Finnish Formula One™ star Valtteri Bottas helps Epson highlight why Finland is winning in primary education

Revisiting his former primary school in Finland, Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport driver Valtteri Bottas features in a new video from Epson to help highlight the importance of interactive technology and large display sizes for enhanced learning in the classroom. The short video #FinnishClass demonstrates a lively and attentive classroom dynamic in Finland, the world number one in primary education ¹, conducted using an interactive projector from Epson, the world number one projector manufacturer ².

The video is available to watch on Epson Europe’s YouTube page, or on the Epson UK Facebook page.

Not only has Finland been ranked global number one for primary education for the second year running by the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report 2017-18, it is also number two for higher education. With Finnish students taking only one standardised test throughout their school life, teachers are relied on to explore the most effective teaching methods for their classes. As the world’s number one interactive projector manufacturer ³, Epson believes that motivating and engaging students involves making collaboration and interactivity central to the learning environment. Finland seems to share this passion for innovation with an interactive projector share that is proportionately 57% larger than the remainder worldwide total.  

When it comes to screen size, market research shows that 50% of students find it difficult to read content displayed on a standard 70-inch screen ⁴. And when it comes to effective approaches to teaching, 80% of educational material is remembered by visual means and 90% through interactive lessons, compared to just 25% retained from one-way verbal lectures ⁵. The interactive classroom dynamic and readable content displayed in the #FinnishClass video demonstrate the level of impact that technology should be making in today’s classrooms. Of course, a class is always more exciting when a world renowned sports stars join in, particularly when they’re a former student of your school.  

Hans Dummer, director of Visual Instruments at Epson Europe, says: “Epson’s interactive projector portfolio realises the benefits of both large display size and interactive teaching solutions, allowing new-age education establishments in countries such as Finland the opportunity to get the most out of their students. It’s great to see the impact our products have in the classroom and we’re excited about the continued role of Epson’s solutions in schools throughout the world.”

“It’s always great to return to my hometown in Finland where my motorsport journey began”, says Valtteri. “I really enjoyed visiting my old classroom and joining in the interactive lesson, even though I wasn’t in the same room as the students! I’m very proud to be Finnish and it’s great to see how Epson is advancing the classroom experience for kids today.”

To find out more about Epson’s projector portfolio, visit our web page here, and to learn more about our business solutions for education, visit https://www.epson.co.uk/verticals/business-solutions-for-education.