Inside Finland’s incredible education system | The Listening Post

Summary

Finland's National Audio Visual Institute has created a video aimed at educating pre-primary school children about media reliability. The Finnish approach to media literacy is holistic, integrating it across various subjects to foster critical thinking. With a history of independence and resistance to propaganda, Finland has made media literacy a mandatory part of its national curriculum. The country's efforts extend beyond schools to include public broadcasters and various organizations, using innovative tools like games and interactive learning to prepare students to discern fake news and disinformation.

Takeaways

• 📚 Finland's National Audio Visual Institute produces educational videos to teach children about media reliability.
• 🧒 Media literacy is introduced to pre-primary school children in Finland, emphasizing the importance of understanding media from a young age.
• 📖 Media literacy is integrated across all subjects in Finnish education, not just as a standalone topic.
• 🔍 Finnish students learn to analyze sources, recognize fake news, and understand the purpose behind different types of content.
• 🌐 Media literacy has been a part of Finnish culture for over a century, dating back to the nation's independence from Russia in 1917.
• 🚨 Following Russia's annexation of Crimea and the invasion of Ukraine, media literacy became a mandatory part of the Finnish curriculum.
• 🤔 Finnish media's cautious approach during the Cold War era has contributed to the high standard of media literacy among Finns.
• 🎮 Educational games like 'Troll Factory' are used to teach students about the dangers of spreading misinformation.
• 📺 The Finnish public broadcaster, Yle, plays a significant role in developing and delivering media education programs.
• 🌟 Finland's focus on media literacy has placed it at the top of international indexes, reflecting its commitment to fighting false information.

Q & A

What is the purpose of the video produced by Finland's National Audio Visual Institute?

The video aims to educate pre-primary school children about the reliability of the media they consume, helping them distinguish between real and fake information.

How does Finland approach media literacy education?

Media literacy is integrated across all subjects in Finnish education, starting with basic elements for young children and building up to more complex understanding as they grow older.

In which subjects is media literacy taught in Finland?

Media literacy is taught in various subjects such as Finnish language, literature, mathematics, art, and history.

What is the historical context of media literacy in Finland?

Media literacy has been a part of Finnish culture for over a century, stemming from the country's independence from Russia in 1917 and the need to discern truth from Soviet propaganda.

Why is media literacy mandatory in the Finnish national curriculum?

Media literacy is now mandatory to prepare students to defend against disinformation, especially considering Finland's proximity to Russia and its shared border.

What role does the Finnish public broadcaster, Yle, play in media literacy education?

Yle contributes to media literacy education by developing and delivering learning programs, including news mentorship and interactive media education tools.

How does the game 'Troll Factory' contribute to media literacy education?

Troll Factory allows students to experience the role of a troll, creating harmful material online, which helps them understand the impact of spreading misinformation.

What is the significance of the 'Deepfake videos' produced by Yle?

The Deepfake videos aim to educate people about the existence and workings of artificial intelligence in creating realistic but fake media content.

How does Finland's media literacy program compare internationally?

Finland's media literacy program is highly regarded, with the country consistently ranking at the top in international indexes for media literacy.

What is the focus of Finland's media literacy efforts in the context of new trends and technologies?

Finland is shifting its focus to guard against new trends, technologies, and platforms to ensure that students are prepared to combat false information in whatever form it may take.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Media Literacy in Finland

This paragraph discusses the Finnish approach to educating children about media reliability. It highlights the National Audio Visual Institute's video aimed at pre-primary school children, teaching them to discern real from fake media content. The video emphasizes the importance of starting media literacy education early and integrating it across all subjects. It mentions that media literacy is a part of the Finnish culture, dating back to the country's independence from Russia in 1917, and has become a mandatory part of the national curriculum to combat disinformation, especially in the context of Finland's relationship with Russia and its NATO ambitions.

05:01

🎥 Multifaceted Media Education in Finland

The second paragraph describes the various organizations involved in Finland's media education efforts, including schools, universities, libraries, and government departments. It mentions the public broadcaster Yle, which produces teaching tools like 'News Class' and educational videos on topics like deepfakes. The paragraph also discusses the use of games like 'Troll Factory' to teach students about the dangers of spreading misinformation. The summary highlights Finland's high standard of media literacy, its historical context, and the country's focus on adapting to new trends and technologies to ensure students are prepared to face false information.

Keywords

💡Media Literacy

Media Literacy refers to the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and create media in various forms. In the context of the video, it is a crucial skill being taught to Finnish students to help them discern reliable information from disinformation. The video emphasizes that media literacy is integrated across all subjects in Finland's national curriculum, equipping students to critically assess the content they encounter.

💡Fake News

Fake News is false information or propaganda published under the guise of being authentic news. The video discusses how Finnish education focuses on identifying and combating fake news, especially in the digital age where misinformation can spread rapidly. It highlights the importance of teaching students to question and verify the credibility of news sources.

💡Media Criticism

Media Criticism involves the analysis and evaluation of media content to assess its accuracy, fairness, and impact. The video mentions that media criticism is part of the Finnish language and literature curriculum, where students learn to analyze the source of news and understand the potential biases or agendas behind media stories.

💡Disinformation

Disinformation is the deliberate spread of false information to deceive the public or manipulate opinion. The video addresses the threat of disinformation, particularly in the context of international relations and political narratives, such as Finland's relationship with Russia and NATO. It underscores the role of media literacy in protecting against such manipulations.

💡Educational Games

Educational Games are interactive activities designed to teach or reinforce specific knowledge, skills, or behaviors. The video describes the use of games like 'Troll Factory' to simulate the experience of spreading harmful content online, thereby educating students about the consequences of misinformation and the importance of responsible media consumption.

💡Deepfake Videos

Deepfake Videos are created using artificial intelligence to manipulate or replace existing images or videos with realistic, but false, content. The video mentions the production of deepfake videos as part of media education, aiming to raise awareness about the advanced tools that can create convincing but false media, and the need for heightened media literacy to detect such manipulations.

💡Media Production

Media Production refers to the process of creating content for various media platforms, including television, film, radio, and online. The video discusses how Finnish students learn about media production to understand the behind-the-scenes aspects of news creation, which helps them critically evaluate the media they consume.

💡Analytical Skills

Analytical Skills are the abilities required to examine information, identify patterns, and draw logical conclusions. The video emphasizes the importance of teaching students these skills to analyze media content, understand its purpose, and assess its reliability, which is a key component of media literacy education in Finland.

💡Cultural Heritage

Cultural Heritage encompasses the traditions, values, and historical artifacts that a society passes down through generations. The video touches on how Finland's history with Soviet propaganda has shaped its cultural emphasis on media literacy, making it a part of the national identity and a defense against disinformation.

💡International Indexes

International Indexes are global rankings that evaluate and compare countries based on various metrics. The video mentions that Finland consistently ranks high in international media literacy indexes, showcasing the effectiveness of its educational approach and its commitment to preparing citizens to critically engage with media.

Highlights

Finland's National Audio Visual Institute produces a video to educate pre-primary school children about media reliability.

Media literacy is integrated across all subjects in Finnish education to build understanding from a young age.

Finnish language and literature classes include discussions on fake news and source analysis.

Mathematics classes focus on statistics and algorithms to enhance media literacy.

Art classes teach students about photo editing and the manipulation of images.

History classes explore different narratives of the same event, such as an air raid during WWII.

Finnish students have a high standard of media literacy, making them less susceptible to fake news.

Media literacy has been part of Finnish culture for over a century, since gaining independence from Russia in 1917.

Media literacy is now mandatory and a core component of the Finnish national curriculum.

Finland's history with Soviet propaganda has shaped its approach to combating fake news.

The Finnish media's cautious approach during the Cold War era has influenced current media literacy practices.

Social media's increasing role in daily life has made media literacy and criticism in schools even more important.

Finland was one of the first countries to have a specific policy for media literacy.

Multiple organizations contribute to media literacy efforts, including schools, universities, libraries, and government departments.

The public broadcaster Yle is a significant player in developing media education programs.

Yle's 'News Class' project involves news mentors teaching students about news production and detection of fake news.

Yle produces educational videos on media literacy, including those about deepfake videos and artificial intelligence.

Troll Factory is an educational game where students experience the harm of spreading misinformation by creating harmful content.

Finland's media literacy program is a point of pride and contributes to its high ranking in international indexes.

Transcripts

[Music]

a grinning purple cat a bouncing yellow

sun a classic combination for any

animators out to attract the attention

of small

children but this video produced by

finland's National Audio Visual

Institute has an important message about

the media these kids are consuming it's

been designed to help pre-primary school

children work out what's real and what's

not and what can be done if they're left

scared or confused by what they're

seeing that's because in Finland no one

is too young to start thinking about the

reliability of the information they

encounter the approach that we are

promoting is that that you have to start

uh with very young children uh before

the school age and and you start with

basic elements of of media and

understanding of what media is about and

then you build the understanding that

there's always someone behind each

picture and each story and the the the

older the children get the deeper you go

into these different parts of media and

and content creation and

production media literacy is not one

single subject it's taught across all

subjects for example in Finish language

and literature we teach the basic skills

we talk about fake news source analysis

media criticism then in maths we might

focus on statistics and algorithms

in art classes students learn about

images how photos are edited in history

class we discussed an air raid that took

place during the second world war and

thought about how the same incident

could be taught differently depending

which side the country had fought on

it's very important that we don't just

teach the subject matter but also the

analytical skills who produced it and

for what

purpose spotting fake news is a very

real part of daily education here in

filant sometimes it's subtly woven into

everyday subjects sometimes it's more

specific we're about to sit in on a

class where 14-year-olds are learning

all about Miss dis and Mal information

questioning and challenging claims like

the moon is made of

cheese

Bri

the students are very good at

recognizing fake news for example when

news about the war in Ukraine started

appearing online fins in general have a

very high standard of media literacy

we're not easily

fooled that's in part because media

literacy Is Not A New Concept for Fins

it's been part of the culture for more

than a century ever since the Nordic

Nation first gained independence from

Russia in

1917 almost 100 years on having walled

itself off from years of Soviet

propaganda the fight against fake news

is still being fought first in the

aftermath of Russia's 2014 annexation of

Crimea and more recently with Putin's

invasion of Ukraine in particular

concerns about narratives challenging

finland's ambition to join NATO and

media literacy is now mandatory a core

component of the national curriculum

teaching Finnish students to form a

front line of defense against any

disinformation including content

infiltrating the 830 M long border the

two countries still

share During the period of

finlandization in the Cold War The

Finnish media were very cautious about

their neighbor the Soviet Union people

always had to ask themselves whether the

news was really true of course there

have been changes since Russia has taken

on an increasing aggressive Global role

we're also spending an increasingly

significant part of our lives on social

media so teaching media literacy and

criticism in schools is so

important we were one of the first

countries in in EU uh probably in the

world to actually have a specific policy

for media literacy there's no one single

right way to promote media literacy

there are multiple ways and and

different organiz ations can do the work

from their own viewpoints that way we

feel that we can reach much more people

than than we would be able to do if it

was all done only by us uh a

governmental office uh producing only

only materials by the government and and

telling like the official story there's

no escaping the multifaceted media

education effort underway so many

different organizations are developing

and deliv ing learning programs from

schools universities and libraries to

government departments and Nos and one

of the biggest players is the public

broadcaster

Wy Mary vumi is one of W's media

producers she works on a number of the

news networks teaching tools including a

project called news class we have 14

different news mentors working from

around Finland they go and meet the

class they tell them who they are and

then they go through like how news come

about like what do you see on the TV how

does that happen and once you go through

the whole process they they actually

start thinking about these publication

me methods and that is really the way

fake news can be detected then of course

does a lot of other other things we have

Wy learning which does different types

of video on media education like the

light

detector

F the Deep fake videos we produced have

been really popular and the reason why

we put them out was that artificial

intelligence is coming at a speed where

we need

to kind of let people know that it

exists

and how it works we also offer uh

different types of games that you can

immerse yourself into and and think of

uh what it would be like to be for

instance a

troll trolls foxes dogs there's a whole

managerie of characters being deployed

by game designers and developers to draw

kids in it's the more entertaining side

of the educational toolkit but that

doesn't mean it's all just fun and games

troll Factory is where you put yourself

in the position of a troll and

deliberately create as much harmful

material as possible for online

distribution it's quite an unpleasant

game but students experience the harm of

spreading

misinformation which is perhaps a good

thing for

them

while newslab uh produced troll Factory

uh when Russian trolls were really on

the news here in in Finland it really

makes you think like I do not want to be

the Lord of of Lies which is the end

result when you think of kids who are

getting

gers if for some reason we manag to

incorporate one media education game

into this set of of gaming it's only a

bonus playing to student strengths the

media literacy program is a point of

Pride one of the many International

indexes where this small Nordic Nation

consistently comes out on top having

spent the last century schooling its

citizens to fend off fake news Finland

is Shifting its f Focus guarding against

new trends Technologies and platforms to

ensure that every pupil is prepared to

fight false information whatever form it

might

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