Finnish approach

We are proud to be the first Finnish International K-12 School in Qatar. The Finnish education concept is internationally acclaimed for its impressive track record in producing high-ranking student performance, while nurturing well-being for the whole learning community.
The aim of Qatar-Finland International School is to create an atmosphere where students can experience a continuous positive learning environment. The school recognizes each individual learner and the diversity of learners, then supports the learning process of each student.
Learning environment is an important factor when it comes to planning and selecting working methods. Our approach aims at broadening the students’ learning spaces from the classroom to other spaces inside the school and in the school outdoor environment, which enables students to acquire, use and produce knowledge, and enhances participation and collaborative learning.
Finnish education emphasizes cross-curricular themes and learning. Students do not study only subjects, but rather themes and phenomena. Versatile working methods give the students a joy of learning and experiences of success, while supporting creative activities characteristic of different age groups. The function of these working approaches is to develop social, learning, thinking, working, and problem-solving skills, and to foster active participation.
Students take responsibility for their own learning process, while the teacher’s role as a facilitator is important. Through trust in students, we can give more space and support the attainment of everyone’s personal learning goals. Motivation is also strengthened by working methods that support self‐regulation and the feeling of being part of a group.

The Finnish system strongly believes in collaboration with the students’ families. There are several studies that show that the students coming from homes that work together with the school and show interest for education perform much better socially and academically than their peers without this support. At the same time, the Finnish education system wants to emphasize the fundamental responsibility for learning, which is always on the student. When cultivating independent learners, this responsibility must be taken seriously and nurtured from an early age.

01-10

Respect for
Diversity

01-12

Responsibility for
Learning

01-09

Courage to be
Creative

01-11

Global
Citizenship