Developing children’s creativity and intelligence, cultivating and discovering their talents, respecting students’ affinities, as well as teaching based on conceptions – these are just a few out of many principles that make the Finnish educational model stand among the best in the world. This has also been confirmed by the results on the famous PISA test.
Highest educational standards and international teaching practices at Allison Academy
What is the PISA test, in fact, and why is it important?
Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is a worldwide study that has been conducted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) since 2000 among the Member nations, and even non-Member nations across the globe. This test is conducted every 3 years and its goal is to evaluate educational systems by assessing the knowledge of 15-year-old students in Mathematics, Science and Reading, as well as their Problem-Solving skills.
PISA tests are very important and highly esteemed all around the world because, through their insights, key decisions are made regarding innovations and transformations in educational systems. Thanks to these decisions, the quality of teaching and education increases significantly, and the best-performing educational models are being certified.
Top-notch results in Mathematics, Science and Reading
The students who are educated according to the Finnish educational model principles obtain extraordinary results in all three areas, especially when it comes to the first testings, and they represent the most successful country. The success of these educational principles has also been affirmed on the latest PISA test. Among the competition that comprises 79 countries, the students coming from countries where the Finnish educational system is applied achieved the best results in Mathematics, Science and Reading.
The World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness study ranks the Finnish model as the most developed one in the world. This model contains an ideal work-life balance that fits perfectly into the American and European lifestyle, which is the reason why countries that apply this model obtain the highest results when it comes to education.
Due to such distinguished results, schools around the world tend to incorporate Finnish educational principles into their teaching systems. This is the very reason why the aforementioned principles, by being specially adjusted for US students, have become an intrinsic part of the Allison Academy approach.
An innovative educational approach
Allison Academy constitutes a significant part of the international educational system named LINK Edu Alliance whose institutions apply the best teaching approaches, thanks to which their students achieve prominent results.
Savremena Primary and Secondary School, which is also an important part of the LINK Edu Alliance system, has established an official partnership with New Nordic School – the institution which, driven by Finnish educational models, transforms and innovates contemporary education all the way from preschool age to college and university levels. The foundation of such an approach lies in personalized and purposeful learning, by means of which each student creates their own unique educational path on which they acquire valuable interdisciplinary knowledge applicable in the contemporary world.
This partnership enables all LINK edu Alliance institutions, among which stands Allison Academy, to apply such eminent and acknowledged Finnish educational principles in their classrooms.
What does teaching according to these principles look like?
The educational principles implementation at Allison Academy is based upon 17 defined UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), which address the curriculum globalization and raising awareness of the importance of social and economic development.
Thanks to this principle, students do not only acquire knowledge and competencies, but they also adopt valuable skills in global citizenship which are incredibly important in today’s society defined by multiculturalism and democracy.
These are the innovative principles used in our classrooms by means of which our students obtain such recognized results:
1
Future-Ready Learning
Students are prepared for success in an uncertain future by adopting skills such as creativity, teamwork and critical thinking. The mentioned skills are obtained by teaching different subjects and applying them to real-life problem solving.
2
Competencies
Students achieve modern education competencies by converting them into practical learning competencies relevant for different contexts.
3
Purposefulness
A wider purpose is given to learning through linking knowledge in different subjects with UN SDG, which function as topics that show students how they can apply classroom knowledge in real world.
4
Personalization
Learning tailored to each student enables them to grow in their own pace. Students’ wishes, needs and affinities become the center of what they learn and create in school.
5
Interdisciplinarity
Links are being made among pieces of knowledge in different subjects, and they are put together into one unit. Students merge their knowledge from various subjects within numerous tasks that they perform together with their peers, teachers and parents in a meaningful and personalized manner.
6
General students’ wellbeing
Students approach their physical, mental and emotional wellbeing in a holistic way by carefully integrating academic learning, physical activity and meaningful practice into their everyday activities. This exercise helps students to be present in every moment, reduces stress and boosts their learning potential.
We prepare students to succeed in an uncertain future
According to the World Economic Forum’s Education 4.0 framework, the key skills that students need to obtain so that they can succeed in the 21st century are as follows: global citizenship skills, innovation and creativity, technical skills and interpersonal skills.
Allison Academy is the place where, through a combination of comprehensive high-quality teaching methods, students acquire these important skills and in that manner they get ready to live and work in the 21st century.
Thanks to the flexible approach that encompasses the world’s best educational traditions, at Allison Academy:
- Students’ talents, interests and wishes are respected
- The gap between the classroom and real world is reduced
- Knowledge and skills that are required by contemporary employers and universities are developed in students
- Students are shown how to take care of their physical and mental health.
- Empathy and persistence in tackling problems and challenges are developed in students.
This approach, as well the great potential that Allison Academy holds because it constitutes a part of the LINK edu Alliance, guarantee that its students grow into successful, content, complete young people who possess contemporary knowledge and are capable of managing different contexts and unpredictable circumstances.
