Teach Like Finland: 33 Simple Strategies for Joyful Classrooms Hardcover – April 18, 2017

Great read! I know my school has implemented some of these strategies before. It was interesting to read the logic behind the educational decisions. I will definitely be more cognizant of aligning my mind set to this joyous curriculum! It will not only help in my profession but in my life as well.

I loved all the tips in this book. I was able to use them at home during the pandemic to help with our remote learning. I have 3 kids: a 5 year old, a 3 year old and a soon to be toddler to keep busy. The best tip so far has been sending the kids out for unstructured recess to get some fresh air so they are able to better focus on what tasks we are doing that day. My eldest learned how to read and do pretty hard math a lot faster with the tips in this book this summer. It was almost effortless to teach them and was fascinating to watch the kids learn new concepts. These tips also work wonderfully for our Reggio Emilia based way of learning and I was not really keen on pushing academics on kids this young or virtual school, so I was surprised by the energy and love of learning the kids have been showing. Thanks!

Nice book, it will benefit more elementary & middle school teachers. Over all, there are some good ideas / activities that you may be able to adjust some to fit with your group age.

This book was full of insights and made me think about my own classroom. It reminded me of when I felt most successful and when I felt like I was barely holding on. It let me know I am not alone but that there are small ways to get back to the joy of teaching. It was such a positive and motivational read.

I teach 2nd grade in Ohio and have been feeling the stress of our state's teacher evaluation system and the constant testing. I have followed Tim on facebook and was intrigued by what happens in schools in Finland. As soon as I saw that he had written a book, I knew I had to have it! I read Teach Like Finland in 2 evenings after 2 long days of teaching. I could NOT put it down! After the first night, I decided to try something as simple as giving my kids fresh air breaks each hour. I was amazed at the difference in behavior and focus after these breaks. The kids enjoyed their breaks and asked if we could do the fresh air breaks next week. I can't wait for next week when I allow my kids more freedom in their research projects and having their help in planning our Force and Motion unit. I told my principal, other teachers in my school, and friends that work with future teachers about this book and many have already ordered it! T has been a long time since I have been this excited about a professional book!

This book was a disappointment in many ways. I would have liked to know the details of the national curriculum so that comparisons could be made with the US Common Core standards. The author states that much of what goes on in Finnish classrooms is independent work, but he doesn't provide sufficient samples of that work. He could have been more informative regarding the grading process and how a student's progress was communicated to parents. He doesn't say whether or not he was well accepted by his Finnish parents, or whether a language barrier posed a problem (are most Finns fluent in English?). My own reading on Finnish education compared to typical American education, especially in the area of math, showed that Finnish children delved deeply into a limited number of concepts, learning them to mastery, while American children were presented with far too many concepts, few of which were mastered. This informed the development of the Common Core standards, but the author does not mention this is his book. We are given peeks into Finnish education, and provided with lots of mostly common sense teaching strategies, but the heart of the matter, that which allows Finland to rise above the vast number of world-wide educational systems, remains mostly undisclosed.

Excellent summary of 33 strategies based on the analysis (with personal experience) of Finnish school education system compared to US school system to create an environment of joyful classrooms.

Teach Like Finland by Timothy Walker was an excellent read for any teacher looking to be inspired and refreshed. Walker offers 33+ ideas to bring joy back into the classroom and to the life of the teacher. Using his life experiences in both American and Finnish schools, he provides insight into what worked for him as he learned to slow down, focus on the children and allow joy to a regular part of his day.Any teacher feeling worn out or overworked, would benefit from reading this book and taking some ideas from an exceptional educational environment. Walker never insisted that we should bring the Finnish education system to America, but suggested that if we took ideas and strategies from Finland, we might find ourselves as happier, more engaged, productive teachers which in turn creates happier, more productive students.