Methods in Finnish classrooms

Co-teaching and team teaching in Finnish classrooms

Rather than one teacher facing a class alone, many Finnish primary classrooms are staffed by two or more qualified teachers working side by side. This co-teaching approach began as a way to bring special needs support into the mainstream classroom and has grown into a everyday feature of how Finland differentiates learning at K-5 level.

In brief

Co-teaching pairs two or more qualified teachers, sometimes alongside a special needs or assistant teacher, in one classroom or a shared learning space.
It grew out of Finland's tiered support model, which brings special education expertise into the mainstream classroom rather than removing pupils from it.
The Finnish National Agency for Education coordinates national networks that develop and share co-teaching practice across schools.
In K-5 practice, co-teaching allows a class to be split into smaller groups working at different paces, without losing shared planning or shared responsibility for every pupil.
Research associates co-teaching with richer differentiation, stronger inclusion, and higher job satisfaction among teachers.

From special needs support to everyday practice

Co-teaching in Finland has its roots in special education. Finland's core curriculum sets out a tiered model of support, moving from general support available to any pupil, through intensified support, to special support for pupils with more significant needs. The guiding idea is to keep pupils learning within the mainstream classroom wherever possible, rather than moving them into separate special classes.

That principle made co-teaching a practical necessity: a special education teacher joins a general class teacher in the same room, so that a pupil who needs extra support gets it without being taken out of the lesson. Over time, this pairing proved useful well beyond special education, and many Finnish schools now use co-teaching and team teaching more broadly as a everyday way of organising K-5 instruction.

What co-teaching and team teaching look like in K-5 classrooms

There is no single model. Schools and teachers adapt co-teaching to their pupils, their timetable and their building, but a few patterns are common in Finnish primary practice.

Some newer Finnish school buildings are designed with open, flexible spaces specifically so that two or more class teachers of the same year group can teach together, moving easily between whole group and small group work.

Two class teachers of the same year group plan and teach together, sometimes in a shared or open plan space
One teacher leads whole class instruction while the other circulates, supporting individuals or small groups
A class is temporarily split into smaller groups working on differentiated tasks, then regrouped for shared discussion
A special education teacher joins a general class teacher for part of the week, focused on pupils with identified needs
Student teachers co-teach alongside a qualified mentor during parts of their training

Why this supports differentiation and inclusion

With two or more adults responsible for one class, pupils who need extra help can get it inside the room rather than being pulled out or streamed into a separate group, in keeping with Finland's wider approach to special education and inclusion. At the same time, pupils who are ready to move faster can be stretched without waiting for the rest of the class.

Co-teaching also spreads planning and subject expertise across more than one adult, which supports the kind of individual attention that Finland's comparatively modest class sizes are designed to enable. Rather than relying on one teacher to judge every pupil's progress alone, and consistent with Finland's move away from frequent formal testing, co-teachers can observe and support pupils more continuously as they work.

Bringing co-teaching into affiliated schools

Schools that adopt Finnish pedagogy through OPPI train teachers as teams rather than as individuals, so that shared planning, shared observation and co-teaching become embedded from the start rather than added on afterwards. That reflects how the practice actually developed in Finland: as a working arrangement between teachers, built around a shared responsibility for every pupil in the room.

Co-teaching began as a way to bring special needs support into the classroom, not out of it.

Frequently asked questions

Is co-teaching the same as having a teaching assistant in the room?

Not quite. Co-teaching typically means two or more qualified teachers sharing responsibility for planning and instruction, rather than one lead teacher supported by an unqualified assistant. Assistants can still be part of a wider classroom team alongside co-teachers.

Does every Finnish classroom use co-teaching?

No, it is not universal. It depends on a school's staffing, timetable and building design, but it is common and actively encouraged at primary level, particularly where it supports special education needs or differentiation.

How does co-teaching affect class size in practice?

The nominal roll of a class stays the same, but with two or more teachers present, the effective ratio of adults to pupils at any given moment is lower, which is part of why co-teaching is often discussed alongside Finland's approach to class sizes.

Can co-teaching be used in schools outside Finland?

Yes. It depends more on shared planning time, timetabling and professional trust between teachers than on any resource unique to Finland, which is why it is a core part of teacher training for schools affiliating with OPPI.

Bring Finnish pedagogy to your school

OPPI affiliates a selective cohort of schools each year for its K-5 Finnish-pedagogy programme, backed by Education Finland. Tell us about your school and our team will reach out.

Backed by Education Finland. Over 20 schools have already affiliated, including DPS, Radcliffe and Sanctus. Places in each cohort are limited.

Apply to the affiliation cohort →