.”
Merck is looking at what he can control for the district level: more hands-on projects and more recess. “Some changes, like less testing, will require a change of thinking all the way up in Washington D.C.,” he writes.
