To be able to do what you love

HUB 1/2009

A child put in a place where he or she can’t fit in may feel as if everyone was speaking a foreign language. A researcher
of gifted education and the director of a Nokia research centre want to give room for individual differences.

Mensa membership is no longer the only proof of being gifted. Many kinds of gifts are now recognised. Mathematic and linguistic abilities are classic grounds for pride, but abilities such as being able to understand interpersonal relationships are receiving increased attention.

Skills can be many and varied: being able to read a map easily, having perfect control of your body, knowing your way in nature or knowing yourself.

As the definition of being gifted expands, more people are squeezing into the VIP lounge of the talented. And an even louder buzz is going on in the heads of us parents, following the development of
our children. It is possible, even unavoidable, that our own kid is a genius – in one area or another.

What should we do about these gifts? How can we ensure that our little darling can make the most of his or her talents? Are special schools needed?

We can’t afford to lose any
Could Professor Kirsi Tirri perhaps ease the pain of
the parent? Last autumn she was nominated as President
of ECHA, the European Council for High Ability.

The purpose of the organisation is to promote
research of giftedness and to support the development of gifted education. Members include researchers and teachers from Europe, Asia and America. Or what would her husband Henry Tirri, with gifted people from all over the world
working under him in the Nokia research laboratory, have to say about what’s best for your child?

Special schools for little geniuses are not the standard solution for the bewilderment
of Finnish parents. There may
be admission tests for specialised schools in the upper secondary level, but there are no actual schools for gifted children.

“To single out a school for gifted children would be seen as raising some children above others,” Kirsi Tirri says.

This principle, even national value, of not raising anyone above the others, is the magic tool that results in Finland’s good standing in the Pisa listings. Differences between
students’ skills are smaller than in many other countries. There are not many very weak or very strong students.

“Still, innovations can only be achieved if we have a certain amount of top people,” Henry Tirri points out.

“The Finns are a small nation. For example in the Far East, the number of top professionals is higher than our entire population. We must make do with what we have, and therefore we must take
care of our gifted children.”

The right to be yourself

Finnish basic education is being developed to better suit the needs of different children.
These include the gifted.

“We have truly good, well-trained teachers in Finland, but it is too much to expect that a teacher could provide individual
teaching for thirty different learners in one classroom just like that,” Kirsi Tirri says. “We need different solutions.

For some, hobbies can provide adequate learning experiences on top of schoolwork – but they are not enough for everyone.”

ECHA is a good source of information on the different solutions that Kirsi Tirri hopes to promote. ECHA conferences constantly provide further education for teachers.

“It is essential that everyone can find a community where they are free to be just who they are. This could be one of the main advantages of a school for gifted children,”
Kirsi Tirri says. “If a child feels misunderstood in an ordinary community, it could be like speaking a different language from everyone else,” Henry Tirri explains.

USA meets Finland

The Tirri family has experience of very different school systems: of including gifted
children into basic education and of making a clear distinction between groups of
children. The family spent eight years in the United States, and their three daughters have gone to school both abroad and in Finland.

While they were living in Indiana, their eldest started school and opened up a whole
new research area for Kirsi Tirri, who was then completing her doctoral thesis. “Our daughter was tested and we were told that she should go to the class for gifted children.

Being a Finn, I wanted to find out what research results say on the advantages and disadvantages of such special classes. I was able to conclude that a special class was the best thing I could possibly offer my daughter. Now that she is grown up, she has told
me that those were the best two years of her life.”

Do we waste talent in Finland? Do we need to move abroad if we don’t want our gifted child to grow bored among the less
motivated students?

Henry Tirri sees no point in setting the two systems against one another. It is pointless to label systems as right or wrong. Both have their advantages. “I wouldn’t dream of moving all my research laboratories to one place, not to the United States nor to Finland.

In the Finnish degree-oriented higher education, it is more difficult to provide the most gifted students with what they need, but we do have the advantage of consistent ly high educational standards,” Henry Tirri says.

“We can also always bring in top people from abroad. There are very few operations that would require the professionals
to be of a certain nationality.”

According to Kirsi and Henry Tirri, Finland’s stable society, social security system and nature make the country attractive to top professionals. In many countries, differences between the universities’ standards are huge. In Finland, there are many quality options.

In other words, Henry Tirri doesn’t believe that money is ultimately the most important
thing. “Universities have observed that when a certain income level has been achieved, the environment and the atmosphere have a greater significance.”

Curiosity will make you fly

According to Henry Tirri, values always play a role in guiding a community, even when they have never been spoken aloud
or even considered.

“Passion for innovation is a central value at Nokia. For my own laboratories, I constantly
try to find the passion for invention, and consider ways to create circumstances that would promote that passion.”

One of Henry Tirri’s favourite films is Dead Poets Society. He thinks that everyone involved in teaching should see how
the teacher in the film, played by Robin Williams, is able to create enthusiasm for poetry in his teenage students.

Henry Tirri also thinks it important that the ability to get excited would survive as the students grow up. “Creativity requires enthusiasm and curiosity. If the environment
suppresses these, it’s difficult to create anything new.”

Henry Tirri defines himself as a universally curious person. After thirty years in universities, he needed to turn his career to new directions.

“I have learned a lot in my four years at Nokia. It is crucial that you don’t remain in your so-called comfort zone. You must have the constant desire
to learn new things.”

Also Kirsi Tirri believes in enthusiasm and passion.

“Passion keeps you alive. You
must love what you do. This will help you avoid overstress.”

The couple’s resumés are creditable, to say the least. It is obvious that they follow
their own advice.

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