Teachers in Finland think that children should rest and spend their time with their family instead of doing homework. Homework takes very little time and can be very interesting. For example, for a history lesson, a pupil might be asked to interview her granny to find out what life was like in the ’50s and to find the differences between that life and the modern world.

Teachers in Finland say, "One should be prepared either for life or for exams. We choose the first." That’s why there are no exams in Finnish schools. Teachers can give a test at their discretion. There is only one compulsory standard test at 16 when students graduate from secondary school.

One of the new directions of the Finnish educational system is phenomenon based learning. Instead of lessons, there are 6-week sections where students study one topic from different angles. For example, the topic of migrants is discovered from the angle of geography (where they came from), history (what happened before it), and culture (what traditions they have). Children create questions themselves and find the answers themselves too.