How Finland Uses Multidisciplinary Learning Modules
Behind Finland's reputation for phenomenon-based learning sits a specific, mandatory curriculum requirement: every comprehensive school must run at least one multidisciplinary learning module a year for every pupil. Here is what that actually involves.
- Since the 2016 national core curriculum, every Finnish comprehensive school must include at least one multidisciplinary learning module per school year for every pupil.
- A module is a defined theme, project or course that draws on the content of two or more subjects and explores that theme from several angles at once.
- Pupils are meant to take part in planning the modules, giving them a genuine say in what is studied and how, not just how a topic is delivered.
- Assessment within a module is still based on the objectives of the individual subjects it draws on, so it complements rather than replaces normal subject grading.
- The requirement is closely related to, but more specific than, phenomenon-based learning: phenomenon-based learning is the broader philosophy, multidisciplinary modules are the concrete, mandated version of it in the curriculum.
What the national curriculum actually requires
Finland's 2016 national core curriculum for basic education introduced a specific, non-negotiable requirement: every comprehensive school must provide at least one multidisciplinary learning module, known in Finnish as monialainen oppimiskokonaisuus, for each pupil in every school year. This is a firmer commitment than a general encouragement to teach thematically; it is a defined entry in the curriculum that schools are expected to plan for and document.
A module is defined as a theme, project or course that combines the content of two or more subjects and examines that theme from the perspective of each, so that a single topic, for example water, a local historical event, or a current issue, is studied through language, mathematics, science and art at once rather than in separate, disconnected lessons.
How a module comes together
In practice, a school's teaching staff plan the module's topic, duration and the subjects it will draw on, guided by local needs and interests rather than a single fixed national topic list. Some schools run a single, larger module each year; others build in several shorter ones. The flexibility is deliberate, allowing municipalities and schools to connect the module to their own context, whether that is a local industry, an environmental issue, or a cultural theme.
Because the module pulls together content from multiple subjects, it is usually team planned and, often, team taught, with more than one subject teacher contributing to the same block of lessons rather than each covering it separately; see co-teaching and team teaching in Finnish classrooms for how that collaboration works.
Pupil voice: planning as part of the module
A distinctive feature of the requirement is that pupils are expected to participate in planning the module, not only in carrying it out. This can mean pupils helping choose the specific angle a broader theme takes, suggesting activities, or shaping how the module's outcomes are shared. The intention is to build student agency and voice alongside subject content.
Transversal competences, broad capabilities such as thinking skills, cultural competence and participation, are also explicitly promoted through multidisciplinary modules, giving schools a structured place in the timetable to focus on skills that do not belong to any single subject; see transversal competencies in Finnish education.
How this differs from phenomenon-based learning generally
Phenomenon-based learning is often used as a catch-all term for Finland's whole-topic teaching approach, and the two ideas overlap closely. The distinction worth knowing is that phenomenon-based learning describes the broader educational philosophy, exploring real-world phenomena across subject boundaries, while the multidisciplinary learning module is its specific, mandated form: a defined, planned, assessed unit that every school must deliver at least once a year.
A school can teach in a broadly phenomenon-based way throughout the year while still needing to identify which unit of work satisfies the multidisciplinary module requirement specifically. For a school outside Finland adopting Finnish pedagogy, building in at least one clearly defined, subject-spanning module a year is a practical, concrete starting point rather than trying to make every lesson phenomenon-based at once.
Every Finnish comprehensive school must give every pupil at least one topic a year that no single subject owns.
Frequently asked questions
Is a multidisciplinary learning module the same as phenomenon-based learning?
They are closely related but not identical. Phenomenon-based learning is the broader teaching philosophy; the multidisciplinary learning module is the specific, mandatory curriculum requirement that puts at least one phenomenon-based unit into every pupil's year.
How long does a multidisciplinary learning module last?
Duration is decided locally. Some schools run one larger module across several weeks, while others build in a few shorter modules across the year; the national curriculum sets the minimum requirement rather than a fixed length.
Do pupils get a separate grade for a multidisciplinary module?
Not usually as a standalone grade. Assessment is based on the objectives of the individual subjects the module draws on, so a module contributes to those subjects' assessment rather than creating an entirely new one.
Related reading
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