Guizhou Miao designer Axin recently traveled to Finland for a cultural exchange, accompanied by his mother, a former primary school teacher in Miao villages. During their visit, Yang’s mother had the opportunity to explore Finland’s renowned “Future Schools.” As a Chinese primary school teacher, she was well-acquainted with the characteristics of Chinese education: a strong emphasis on foundational knowledge, exam-oriented learning, and a fixed curriculum centered around core subjects like Chinese, math, and English. Chinese teaching methods are often teacher-centered, with students passively absorbing information, while academic performance is predominantly measured by test scores, placing significant pressure on students.
Reflecting on her experience in Finland, Yang’s mother noted how the Finnish educational system could serve as a valuable model. In Finland, the purpose of education is not competition, but learning itself. Teachers do not simply provide answers; instead, they guide students to discover knowledge on their own. She remarked, “Life is like that! There aren’t always teachers to guide us—our best teacher is ourselves.”
She further mused on how, whether in life or in education, sometimes we get lost when there are no paths, and at other times, we feel lost even when there are too many paths, as we are unsure where to go. Axin and his mother both gained profound insights from this exchange, particularly in terms of design philosophy. They realized that design should be open and inclusive, with the potential to integrate diverse elements to create new forms of beauty.
This exchange left both Axin and his mother with fresh perspectives on their creative process, further enriching their approach to design and innovation.
阿新老师访问芬兰，给予学生美学，收获新的思考方式
贵州苗族设计师阿新到芬兰进行文化交流。杨妈妈从苗寨的小学老师，到被邀请参观芬兰当地有名的“未来学校”。
杨妈妈是中国小学老师，熟悉中国的教育特点：中国学校通常更注重学生的基础知识掌握，注重培养学生的应试能力 。
中国学校的课程设置通常比较固定，以语文、数学、英语等主要科目为主。
中国学校的教学方式通常以教师讲授为主，学生被动接受知识。
中国学校的学生通常面临较大的学习压力，因为考试成绩是评价学生表现的主要标准。
妈妈说：芬兰的学校很值得学习，学校教育孩子们的目的是学习，而非竞争。芬兰老师教的不是“知识”，而是“学习怎么学习”。学生问问题，老师不会直接讲出正确答案，而是给他一个方向，自己去想、去找、去学。 人生不就这样吗！人生哪有那么多老师，最好的老师就是自己！
没有路的时候，我们会迷路；路多了的时候，我们也会迷路，因为我们不知道该到哪里去…
我在芬兰的《额尔古纳河右岸》
杨妈妈和阿新老师都再这次交流中收获很多，对于设计的方向有了更多思考，设计也应该是开放的，包容的，可以融入更多的元素创造新的美。
