🌿 Phenomenon-Based Learning in Action: Teaching for Thinking, Curiosity & Agency
- vanessa speigle
- Nov 21
- 3 min read
✨Why Phenomenon Based Learning Is Not Just a Method — It’s a Mindset
Most teachers first encounter Phenomenon-Based Learning (PhBL) as a strategy or a new format for planning lessons.But in Finnish pedagogy, PhBL is something much bigger:
👉 It’s a shift in how we think about learning.
👉 A new way of seeing what children are capable of.
👉 A classroom culture where curiosity drives the day, not the syllabus.
PhBL asks a simple but powerful question:
What if students learned by exploring the world instead of memorizing it?
This is where the “phenomenon” becomes more than a topic. It becomes a doorway into thinking, collaboration, and agency.
🌿 The Deep Structure of PhBL (What Most Teachers Never See)
In Finland, PhBL is built on three invisible pillars that profoundly shape classroom culture:
Pillar 1 — Inquiry Before Instruction
Instead of teaching content first and asking questions later, PhBL flips the order:
1️⃣ Students explore a phenomenon.
2️⃣ Students ask questions.
3️⃣ Teacher guides content based on those questions.
This is why Finnish classrooms feel calm, students aren’t passive. They’re thinking, not waiting.
Pillar 2 — Transversal Competences (L1–L7)
Every phenomenon naturally builds:
L1 Thinking & Learning to Learn
L2 Cultural Competence & Interaction
L3 Well-being & Daily Life Skills
L4 Multiliteracy
L5 ICT Competence
L6 Working Life Skills
L7 Participation & Sustainability
These aren’t “nice to have.” They’re the foundation of Finnish education and the heart of PhBL.
Pillar 3 — The Teacher as Designer
PhBL transforms teaching from content delivery to learning design.
The teacher’s power shifts from:
controlling
directing
answering
to designing:
conditions
questions
experiences
reflection spaces
This is why PhBL builds student agency: When the teacher steps back, the student steps forward.
🌾 Why PhBL Works (Research + Cognitive Science)
Phenomenon-based learning aligns with three truths about how the brain actually learns:
✨ Truth 1: The brain learns through patterns.
Students remember ideas better when skills and concepts are connected in a meaningful way.
✨ Truth 2: Curiosity increases memory retention.
A learner’s “Why?” triggers deeper encoding than a teacher’s “Remember this.”
✨ Truth 3: Reflection strengthens neural pathways.
This is why PhBL ends every session with:
Connect–Extend–Challenge
Claim–Support–Question
Visual journals
Group sharing circles
Reflection is not the “extra”, it is the learning.
🌱 The Hidden Power of PhBL: Identity & Agency
Here’s what most explanations of PhBL miss:
PhBL is not only about skills. It is about identity.
When students investigate something real:
They see themselves as scientists
As storytellers
As mathematicians
As community problem-solvers
This identity shift is what builds agency.
PhBL says to children, “Your ideas matter, not just your answers.”
🌿 What PhBL Looks Like Across Subjects (Multi-Disciplinary Examples)
🌧️ Science + Math + Literacy:
Phenomenon: Where Does Rainwater Go?
Measure puddle depth
Map flow paths
Write explanations
Compare data
Create diagrams
🌍 Social Studies + Art + Citizenship:
Phenomenon: Our Community Helpers
Interview local workers
Create role-play scenarios
Draw community maps
Discuss daily challenges
🔦 Physics + ICT + Communication:
Phenomenon: Light & Shadows
Use flashlights to explore angles
Record shadow lengths
Explain findings through a short video
🌱 Health + SEL + Science:
Phenomenon: What Helps Us Stay Calm?
Test breathing techniques
Collect class data
Present strategies
Build a class calm-down plan
These aren’t projects. These are experiences students remember.
🌱 The Most Transformative Part: Students See Their Thinking
PhBL makes thinking visible, which:
Builds confidence
Strengthens communication
Expands vocabulary
Supports self-regulation
Reduces behavior challenges
Increases motivation
When students create, investigate, and present, they naturally participate.
This is the foundation of calm, confident classrooms.
🌿 Common Concerns (and How Finnish Teachers Solve Them)
“What if I lose control?”
You gain clarity — students lead, you design.
“What if students go off-topic?”
Their questions become curriculum anchor points.
“What about time?”
Depth → better recall → less reteaching.
“What about assessment?”
Observation, rubrics, reflection conversations (included in your video’s rubric).
🌱 Rekla Reflection Question
“What phenomenon in your environment could spark curiosity and agency for your learners this month?”
Choose one question. One phenomenon.One simple investigation.
Agency grows step by step and so does confidence.
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