Please post your thoughts about this course below. What did you like about it? What didn’t you like about it? Would you recommend this book study to a colleague?
I really enjoyed this book study. I took it because I needed another class to renew my certificate. I chose this one because I had heard a lot of other teachers talking about it. I think the Finnish education system sounds wonderful. Who wouldn't want to teach less hours, stress less about tests, and still get great results? I found the set up for this course very easy to follow. It was organized well. I would definitely recommend this book study to my colleagues. In fact, I have been telling them about it. They have heard about Teach like Finland from other teachers too. I definitely plan on taking more classes from Transform your Classroom the next time I need to renew. Thanks so much.
I like the perspective this course gives on how America is not the world leader in education and there are many things we can learn and improve from others around the world. Education is a very difficult profession, learning from successful educators with alternate styles or "non-traditional" styles could certainly help someone in america!
I enjoyed learning about a different culture's perspective on education. It was quite refreshing. It made me think I need to teach in Finland. It helped me to stay grounded and realize that there is "more than one way to skin a cat." America is not superior when it comes to education. We have a lot to learn from others. It is time for us to collaborate as a world. I have already recommended this book to others in my profession. And I happy to say that I will continue to "coffee collaborate" with my peers.Thank you!
I enjoyed this book study. I think that Finland's views on education are refreshing. There are so many different ways that countries operate their education systems and I feel that the US is struggling right now in this area. There are so many people leaving this professions for many reasons. The way that teachers are viewed and the expectations have definitely changed greatly in the past 20 years that I have been teaching. The students have also changed greatly. We can look to other countries and gain some valuable insight to help these issues. This book also reminded me to find the joy in teaching and elsewhere in my life. I would definitely recommend any of the book studies other teachers. This is the second one that I have completed and I have enjoyed both of them.
I liked the simplicity of this course. It was very easy to follow the flow and complete the tasks. The book was also an easy read and did not taking too much time and energy. I was hoping for a little more insightful ideas from the book but still thought overall it had great connections and reminders to use in the classroom.
I appreciate that this course offered straightforward and productive tasks that anyone in education would benefit from doing. I enjoyed the book and found many of the points applicable to my life and my job. I would definitely recommend this course to a colleague!
This is the first book study that I have done for educational credit. I really enjoyed this book and process in which the book study was managed. It was work but not overwhelming and it was enjoyable. I really liked the TED talks .Adam Saenz had a really powerful talk. I also appreciated the convenience of the book study. I can not really say there was much I did not like about this book study and I have recommended this book study already!
I enjoyed this book and course! I have already been sharing my thoughts with some other educators and would recommend they take this course. As a teacher early in my career I think that the chapters on well-being and mindset were particularly helpful and struck many cords with me. I have lots of tidbits that I have jotted down for when I return to the classroom. Since becoming a parent and diving further into child development, it is becoming clearer and clearer how important emotional regulation is within learning. This book also supported this idea and gave me lots of practical ways to help myself, and my students achieve this.
I really liked the book. As I continue to read more teaching books, I'm finding the same things keep coming up, which leads me to believe they are pretty important. As a band teacher, many professional development books/courses don't apply a ton to me, but I think everything in this book was able to be applied to my classroom. Overall, there were a ton of great insights in this book and I look forward to using it to become a better teacher in the coming years.
I really liked this book. I have continuously learned so much throughout each chapter and TedTalk. There isn't anything that I disliked about this book study. I would recommend it to a colleague.
I really enjoyed this book. It has made me think about how much time I am putting into teaching and not thinking about myself. I realized that you can still be a good educator even if you don't spend every free minute you have on what to do next with your students. I would recommend this book to others that so they can see that teaching is not about how much time you put in but about how you connect and with yourself and your students.
I really liked this book and the course content, questions, videos. It was inspiring and validating. I feel validated with some of the things I am already doing in my classroom - student interest focused, fun mini-lessons, music and games, process and product balance. I am also inspired as it seems like schools in Finland are very calm and respectful, yet dynamic and engaging. There were many ideas and constructs to learn from and I intend to share this book with my grandchild's school teachers!
Overall, I liked this book study and found it easy to connect to my own teaching experience. One of the main ideas I appreciated was the focus on less stress and more balance for both students and teachers. The book really emphasizes trusting teachers to do their jobs and not overloading students with homework, testing, or long school days. That really made sense to me and reinforced what I already believe—that learning doesn’t have to be rushed to be meaningful.
I also liked the idea that student well-being matters just as much as academics. When students feel supported and not overwhelmed, they are more likely to actually enjoy learning and retain what they’re taught.
What I didn’t love is that some of the ideas feel hard to fully apply in U.S. schools. Our system is very different, especially when it comes to testing and accountability, so not everything feels realistic. Still, the overall message is helpful and worth thinking about.
Yes, I would recommend this book study to a colleague. Even if you can’t use every idea, it encourages you to slow down, reflect on your teaching, and focus on what really matters for students.
I really enjoyed this book study course and how I was able to complete this course on my own time. This is my third and final book study to obtain my graduate credits for the renewal of my teaching certificate. I really enjoyed this book and I would highly recommend this book study to a colleague!
I really enjoyed learning about different ways of teaching than just the basics. Some of the things I have already put into my classroom and I am excited on trying a few new things. I have already recommended it to a colleague and she is signed up to take it.
I liked some of the ideas in the book. The book however is really out dated for how things have changed in school since covid. I thought the TED talks were very interested perspectives that were interesting to listed to.
I thought this was a good book study. I also enjoyed the TED talks that were included. I feel like they really added to this study. One think I didn't like about this book study was that it seemed geared for upper elementary or middle school. Teaching with such young students, it was hard for me to think about ways to incorporate some of these ideas in my own classroom. I would recommend this book to my upper elementary colleagues.
I really enjoyed this book. It was neat to hear another perspective on teaching from somewhere other than America. It made me realize we need to slow down and find joy!
This is my last renewal of certification for me and the first books study I have ever done. It was very enjoyable to read the book and learn how education is run in another country. The course was set up very well, a combination of reading, videos, testing, and blogs, very good variety. One takeaway for me would be, just do your best regardless of what others are doing and don't compare. I also really like the grading part, giving some ownership to the student for their grade. Yes, an overall great course, glad I took it and I will recommend it to others, thank you.
This is my last renewal of certification for me and the first books study I have ever done. It was very enjoyable to read the book and learn how education is run in another country. The course was set up very well, a combination of reading, videos, testing, and blogs, very good variety. One takeaway for me would be, just do your best regardless of what others are doing and don't compare. I also really like the grading part, giving some ownership to the student for their grade. Yes, an overall great course, glad I took it and I will recommend it to others, thank
Absolutely enjoyed the class. I like the set up of the class as well in regards to the quizzes, blogs and Ted Talks. I will without a doubt take more book studies in the future and will be recommending this book study along with the other book studies in the future.
I really enjoyed this book study. The blogs and TED talks were a helpful addition to the book. I like what was shared in the book and it helped me reflect on my teaching. I plan to use strategies suggested by the author. I will be recommending this book study to others.
I really enjoyed this book study and the TED talks. I've read this book with a few other of my co-workers so it was great to talk about it and discuss the book. I recommend it as much as I can to others. Thank you.
First of all, and not to be cliche, I LOVE THIS BOOK. I so agree with everything that was presented. The US Educational system is in BIG trouble and desperately needs reforms. Evidence of this is students leaving for home schooling and on-line opportunities AND that teachers are leaving the field and there is becoming a mass shortage of teachers in this country. Also, if teaching is supposed to be considered an actual profession, then the PAY SUCKS!!!! If you actually need to support yourself and/or your family, then why in the world would you become a teacher? Escpecially in the world we are in where teachers have to fight students and their cell phones, parents, and administration.
This is my second course with Transform Your Classroom. The first course was a podcast study, which I enjoyed very much. I opted for a book study this time because many of my fellow teachers have completed several of them and highly recommended them. It was hard to choose which book to read but Teach Like Finland stood out to me most. I chose to use the audio book, which had its benefits and drawbacks. I very much enjoyed the book and its suggestions. If we taught like Finland in America, maybe more teachers would stay in the classroom longer, and more students would be more invested in their education. The Ted talks added to the course and gave me much food for thought. There wasn't anything that I didn't like about the course, and I will definitely recommend to my colleagues.
I have taken several of your courses over the years and always get a lot out of the books. I found some great insight in the TED Talks. I also felt a little frustrated in the sense that a lot of what was discussed in "How to Teach Like Finland" would be hard to implement in an American classroom without a large overhaul. Something I can work to change is my own mindset. The book had a lot of thought provoking topics. I have already recommended this book study to a few other teachers!
I really enjoyed this book. I enjoy your courses because they are self-paced, which is very ideal for my life right now. I would recommend this course to a friend. Out of all the book studies I've done, this was one of my favorites.
I enjoyed this book study. I appreciate the different perspective of the Finnish culture and believe there is value in adapting some of their beliefs. I would recommend this book study.
I really enjoyed this book study. It was very interesting learning about Finnish education and strategies. I liked making connections with strategies that Finnish teachers use that are similar to mine and also reinforced the importance of having a joyful classroom. There are some ideas I plan on sharing at my school. It also has made me reflect on how we really need to take a look at American education and how it is working. The variety of reading, blogging, video TED talks, and being self-paced, was a great way to cover this book study. I would highly recommend this book study.
I enjoyed this course. I loved the check list and how organized it was which made it simple to complete. I have been interested in "Finnish education system" and found the book easy to read and left with many take aways. I would recommend this book study to others.
I really enjoyed this book study. I took it because I needed another class to renew my certificate. I chose this one because I had heard a lot of other teachers talking about it. I think the Finnish education system sounds wonderful. Who wouldn't want to teach less hours, stress less about tests, and still get great results? I found the set up for this course very easy to follow. It was organized well. I would definitely recommend this book study to my colleagues. In fact, I have been telling them about it. They have heard about Teach like Finland from other teachers too. I definitely plan on taking more classes from Transform your Classroom the next time I need to renew. Thanks so much.
ReplyDeleteI like the perspective this course gives on how America is not the world leader in education and there are many things we can learn and improve from others around the world. Education is a very difficult profession, learning from successful educators with alternate styles or "non-traditional" styles could certainly help someone in america!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed learning about a different culture's perspective on education. It was quite refreshing. It made me think I need to teach in Finland. It helped me to stay grounded and realize that there is "more than one way to skin a cat." America is not superior when it comes to education. We have a lot to learn from others. It is time for us to collaborate as a world. I have already recommended this book to others in my profession. And I happy to say that I will continue to "coffee collaborate" with my peers.Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this book study. I think that Finland's views on education are refreshing. There are so many different ways that countries operate their education systems and I feel that the US is struggling right now in this area. There are so many people leaving this professions for many reasons. The way that teachers are viewed and the expectations have definitely changed greatly in the past 20 years that I have been teaching. The students have also changed greatly. We can look to other countries and gain some valuable insight to help these issues. This book also reminded me to find the joy in teaching and elsewhere in my life. I would definitely recommend any of the book studies other teachers. This is the second one that I have completed and I have enjoyed both of them.
ReplyDeleteI liked the simplicity of this course. It was very easy to follow the flow and complete the tasks. The book was also an easy read and did not taking too much time and energy. I was hoping for a little more insightful ideas from the book but still thought overall it had great connections and reminders to use in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this course and the questions really let me reflect into my teaching. The book was an awesome read.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate that this course offered straightforward and productive tasks that anyone in education would benefit from doing. I enjoyed the book and found many of the points applicable to my life and my job. I would definitely recommend this course to a colleague!
ReplyDeleteThis is the first book study that I have done for educational credit. I really enjoyed this book and process in which the book study was managed. It was work but not overwhelming and it was enjoyable. I really liked the TED talks .Adam Saenz had a really powerful talk. I also appreciated the convenience of the book study. I can not really say there was much I did not like about this book study and I have recommended this book study already!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this book and course! I have already been sharing my thoughts with some other educators and would recommend they take this course. As a teacher early in my career I think that the chapters on well-being and mindset were particularly helpful and struck many cords with me. I have lots of tidbits that I have jotted down for when I return to the classroom. Since becoming a parent and diving further into child development, it is becoming clearer and clearer how important emotional regulation is within learning. This book also supported this idea and gave me lots of practical ways to help myself, and my students achieve this.
ReplyDeleteI really liked the book. As I continue to read more teaching books, I'm finding the same things keep coming up, which leads me to believe they are pretty important. As a band teacher, many professional development books/courses don't apply a ton to me, but I think everything in this book was able to be applied to my classroom. Overall, there were a ton of great insights in this book and I look forward to using it to become a better teacher in the coming years.
ReplyDeleteI really liked this book. I have continuously learned so much throughout each chapter and TedTalk. There isn't anything that I disliked about this book study. I would recommend it to a colleague.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this book. It has made me think about how much time I am putting into teaching and not thinking about myself. I realized that you can still be a good educator even if you don't spend every free minute you have on what to do next with your students. I would recommend this book to others that so they can see that teaching is not about how much time you put in but about how you connect and with yourself and your students.
ReplyDeleteI really liked this book and the course content, questions, videos. It was inspiring and validating. I feel validated with some of the things I am already doing in my classroom - student interest focused, fun mini-lessons, music and games, process and product balance. I am also inspired as it seems like schools in Finland are very calm and respectful, yet dynamic and engaging. There were many ideas and constructs to learn from and I intend to share this book with my grandchild's school teachers!
ReplyDeleteOverall, I liked this book study and found it easy to connect to my own teaching experience. One of the main ideas I appreciated was the focus on less stress and more balance for both students and teachers. The book really emphasizes trusting teachers to do their jobs and not overloading students with homework, testing, or long school days. That really made sense to me and reinforced what I already believe—that learning doesn’t have to be rushed to be meaningful.
ReplyDeleteI also liked the idea that student well-being matters just as much as academics. When students feel supported and not overwhelmed, they are more likely to actually enjoy learning and retain what they’re taught.
What I didn’t love is that some of the ideas feel hard to fully apply in U.S. schools. Our system is very different, especially when it comes to testing and accountability, so not everything feels realistic. Still, the overall message is helpful and worth thinking about.
Yes, I would recommend this book study to a colleague. Even if you can’t use every idea, it encourages you to slow down, reflect on your teaching, and focus on what really matters for students.
I really enjoyed this book study course and how I was able to complete this course on my own time. This is my third and final book study to obtain my graduate credits for the renewal of my teaching certificate. I really enjoyed this book and I would highly recommend this book study to a colleague!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed learning about different ways of teaching than just the basics. Some of the things I have already put into my classroom and I am excited on trying a few new things. I have already recommended it to a colleague and she is signed up to take it.
ReplyDeleteI liked some of the ideas in the book. The book however is really out dated for how things have changed in school since covid. I thought the TED talks were very interested perspectives that were interesting to listed to.
ReplyDeleteI thought this was a good book study. I also enjoyed the TED talks that were included. I feel like they really added to this study. One think I didn't like about this book study was that it seemed geared for upper elementary or middle school. Teaching with such young students, it was hard for me to think about ways to incorporate some of these ideas in my own classroom. I would recommend this book to my upper elementary colleagues.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this book. It was neat to hear another perspective on teaching from somewhere other than America. It made me realize we need to slow down and find joy!
ReplyDeleteThis is my last renewal of certification for me and the first books study I have ever done. It was very enjoyable to read the book and learn how education is run in another country. The course was set up very well, a combination of reading, videos, testing, and blogs, very good variety. One takeaway for me would be, just do your best regardless of what others are doing and don't compare. I also really like the grading part, giving some ownership to the student for their grade. Yes, an overall great course, glad I took it and I will recommend it to others, thank you.
ReplyDeleteThis is my last renewal of certification for me and the first books study I have ever done. It was very enjoyable to read the book and learn how education is run in another country. The course was set up very well, a combination of reading, videos, testing, and blogs, very good variety. One takeaway for me would be, just do your best regardless of what others are doing and don't compare. I also really like the grading part, giving some ownership to the student for their grade. Yes, an overall great course, glad I took it and I will recommend it to others, thank
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely enjoyed the class. I like the set up of the class as well in regards to the quizzes, blogs and Ted Talks. I will without a doubt take more book studies in the future and will be recommending this book study along with the other book studies in the future.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this book study. The blogs and TED talks were a helpful addition to the book. I like what was shared in the book and it helped me reflect on my teaching. I plan to use strategies suggested by the author. I will be recommending this book study to others.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this book study and the TED talks. I've read this book with a few other of my co-workers so it was great to talk about it and discuss the book. I recommend it as much as I can to others. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, and not to be cliche, I LOVE THIS BOOK. I so agree with everything that was presented. The US Educational system is in BIG trouble and desperately needs reforms. Evidence of this is students leaving for home schooling and on-line opportunities AND that teachers are leaving the field and there is becoming a mass shortage of teachers in this country. Also, if teaching is supposed to be considered an actual profession, then the PAY SUCKS!!!! If you actually need to support yourself and/or your family, then why in the world would you become a teacher? Escpecially in the world we are in where teachers have to fight students and their cell phones, parents, and administration.
ReplyDeleteThis is my second course with Transform Your Classroom. The first course was a podcast study, which I enjoyed very much. I opted for a book study this time because many of my fellow teachers have completed several of them and highly recommended them. It was hard to choose which book to read but Teach Like Finland stood out to me most. I chose to use the audio book, which had its benefits and drawbacks. I very much enjoyed the book and its suggestions. If we taught like Finland in America, maybe more teachers would stay in the classroom longer, and more students would be more invested in their education. The Ted talks added to the course and gave me much food for thought. There wasn't anything that I didn't like about the course, and I will definitely recommend to my colleagues.
ReplyDeleteI have taken several of your courses over the years and always get a lot out of the books. I found some great insight in the TED Talks. I also felt a little frustrated in the sense that a lot of what was discussed in "How to Teach Like Finland" would be hard to implement in an American classroom without a large overhaul. Something I can work to change is my own mindset. The book had a lot of thought provoking topics.
ReplyDeleteI have already recommended this book study to a few other teachers!
I really enjoyed this book. I enjoy your courses because they are self-paced, which is very ideal for my life right now. I would recommend this course to a friend. Out of all the book studies I've done, this was one of my favorites.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this book study. I appreciate the different perspective of the Finnish culture and believe there is value in adapting some of their beliefs. I would recommend this book study.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this book study. It was very interesting learning about Finnish education and strategies. I liked making connections with strategies that Finnish teachers use that are similar to mine and also reinforced the importance of having a joyful classroom. There are some ideas I plan on sharing at my school. It also has made me reflect on how we really need to take a look at American education and how it is working. The variety of reading, blogging, video TED talks, and being self-paced, was a great way to cover this book study. I would highly recommend this book study.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this course. I loved the check list and how organized it was which made it simple to complete. I have been interested in "Finnish education system" and found the book easy to read and left with many take aways. I would recommend this book study to others.
ReplyDelete