Those Inbred Finns Keep Getting Stupider

[Louis VI the Fat]

The tri-annual PISA scores are in. These measure educational standards across the OECD countries.

In keeping with what TinCow has learned us about starting succesful threads, a good angle might be to focus on those most secretive northerners, perennially trying to remain below the radar, unless it's got to do with their three main claims to fame: Santa Claus, winter depression, and phenomenal test scores.

Now a new chapter shall have to be added to the Kalevala, the poem of the Finns: great scores no more.

I blame it on Finnish inbreeding.

In maths, Finland only ranked sixth on the OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment, or PISA. Finnish pupils performed better in science, coming in second after Shanghai. The huge city -- taking part in the survey for the first time -- came top in all three of the disciplines: maths, science and literacy.

Finland fared better in previous years. In 2000 and 2003, Finnish pupils topped the ranking for reading comprehension, making the country’s educational system the envy of educators around the world.

Experts say the expansion of countries included in the test weakened Finland’s standing. The latest assessment covered 65 countries, whereas the first one administered in 2000 only invited 32 states to participate. Poorer reading comprehension skills also pulled down results. In 2009, the portion of Finnish pupils recorded as having excellent reading literacy skills dropped to 15 percent from 18 in 2000.

Girls read better than boys in every country, by an average of 39 points, the equivalent to one year of schooling.

http://www.yle.fi/uutiset/news/2010/...g_2200222.html

Finland's PISA rankings

2000
Reading 1
Math 4
Science 3

2003
Reading 1
Math 2
Science 1

2006
Reading 2
Math 2
Science 1

2009
Reading 3
Math 6
Science 2

Full rankings:
http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/33/5/46624382.pdf

Notable conclusions: East Asians keep making progression, grand slam the global rankings. Girls read better than boys, everywhere, by a huge margin. Finland is slipping.

[Rhyfelwyr]

unless it's got to do with their three main claims to fame: Santa Claus, winter depression, and phenomenal test scores.

Don't forget high school shootings.

Anyway, Finns only inbreed to keep their pure racial heritage!

[Beskar]

You haven't seen the scores for the UK...

[Louis VI the Fat]

Top Test Scores From Shanghai Stun Educators

With China’s debut in international standardized testing, students in Shanghai have surprised experts by outscoring their counterparts in dozens of other countries, in reading as well as in math and science, according to the results of a respected exam.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/07/ed...education.html

The big news is that for the very first time China partook in the study. The results are stunnign, almost shocking. Chinese kids blow all the other away. As if they're not even there.

There are some if's-and but's, but still, stunning. Are the Shanghai students specially selected and trained for a show? Is that one-child policy a disguise for the world's greatest eugenetics program after all? Who knows?

What us certain, is that the result has to be taken very seriously indeed. China propelled itself from not even competing to absolutely peerless number one.

You haven't seen the scores for the UK...

The UK and France are mediocrity central. Really rather dissapointing.

[Louis VI the Fat]

[gaelic cowboy]

I doubt China is that good there central government statistics are generally bogus

[Yoyoma1910]

The only reason that France scored better than the U.S. in math is because my wife now lives here as opposed to there.

[HoreTore]

Bah, the finns use almost no IT, projects or cooperation in their education.

PISA only checks 3 of 10-15 goals the schools have, and only parts of those three goals. It's an irrelevant and idiotic test.

ALSO, the amount of data is way too small to be statistically relevant and indicate any general trend.

[Furunculus]

i wonder if the new free schools will do anything to drag britain's scores from the wreckage of our comprehensive system in the next decade?

[naut]

I doubt China is that good there central government statistics are generally bogus

Well the three Chinese regions represented are the richest, most advanced parts of the country. I mean testing Hong Kong, Macao and Shanghai only is a bit like the US testing MIT, Harvard and Yale students and then proclaiming: "HEY LOOK ALL OUR UNIVERSITIES ARE GOOD!"

[Beskar]

i wonder if the new free schools will do anything to drag britain's scores from the wreckage of our comprehensive system in the next decade?

It will make things far worse.

[Seamus Fermanagh]

Please note that the three regions selected for China include two former Euro-colonies and that all three are high-tech, heavy capitalist enclaves relative to the bulk of China.

If other nations got to submit scores from analogous areas only, they might do surprisingly better....even those Lapp-lover Finns.

[Furunculus]

It will make things far worse.

why?

[Louis VI the Fat]

Even if we accept that the results of Shanghai are slightly skewed, the results themselves are nonetheless there. Shanghai is a huge region of twenty million.
Also, China not just came on top. But came on top by an enormous margin. The difference in scores between Shanghai and France are as large as the difference between France and Papoea New Guinea.



French kids are less well educated than that centre of public intellectual endeavor and of teenage cultural refinement, the United States.

Ah well. We beat Britain and Sweden.

[HoreTore]

Even if we accept that the results of Shanghai are slightly skewed, the results themselves are nonetheless there. Shanghai is a huge region of twenty million.
Also, China not just came on top. But came on top by an enormous margin. The difference in scores between Shanghai and France are as large as the difference between France and Papoea New Guinea.



French kids are less well educated than that centre of public intellectual endeavor and of teenage cultural refinement, the United States.

Ah well. We beat Britain and Sweden.

There is absolutely no way you can draw that conclusion with the pitiful amount of data you have, Louis.

You might say "in certain very specific areas, there might be an indication that country X may be better than country Y."

[Andres]

Even if we accept that the results of Shanghai are slightly skewed, the results themselves are nonetheless there. Shanghai is a huge region of twenty million.
Also, China not just came on top. But came on top by an enormous margin. The difference in scores between Shanghai and France are as large as the difference between France and Papoea New Guinea.



French kids are less well educated than that centre of public intellectual endeavor and of teenage cultural refinement, the United States.

Ah well. We beat Britain and Sweden.

I'll sheer you up.

Flemish scores:

Reading: 519
Math: 537
Science: 526

Walloon scores:

Reading: 489
Math: 488
Science: 482

It is time for the francophones to accept the superiority of their Flemish masters and to reform the state as we say it should be reformed.

[Rhyfelwyr]

I don't get the fuss, since when did one city represent all of China? Macao is more around the USA's level on average.

[HoreTore]

I don't get the fuss, since when did one city represent all of China? Macao is more around the USA's level on average.

Throwing big numbers at people makes them scared.

Whether there's something real in those numbers or not is irrelevant. I blame your maths teacher.

[Strike For The South]

Finnish people are also ugly

[Banquo's Ghost]

Finnish people are also ugly

Ahem.

Let's not assume the indulgence currently offered to the "Hate Makes the Backroom Great" thread extends in any way to other topics.

[Kagemusha]

Finnish people are also ugly

Pardon me? The correct wording is superficially challenged and Strike have you ever even met a Finn?About the results. I bet it was only bad year.Were these kids playing outside when Chernobyll happened? Still Horetore.You make me laugh.What do you know about Finnish schooling methods? As long as all our Western neighbours are far behind us, there is nothing to worry about. I am feeling so morbid that only various Chinese factions and vassals can beat our kids.

[HoreTore]

Still Horetore.You make me laugh.What do you know about Finnish schooling methods?

I'm a teacher; you Finns have been in focus for the last five years now, I would've had to live under a rock to avoid becoming familiar with the ups and downs of the finnish education system.

As long as all our Western neighbours are far behind us, there is nothing to worry about.

As I've already explained; you have absolutely no data to back up such a claim.

[Kagemusha]

I'm a teacher; you Finns have been in focus for the last five years now, I would've had to live under a rock to avoid becoming familiar with the ups and downs of the finnish education system.



As I've already explained; you have absolutely no data to back up such a claim.

Well then show me some hard data,.I know its been more then 10 years i have been in any kind of school and back then already we had use of IT, made projects etc. Please show your data before start asking something from me.

You being teacher hardly makes you more credible source.If i know anything about teachers.

[HoreTore]

Well then show me some hard data

There is none, largely because most of the stuff the school is supposed to teach you isn't possible to measure.

[Kagemusha]

There is none, largely because most of the stuff the school is supposed to teach you isn't possible to measure.

So this is just because you say so and you are more of a expert then someone who has attended to Finnish schooling? End of discussion if i may?

[Strike For The South]

Ahem.

Let's not assume the indulgence currently offered to the "Hate Makes the Backroom Great" thread extends in any way to other topics.

Can a man not express his opinion?

Pardon me? The correct wording is superficially challenged and Strike have you ever even met a Finn?About the results. I bet it was only bad year.Were these kids playing outside when Chernobyll happened? Still Horetore.You make me laugh.What do you know about Finnish schooling methods? As long as all our Western neighbours are far behind us, there is nothing to worry about. I am feeling so morbid that only various Chinese factions and vassals can beat our kids.

No but I have met a Dane and Norweigan and the both assured me Finland is "meh"

[Kagemusha]

Can a man not express his opinion?



No but I have met a Dane and Norweigan and the both assured me Finland is "meh"

I will let you on a secret if you dont tell anybody:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

They are just jealous.

[HoreTore]

So this is just because you say so and you are more of a expert then someone who has attended to Finnish schooling? End of discussion if i may?

The proper way to judge the efficiency of our education system, in my mind, is to simply look at the businesses in our countries. Who are they hiring? The products of our education system, or the products of another system? If its the former I'd say it's all good holmes, if it's rthe latter we're in trouble.

And different economies require different focuses in education; what is needed in Norway or Finland probably isn't what's needed in China or the US. A concrete example of this is reading skills: countries with just one language in their education should score higher than Norwegians or Finns, as we start english-training at age 6 and thus devotes less time on our native language. And a school with just three classes; reading, maths and science would top a survey like this, but can one thus conclude that this sytem is better? Do we only need those three skills in our adult lives? No, of course not.

And kagemusha, attending a Norwegian school did not in any way teach me how the system worked, switching tables turned my world upside down. Just like it probably will should you ever try teaching yourself.

EDIT: Also, I'd like to make it clear that my criticism is of the PISA-system itself and(more importantly) the conclusions drawn from its results, not the finnish education system.

[Banquo's Ghost]

Can a man not express his opinion?

The preferred form when making sweeping and potentially insulting generalisations is to present evidence. Ideally from a source unlikely to provoke derisive laughter or concerns for the poster's mental well-being.

[Louis VI the Fat]

The preferred form when making sweeping and potentially insulting generalisations is to present evidence. Ideally from a source unlikely to provoke derisive laughter or concerns for the poster's mental well-being.

Here's your source. One can not travel to Finland and escape being locked up in a swelteringly hot room together with half a dozen sweaty, naked Finns. A terrifying thought, which looks something like this:





Picture taken at the Finnish Sauna Championships.

This year, the Russians send their toughest man to compete too. Twenty years in the Russian army, massive vodka consumption, and Siberian cold had hardened him. He was going to teach the wimpy Finns a lesson or two.

He died. All the Finns lived.



If it's your thingy, more sweaty naked Finns in this kinky linky: http://www.smosh.com/smosh-pit/artic...-championships