Heroes of Learning
SISU Students
Elementary and Middle School
The SISU Student Program follows the world-renown Finnish education model adhering to international and American curriculum.
The Elementary Program is used in systems where elementary education includes grades 1-5 or 1-6 and the Middle School Program includes the rest of the grades leading to High School.
The program is typically bilingual where English Language, Mathematics, and Science follow the Finnish curriculum and international standards and integrated with the local curriculum. The owner will operate the school under a license issued by the local government.
Whether the school uses the bilingual or local language model, we make sure the general goals and practices of each subject are based on the pedagogical model of Finland and follow international standards.
The SISU Elementary and Middle School Programs focus not only on the traditional core subjects but also on the broader life skills we call SISU Skills.
Academic Performance
Learning becomes real when it is linked to the child’s interests and the world around them. Learning must happen also in authentic environments, not only in the classroom, or inside the school building. The whole surrounding community is considered a learning environment in our program.
Promoting entrepreneurial mindset continues and prepares our students to any profession in life. This includes fearless innovating, making mistakes/trial and error, learning, carrying responsibility and delivering results.
Holistic Growth, Support and Care
While academic success is the main goal of the SISU School, we emphasize the child’s wellbeing and provide support on each life aspect.
Holistic wellbeing promotes learning and increases motivation and overall happiness. SISU Schools benefit Finland's track record of happiest and not stressed students in the world without compromising the academic results.
School days are physically active and students have enough breaks and time for play and meaningful learning experiences.
Each child’s learning process is different and by individualizing learning each child will reach their full potential. Individual support is for all, not just for special needs students or high achievers.
SISU Skills
The fourth Industrial Revolution has challenged our ideas about education. What kind of education best prepare our children for the future? What are the professions in the future? How will we define work? In order to meet this challenge, we need new education and training for our children. SISU Skills prepare our students not just for schooling but for life.
The SISU Skills are:
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Think and Learn - Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
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Express and Interact - Creativity and Expression
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Communicate - Multi-literacy and Information and Communication Technology
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Do It Yourself - Healthy Lifestyle and Self-Management
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Take Action - Entrepreneurship
Academic Success
English Language Arts
Studying the English language at SISU School is not only learning new words but promoting the development of thinking skills. As students expand their vocabulary and learn new structures, they also develop their interaction and information acquisition skills. In SISU Program there is plenty of room for joy, playfulness, and creativity in language learning.
Studying the English language prepares the students for systematic and creative work in different types of groups. Students are actively guided to develop their capacity for participation and active involvement in a global world.
SISU Program’s English learning goals are divided into three entities:
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Growing into cultural diversity and language awareness
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Language-learning skills
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Evolving language proficiency, interaction skills, text interpretation skills, text production skills
1. Growing into cultural diversity and language awareness means students are familiar with linguistic and cultural diversity. They acquire information about the English language and culture and reflect on their own linguistic and cultural backgrounds. They practice respectful language use in interactive situations.
2. Students learn efficient language-learning skills, such as using new words and structures actively in their own expression, utilizing mnemonic techniques, and deducing the meaning of an unfamiliar word from the context. Students are guided to assess their own language proficiency.
3. Students learn to listen to, speak, read, and write in the target language on versatile topics. Students are allowed to participate in choosing the topics. The students learn vocabulary and structures in connection with many text genres, including short stories, plays, interviews, and lyrics.
Mathematics
The SISU Program’s primary mathematic objective is to support the development of the student’s logical, precise, and creative mathematical thinking. Teaching and learning lay a foundation for understanding mathematical concepts and structures and develop the student’s ability to process information and solve problems.
The instruction proceeds systematically due to the cumulative nature of mathematics. SISU Program uses a concrete and functional approach in teaching and learning of mathematics.
The SISU Program promotes each student’s positive attitude towards mathematics and positive self-image as learners of the subject. It also develops communication, interaction, and cooperation skills. Mathematical learning is a goal-oriented and persistent pursuit where the students take responsibility for their learning.
The SISU Program guides the student’s understanding of the usefulness of mathematics in their own lives and more broadly in society. The emphasis is on the development of the student’s capacity to use and apply mathematics in a versatile manner.
Science
Environmental studies is an integrated subject which comprises knowledge of biology, geography, physics, chemistry and health education and which includes the perspective of sustainable development.
Viewpoints of both natural and human sciences are integrated into environmental studies. In environmental studies, the students are considered a part of the environment in which they live. Respect for nature and a life of dignity in compliance with human rights are the basic principles in teaching and learning in the SISU Program.
The students learn to acquire, process, produce, present, evaluate, and appraise information in different situations. The instruction is founded on scientific information, and attention is paid to the development of critical thinking.
Environmental studies focus on the ecological, cultural, social, and economic dimensions of sustainable development. A key objective of the SISU Program’s Sciences studies is to guide the students understanding of the impacts choices made by humans on life and the environment, today and in the future.
