I Studied the 5 Best Education Systems in the World
Video Overview & Insights
Hi everyone!! Welcome back to ep3 of my education series. Today we're looking at one of my favourite books Cleverlands where a British secondary school teacher travels to 5 of the best education systems in the world based on the PISA test, and analyses their keys to success. I found this book soooo fascinating because it made me realise that every single part of our education system was a choice - and we can make different ones.
I do think the Singapore math curriculum is superior to the Chicago Math curriculum used for a long time in the US.
Timestamps:
00:00 Why you should read Cleverlands!
Please stop rolling your eyes
1:20 What are the education systems measured on? PISA Exam!
3:06 Finland! Mental health, teacher training and equity
"Carrot and stick" has nothing to do with punishment. Dangle a carrot from a stick attached to the horse's bridle, and the horse will move forward to try,, unsuccessfully, to reach the carrot. The stick is not for hitting the horse, but for putting the carrot out of reach to mislead the horse. It's something you learn about in school.
10:10 Singapore! Streaming, high-pressure exams and collectivism
14:38 China (Shanghai)! Attitudes towards Failure, Parents and Culture
Yeah, one thing you need to remember is that based on who you are, you are going to be treated differently around the world than someone else. That is a white british woman. She might have an easier time navigating and studying the education system than someone else, which already applies bias to her. So if I were to go to one of these countries with the expectation she set for me, I would likely not have the experience she had, which makes videos like this super arbitrary for POC who face discrimination worldwide. Aboriginals, Black people, Indigenous, darker skinned individuals, etc… Food for thought for everyone. It’s okay to take in someone’s experience as knowledge, but not as expectation.
19:12 Japan! Collective Responsibility and Han
20:16 Canada! Equity, Integration and STEM
Teachers are not paid well in canada and they're not given enough resources to run a class. The classes have to many students vs 1 teacher and they dont have proper resources for kids with disabilities anymore like they did in the early 2000's. I have many teacher friends and theyre struggling financially and mentally. The kids from a reading and writing stand point are falling behind as well
21:53 What are the patterns?
Cleverlands Book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cleverlands-Secrets-Success-Education-Superpowers/dp/1783522739
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Amazing video. I"m an audiovisual person so thanks for breaking this down so I didn't have to read the book. The insights are amazing. I'm from Nigeria and there's definitely a lot we can take from the different examples.
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finland is not that small.... ot may have small population
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The difference is demographics. How do Taiwanese, Finns, Sigaporeans, etc. do in American schools? Probably about as well.
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I would not praise Finland system too fast, since the reform in 2000 scores has been in downfall
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Speaking of valuing teachers, now, in the United States, graduate education degrees are no longer classified as professional degrees….
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Casual Magic of the Day: singing an Om mantra song this morning and feeling calmer
Jade, congratulations for talking about what I believe is the most important subject in the world — and doing it with such passion. 👏
I'm no expert. Just an old guy with a lot of life experience who stumbled upon something interesting...
💡 The best education in the world doesn't have to be expensive.
Quick maths: ~25% of the world is school-age. The other 75% support the system. That's 3 contributors per student. Now take the highest-paid Finnish teacher (€4,799/month) and a class of 5 students — that's only €318/month per family.
For comparison: the UK government spends up to €955/month per student in public schools. Nearly 3× more. For worse results. Odd, isn't it? 😅
But the numbers are just the start.
What if education began in the womb? Neuroscientist Miguel Nicolelis argues that properly supporting the mother — medically, nutritionally, psychologically — is where it all begins. The child arrives with their full potential intact. Simple. Radical.
And what should school actually teach?
Character first. Empathy. No prejudices. Self-confidence. How to cook, manage money (99.99% of people have no idea what money really is — including most "experts"), navigate relationships, handle failure.
Then — and only then — language, basic maths, philosophy. And from there, let curiosity lead.
Just a thought from a very non-expert old man. 😄
Keep up the amazing work.
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As a Canadian who very recently went through our education system, there is definitely placing at least in Ontario
What are YOU grateful for today?
FAQ:
Overall, I think what you (UnJaded Jade) are liking is some good and some not so good. The not so good is that you take a very teacher-oriented perspective and think that's a good thing when, in fact
, research shows there are a lot of problems in that. Also, I get a sense you'd be a very punishing and judgmental teacher. About streaming and setting, I am pretty sure the real reason this limits improvement is that one's peer's attitudes and tendencies rub of on each other so if you limit your peers to lower achievers then what else can you expect? They need to be mixed and improved (not higher) performance praised on a pedestal. As for early education, the First Step program and research in the United States clearly evidenced that earlier education leads to higher propensity to complete school. So the argument you make in this video might be better said that earlier schooling should be about developing positive habits and attitudes about education--not against early education itself. A darker side of Singapore is severe penalties for non-conformance and even simple crimes, including corporal punishment for low crimes and strict execution for possession of drugs, for example. Teachers have a different perspective of the teaching system but I wouldn't use the word "better". The student perspective is very under-appreciated. Further, research in teaching finds that teaching culture makes it extremely hard to eliminate or improve teaching methods that are not the most productive or are, in some cases actually counter-productive. Teacher's are commonly very resistant to "authentic teaching methods" which are those scientifically shown to work better. The pressure to do academically well in Chinese/Korean/Japanese schools is actually very oppressive and has impressive results but also substantially side effects. For one (and I know because I taught in Korea), given choices of any kind and they absolutely freeze. They are stunned and completely breakdown no matter how much you try. As for japan's peer pressure method (team work), I think that is very powerful and it has real merit.
How old are you? ~ 25
Where are you from? ~ The UK! Near London.
No idea why I am watching, this would never happen in the United States. I don’t even have kids.
Where do you live now? ~ Brighton 🌊
Where did you go to university? ~ Minerva Schools at KGI
I can see that world view and culture make the real difference in education.
What did you study? ~ Cognitive Science 🧠
One of the best decisions you ever made? ~ Taking a gap year!
Can you do a video on "Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning" by Peter C Brown?
if no one has told you today, you are enough. 💛
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More User Perspectives
Interesting topic explored from an interesting perspective.
@jessejunesworldOntario, Canada student teacher here, just one thing about streaming: Ontario schools actually currently do have streamed courses starting in grade 10: University, College, or Essentials. However, you will often see "split" courses where students of both a university course and a college course are put into the same class and taught with a certain degree of differentiation (in assessment, expectations, and learning materials) depending on the subject.
@ethanstefura5359No chucking the smalls
@wespaisley257What's the difference between finishing and Finnish?
@wespaisley257Practical
@wespaisley257Hard knowing information
@wespaisley257What a concept—valuing education, understanding that it is in the best interests of society. The more I learn about other countries the more I come to understand how completely and utterly effed the USA is!
@57houndEthnically Japanese children do even better in the USA than in japan.
I do prefer that the children cook the lunch though.
If you adjust for Simpson's paradox you'll see the US does best on PISA tests.
@FlocciniAs a Canadian, many of us think our education system is not that great. All sorts of problems. However, if Canada is ranked so high then I can only imagine how bad it is in other countries, LOL 😳
@alainrouleauIn the US kids are expected to learn to read in kindergarten. And most kids do alright with that. But for those who are not ready the only thing we've taught them is that they are failures.
@visasmomYou may want to check out Dr. Greer Kirshenbaum and Dr. Gabor Mate on the neuroscience of thriving from different perspectives. Both internationally born Canadians.
@TheSomaticOracleI would recommend family nurture practices and performance in adulthood.
@TheSomaticOracleLove your enthusiasm for education. This my first time watching your channel. About a year ago I read the The Read-Aloud Handbook and learned so much about our public education system and how our culture effects how we educate.
@tiffanymartinez-lapa2654I am from Canada specifically Ontario and my schooling that ended in 2014 and since I graduated, the school system hasn’t really changed between 2014 and 2026. when I was in school with a disability, visual limitations and walking limitations the teachers pushed me aside for those students who had more academically achievements, I did not get the proper education I think it would have to come down to the teachers not being well educated and dealing with students with disabilities or maybe just the entire school itself was highly motivated for education excellence, and those students that poorly performed were not seen in the best light
@jordanthomson8675🌍🌏
@NidhaNishad-jr4vrSingapore was colonized by the British for more than a hundred years, before gaining independence in 1963 to form the Malaysian federation with Sabah, Sarawak and recently-independent Malaya. In 1965, Singapore left the federation. To say that Singapore was annexed by Malaysia is as inaccurate as saying Essex was annexed by England. It also kinda brushed off the British colonization before this "annexation".
@hcyongGood work with putting this video together. Just a fact check: Finland is a small country only by population, not by area. It is 2.5 times larger in area than England, and has about 1/10th the population of England. But yes, Singapore is a small country, both in area and population (I've lived there for almost 10 years and they've created a system that works pretty well for them).
@hareeshviriyalaI find it interesting that Singapore recognized the need to glamorize the job a bit to inspire national respect and repute. In America, our annual teacher appreciation week recently came to pass and our government marked the occasion by posting images of shrill and silly cartoon characters like the teacher from SpongeBob. Almost like they’re going for the opposite effect.
@rebeccarapattoni1516🌎 I'm in my first term as a US teacher. Lots to think about with this one
@KirasqueThis is so fascinating. Clearly, there is no one way to achieve success, and culture seems to significantly inform the path chosen. i was educated in Canada a long, long time ago. Back then, there was a streaming system in place. I am glad to hear it is no longer the case. At university, I remember how competitive teacher education was, and still is. These days, when I visit Canada, which I do only occasionally, I am struck by how totally multi-cultural it is, a fact that Canadians promote and are proud of.
@French-Life-l3g🌎
@WilliamDunBrochTwo very big problems in the UK for the student are:
1/ That it is generally considered that the only good qualification to have is a double first in classics from Oxford; all else is just another level of failure.
2/ The other is that ‘vocational’ is considered a discussing label that only complete dimmick’s do.
At the core of the problem is the dogma that says: "Knowing nothing about education is the biggest qualification to control it."
Also:
My 2 degrees are in psychology and philosophy. I have been ridiculed and verbally attacked for them. Yet, Psychology is the most important degree there is... every career that is to go above shop floor is about humans and human behaviour. Many have said to me “Yer but, everyone knows that, its just human nature.” Ermm, pity that isn’t so in real world.
And how-a-days Philosophy is so important because, at its core, it is about critical thinking... As we see in the USA, and somewhat in the UK, people might will vote for conmen and gaslighters (Trump and Farage comes to mind.)
On Streaming and 11+
I failed the 11+... well actually, I was sat down in front of a peice of paper. I could not read a word of it, so I drew space ships on it. I left school almost illiturate. At the age of 24, I decided to do a degree. I joined the OU. Within a year, my spelling age went from 5 to 13, my reading went from spending 60 hours on one of their wonderful work books to 30 hours. Later, I decided to do a full time degree. Thus now I have 2 BA Hons, 7 professional qualifcations and taught psychology for a grammar school.
So, I vote very mush for the Finnish system.
I'm a high school student in Japan.In Japanese culture we are expected to "read the air" witch is to look at your surroundings and do what's appropriate in that situation. A lot of teachers tell us that from a young age and we are expected to do the same thing as others. This is a bit problematic because I feel like it's so much harder to have your own opinion on things. Also I don't like that the hole purpose of studying is to go to university.
@manamikurokawa7470You are missing the Russian system.
@jstekicJapan also has a VERY high suicide rate, bullying, and intense social pressure to conform. Children who are cheerful and happy in elementary school are miserable zombies by the end of Jr. HS. Many develop social phobias and neuroses. Most Japanese are miserable.
@busysaru888omg i LOVE this video so much. Im graduate psychology who interest to education. Im preparing my master for next year and this video helps me for rethingking about wich country i want study in. Anyways im from Indonesia, im really really really shocked by how every country give amazing training (+paid) their teachers! I think thats the MOST important for better education system. Finland has most unique education system, but singapore also got my attention. However, all the countries you talked about is amazing, i wanna learn from them. Im so glad this morning because your video! I'll watch another video here. Keep it up!❤
@hyeongjunyapperI find it quite interesting that you commented on the benifits of having the teacher explain in front of the whole class. In my experience (Quebec high school), I've found that only a small percentage of my classmates actually learn in class, and usually only learn the material for the exam. I don't know what solutions could be implemented, but I do think classes should be more interactive in certain subjects (Since this specific format is effective for English and Maths, in my opinion). I also think that each student is a different kind of learner. Some are visual, some are audio etc. For example, I usually don't learn anything in class, since audio from the teacher doesn't register in my head.
@AmélieGrassickWorld
@trudy-leepanton616Hi Jade! I have been following for a while and remember you have Dutch family! If you are curious, there is this Dutch docu called Klassen, which you can watch for free on NPO, which goes into the effect of setting and streaming in the Dutch school system, and how this recreates inequalities in society! I experienced this too, and found this documentary super duper interesting, i think about i every few days and have watched this at least 5 times! Let me know if you are interested, but cannot get acces :)
@jasmijnkikkert5602Wonderful video... Thank you! ❤ I filed this video under many of my projects of interest. I'm going to listen to this video repeatedly... 😊 I've carried a strong belief that one way to eduacate people of any age or "situation" can be served by stories... personalizing our world, making it all relate to us... I enjoy describing mathmatics as the secret language of human thinking... Understand math and you might unraverl complex problems in life. Sounds like a good reason for our educational system to invest in better television and theatrical movies, plays, musicals, etc...
@Rick-c5sBC is an elite population. I think you’re hiding some factors that make BC a skewing factor for the overall results in Canadian education performance
@Edo9River