text: Britain should be wary of adopting trendy pupil-led teaching techniques from Scandinavia because they may be making standards worse, a new report claims. Progressive education experts in the UK have long pushed for our system to emulate the group work and independent study that is popular in Finland, which has regularly topped international league tables. But a new analysis of Finnish education suggests pupil aptitude has actually declined since the country embraced fashionable teaching methods. Pupil-led techniques: A new analysis of Finnish education suggests pupil aptitude has actually declined since the country embraced fashionable teaching methods (file picture) According to research by the Right-leaning Centre for Policy Studies, Finland only did so well before because of the influence of traditional teacher-led methods. But it has slipped down international rankings tables as the new liberal techniques became more widespread. The findings will add weight to arguments by Michael Gove that a return to traditional teacher-led lessons are the way to raise standards in schools. The former education secretary made it his mission to fight the ‘progressive’ methodology of the education establishment, which he referred to as ‘the Blob’. Report author Gabriel Heller Sahlgren said: ‘My research shows that the methods that we have been trying to push through in England and America for years are not good for test scores. ‘Pupils who aren’t motivated are not necessarily interested in learning. If you give them too much freedom, it’s difficult to know if they’re learning anything. It’s not very effective. Former education secretary: The findings will add weight to arguments by Michael Gove (pictured) that a return to traditional teacher-led lessons are the way to raise standards in schools . ‘Here in the UK, there is a tendency to abolish traditional methods because they’re old, but we need to decrease this bias.’ Finland was proclaimed an ‘education superpower’ after appearing at the top of international rankings tables between 2001 and 2009. Many in the education establishment have pushed for the Finnish model of pupil-led learning to be used as an inspiration for the British system. Instead of giving whole-class instruction from a blackboard, teachers have instead adopted small group work, independent learning and educational activities and games. But today’s report, which examines education policy and performance in Finland over the last half century, found implementation of the new methods coincided with a recent slump in performance. Between 2006 and 2012, Finland’s performance in PISA tests run by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) declined. It sunk by 18 points in scientific literacy, 23 points in reading literacy, and 29 points in mathematical literacy. In 2006, it was second in the world for maths, while in 2012 it was 12th. Rankings for reading and science also slipped several places. Report author: Gabriel Heller Sahlgren (above) said the methods 'are not good for test scores' Teachers training in the 1990s learnt the new methods and only began to teach them in the 2000s, the report said. Before this, education in Finland had been traditional, hierarchical and teacher-led, according to the author, and it was this that was responsible for its stellar performances in the league tables. Mr Sahlgren added: ‘The reforms in Finland that people are crediting with its improvement actually only began in the early 2000s. ‘When Finland was improving, the education system was very authoritative and teacher-led. Finland was improving in the 1980s but rounded off in around 1995. In the early 2000s, it started to fall.’ The report, titled ‘Real Finnish Lessons’, said that Finland’s education system had instead been buoyed by socio-economic factors until recently. These included a strong work ethic and cultural sense of responsibility, as well as the high status of teachers leading to talented individuals entering the profession. Mr Gove prompted a fierce backlash from teachers two years ago after saying he wanted them to stop using innovative approaches which ‘dumbed down’ education. He gave an example of ‘making Plasticine models to represent Hitler’s main aims as Fuhrer’ as a method which had ‘nothing to do with passing on knowledge’. He said part of the problem was a ‘belief that education should not be an activity in which the teacher imparts knowledge to the child but a pursuit - by the child - of what it finds interesting’. Mr Sahlgren is Director of Research at the Centre for the Study of Market Reform of Education think tank.
target: Finnish methods include pupils working in small groups or independently .
  In 2006 Finland was second in world for maths, but down to 12th by 2012 .
  During period its test scores dropped 29 points in maths and 23 in reading .
  Michael Gove has argued for return to traditional teacher-led lessons .