What I Learned from the Finns, Part 3 of 3
Aleksi Lahti from Finland’s Turku University presents the key principles of phenomenon-based learning. It bears a striking resemblance to project-based learning.
During the course of a full-day professional development session on phenomenon-based learning (PhBL), I had a couple of epiphanies:
PhBL is not new. The Finns didn’t invent it (nor do they claim to have invented it). It bears a striking resemblance to project-based learning (PBL).
If there is a meaningful distinction between PhBL and PBL, it may lie in the inclusion of students in planning the learning objectives, the content, the working methods, and even sometimes the assessments.
Ironically, the format for our professional development session contradicted the design drivers for great learning and the basic principles of PBL: We spent most of the day listening to our guest from Turku University lecture, and only occasionally did we participants ask questions. Not until the end of day 1 did we have the chance to do some experiential learning (which did not engage with our curiosity or questions or emotionally engage us).
To his credit, when Aleksi received this feedback, he accepted it humbly and said, “We [Finns] are still learning!”
Reminder: elite performers in any field are obsessed with practice.
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