Comparison between two school systems

Here are two YouTube videos comparing Finland's school system to South Korea's school system. Personally, I'd rather be in Finland's rather than South Korea's. What about you?

 

Finland's education success

This reminds me of the movie Freedom Writers (2007). If you haven't watched this movie, please do so. When the teacher in this video says she stays with her students throughout their schooling, it reminded me of the scenes in Freedom Writers where the teacher, Erin Gruwell, fought with the education board to remain with her students as she had built up respect, trust and a positive relationship with her students. When one student in the class called her Ma, Gruwell responded by saying I'm not your Mother. Another student in the class interjected and said calling someone Ma is a sign of respect for their culture.

Summary of the video:

• Local state school (Prep-Year 12)
• Relaxed atmosphere
• E.g. shoes taken off; call teacher by first name 
• Remain with same school teacher
• "school mother" - important - mothers know everything about their children, so a school mother knows everything about their students; the benefits of remaining with the same group of students throughout their schooling
• Learning is a team game - not measured on winners and losers (ie no competition)
• Extra help is standard practice - three teachers in class shown in video (two teach whole class while the third helps only those who need extra assistance)
• All teachers complete a Masters degree
• Trust is important value in Finland
• Statistic: Least number of class hours but achieve best result
• No competition in schooling system
• Parents have key role
• School system success build on idea of "less can be more", with relaxed atmospheres free from politicians.

 

South Korean Education Reform May Allow Students to Sleep

Summary of the video:

• Technology use (virtual classrooms)
• Cram school
• Competitive parenting
• Packed schedule from institutes called Hagwons - after-school programs, so tutoring in specific areas such as Maths and English. This all occurs after attending normal school for the day
• 16 hour study days with little breaks or none at all
• Parental expectations - fear she'll get left behind - pressure from parents for their children to perform well
• High school students sleep only two to three hours a night due to studying.

What classroom situation - a relaxed one like Finland or always on the go like South Korea - would be more effective?