Free schooling/democratic - Finland

• The Finnish education system is built around their institutions of trust, equality, play and a multidisciplinary approach to learning.
• Democratic free schools also focus on children and education. Learning is self-directed, cooperative, and fun while the children have freedom and independence. The schools give the students an opportunity to study what they love.
• Classes are not typically focussed on one subject instead they will incorporate other elements of other subjects.
• At Makarios Community School the students get to choose to participate in classes. There is little to no homework as they believe that kids natural curiosities will lead them to seeking answers and learning things along the way. They rarely do standardised testing and they are done mainly for international standings.
• Finland requires classes to take 15 minute breaks between each lesson which is an average of 75 minutes of outdoor play per school day. It is common to stay with the same teacher for 2-5 years in a row which allows the students to have a close relationship with the teacher. The achievement gap among Finland's students is minimal, and they are proud to be inclusive of all children.