Britain should be wary of adopting trendy pupil-led teaching techniques from Scandinavia because they may be making standards worse , a new report claims . Progressive education experts in the UK have long pushed for our system to emulate the group work and independent study that is popular in Finland , which has regularly topped international league tables . But a new analysis of Finnish education suggests pupil aptitude has actually declined since the country embraced fashionable teaching methods . Pupil-led techniques : A new analysis of Finnish education suggests pupil aptitude has actually declined since the country embraced fashionable teaching methods ( file picture ) According to research by the Right-leaning Centre for Policy Studies , Finland only did so well before because of the influence of traditional teacher-led methods . But it has slipped down international rankings tables as the new liberal techniques became more widespread . The findings will add weight to arguments by Michael Gove that a return to traditional teacher-led lessons are the way to raise standards in schools . The former education secretary made it his mission to fight the ‘ progressive ’ methodology of the education establishment , which he referred to as ‘ the Blob ’ . Report author Gabriel Heller Sahlgren said : ‘ My research shows that the methods that we have been trying to push through in England and America for years are not good for test scores . ‘ Pupils who aren ’ t motivated are not necessarily interested in learning . If you give them too much freedom , it ’ s difficult to know if they ’ re learning anything . It ’ s not very effective . Former education secretary : The findings will add weight to arguments by Michael Gove ( pictured ) that a return to traditional teacher-led lessons are the way to raise standards in schools . ‘ Here in the UK , there is a tendency to abolish traditional methods because they ’ re old , but we need to decrease this bias. ’ Finland was proclaimed an ‘ education superpower ’ after appearing at the top of international rankings tables between 2001 and 2009 . Many in the education establishment have pushed for the Finnish model of pupil-led learning to be used as an inspiration for the British system . Instead of giving whole-class instruction from a blackboard , teachers have instead adopted small group work , independent learning and educational activities and games . But today ’ s report , which examines education policy and performance in Finland over the last half century , found implementation of the new methods coincided with a recent slump in performance . Between 2006 and 2012 , Finland ’ s performance in PISA tests run by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development ( OECD ) declined . It sunk by 18 points in scientific literacy , 23 points in reading literacy , and 29 points in mathematical literacy . In 2006 , it was second in the world for maths , while in 2012 it was 12th . Rankings for reading and science also slipped several places . Report author : Gabriel Heller Sahlgren ( above ) said the methods 'are not good for test scores ' Teachers training in the 1990s learnt the new methods and only began to teach them in the 2000s , the report said . Before this , education in Finland had been traditional , hierarchical and teacher-led , according to the author , and it was this that was responsible for its stellar performances in the league tables . Mr Sahlgren added : ‘ The reforms in Finland that people are crediting with its improvement actually only began in the early 2000s . ‘ When Finland was improving , the education system was very authoritative and teacher-led . Finland was improving in the 1980s but rounded off in around 1995 . In the early 2000s , it started to fall. ’ The report , titled ‘ Real Finnish Lessons ’ , said that Finland ’ s education system had instead been buoyed by socio-economic factors until recently . These included a strong work ethic and cultural sense of responsibility , as well as the high status of teachers leading to talented individuals entering the profession . Mr Gove prompted a fierce backlash from teachers two years ago after saying he wanted them to stop using innovative approaches which ‘ dumbed down ’ education . He gave an example of ‘ making Plasticine models to represent Hitler ’ s main aims as Fuhrer ’ as a method which had ‘ nothing to do with passing on knowledge ’ . He said part of the problem was a ‘ belief that education should not be an activity in which the teacher imparts knowledge to the child but a pursuit - by the child - of what it finds interesting ’ . Mr Sahlgren is Director of Research at the Centre for the Study of Market Reform of Education think tank .
Finnish methods include pupils working in small groups or independently . In 2006 Finland was second in world for maths , but down to 12th by 2012 . During period its test scores dropped 29 points in maths and 23 in reading . Comment: