TEACHER EDUCATION IN FINLAND PROFESSOR KRISTIINA KUMPULAINEN DIRECTOR, CICERO Learning

1. TEACHER EDUCATIONIN FINLANDPROFESSOR KRISTIINA KUMPULAINENDIRECTOR, CICERO Learning

2. INTRODUCTION I FINNISH SOCIETY AND INVESTMENT IN EDUCATION II THE PRINCIPLES OF FINNISH TEACHER EDUCATION III FUTURE CHALLENGES AND ACTIONS KRISTIINA KUMPULAINEN

3. Current situation Wide international interest towards Finnish school system and teacher education: • PISA results • The specific characteristics of Finnish teacher education • Huge amount of applicants in teacher education KRISTIINA KUMPULAINEN

4. Popular vocations in Finlandland • Teacher 26 % • Psychologist 18 % • Artist, musician 18 % • Architect 15 % • Physician 10 % • Nurse 09 % • Priest 02 % (Lähde: Suomen Gallup/Helsingin Sanomat, 2004) KRISTIINA KUMPULAINEN

5. Educational Policy in Finland • Equality of education has high priority • Education for all • Social and regional equality • Well-educated parents -> promotes motivation • Life-long and life-wide learning KRISTIINA KUMPULAINEN

6. ( Educational system in Finland • 9 years comprehensive school • Free for all • No private school system • High quality in all schools • 3 years secondary school – leading to Higher education • Upper secondary school • Vocational institutions • Higher Education – access to 65 % for a age cohort – no tuition fees • Polytechnics • Universities KRISTIINA KUMPULAINEN

7. Rovaniemi Oulu Vaasa Kuopio Joensuu Jyväskylä Tampere Lappeenranta Turku Helsinki Universities in Finland in 2007 • One of the most comprehensive university networks in Europe • 10 multi-faculty universities • Helsinki, Turku (2), Tampere, Oulu, Jyväskylä, Joensuu, Vaasa, Kuopio, Rovaniemi • 3 universities of technology • Helsinki, Tampere, Lappeenranta • + Faculty of Technology in Oulu: 4818 students • 3 schools of economics and business administration • Helsinki (2), Turku • + Faculty of Economics in Oulu: 1023 students • 4 art academies KRISTIINA KUMPULAINEN

8. Two-cycle model for basic university degrees • The two-cycled basic degrees consist of • the Bachelor’s degree • (180 credits / 3 years) and • the Master’s degree • (120 credits / 2 years) • The third cycle will consist of postgraduate studies • (leading to a doctoral degree) • 1 year = 1600 working hours = 60 ECTS KRISTIINA KUMPULAINEN

9. Finnish Teacher Education has a long history • Teacher education for primary and secondary schools was transferred to universities in 1971 • Typical features - research-based orientation - continuous national and international evaluations - basic core curriculum in pedagogy KRISTIINA KUMPULAINEN

10. Teacher Education in Finland • Teacher’s profession has a high status • Popular field of study > high qualifications required • Master’s degree necessary also for primary level teachers • Integration of theory and practice (Teacher training school) • Pedagogical knowledge and subject knowledge integrated • Teachers are seen as life-long learners • Teacher education is research-based KRISTIINA KUMPULAINEN

11. Classroom Teacher Model Education as a major Studies at the Department of Education How to get competence to a subject teacher? Subject Teacher Model An academic subject as a major Studies at the Subject Department Teacher´s pedagogical studies at the Dept of Ed How to get competence to a class teacher? Finnish Teacher Education KRISTIINA KUMPULAINEN

12. A CLASSROOM TEACHER • The classroom teacher completes a Master’s Thesis (M.A) and the study programme consists of 300 study points. • Main subject: Education (140 sp) Minor subject (60 sp) consists of all the 13 school subjects a class teacher teaches at the first 6 grades of elementary school. • Theory practice relation • Academic tradition of research-based teaching • Practice teaching • Methodology and method studies KRISTIINA KUMPULAINEN

13. The main idea of teacher education • The central idea is to support students’ professional development by • collective working and action culture • different working methods • students’ argumentation skills • Teacher’s expertise is based on • pedagogical thinking • active and wide knowledge base • ability to work as a researching teacher • Teacher education guides the students • to think on the ethical issues of education • to be active agents of change in the school community, teacher education and society. INTERACTION EXPERTISE SOCIETY KRISTIINA KUMPULAINEN

14. TEACHER EDUCATION THE DEVELOPMENT OF PEDAGOGICAL THINKING SKILLS IS LINKED TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF METHODOLOGICAL THINKING AND INQUIRY-ORIENTED TEACHING AND STUDYING. is to educate pedagogically thinking individuals who are active members in the society at it’s various levels. student teachers’ personal growth, understanding of human developmental structures and processes growth in historical, cultural and social understanding of schooling the development of meta-cognitive pedagogical thinking skills, understanding the aims, contents and strategies of teaching THE IDEA THE AIMS KRISTIINA KUMPULAINEN

15. THE IDEA OF TEACHER EDUCATION S O C I E T Y INTERACTION EXPERTICE Collegiality The working culture different methods argumentation skills Teacher as a researcher pedagogical thinking skills methodological understanding personal practical theory of education KRISTIINA KUMPULAINEN

16. Research-based approach • Research-based approach is the central guiding theme of teacher education in Finland • Research-based approach is integrated into every course and courses in research methods are introduced from the very beginning of the studies • Another central aim of the teacher education is to promote professional thinking and identity building as a teacher: • Every unit connected with research • Continuous courses of research methods • Overall competence of research methods • Teachers as practitioner researchers • Master’s thesis • Direct access to doctoral studies KRISTIINA KUMPULAINEN

17. RESEARCH-BASED TEACHER EDUCATION DEVELOPING THINKING SKILLS • General cognitive structures and processes grow while methodological and argumentative thinking skills are developing. • Theoretical and methodological thinking skills are best developed by promoting student teachers’ knowledge of methodology as well as their know-how about research methods. • Argumentative thinking skills are developed through working methods which allow active and interactive approaches to teaching and studying. Pedagogical thinking skills Methodology Working culture THINKING AS LOGIC THINKING AS ARGUMENT Methodological thinking skills Argumentative skills KRISTIINA KUMPULAINEN

18. Principles of Teaching Practice • Starting as early as possible • Interaction between practice and theory • Every study period has aims of its own • From small units to larger combinations • Partnerships with schools • University practice schools • Field schools KRISTIINA KUMPULAINEN

19. THE CORE ELEMENTS OF THE CURRICULUM • The structures and processes of student teachers’ personal theory of education are the basic elements of the curriculum. • Research based teacher education paradigm stresses that the study programme’s knowledge base is dynamic and the student teacher is an active processor of knowledge. • To see pedagogical elements and to ask pedagogically meaningful questions in educational situations is one of the most important skills a future teacher needs. KRISTIINA KUMPULAINEN

20. MAIN SUBJECT STUDIES Education 140 ECTS CULTURAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL AND 50 ECTSPEDAGOGICAL BASES OF EDUCATION RESEARCH STUDIES IN EDUCATION 70 ECTSResearch methodsBachelor’s thesisMaster’s thesis TEACHING PRACTICE 20 ECTS MINOR SUBJECT STUDIES 120 ECTS MULTIDISCIPLINARY STUDIES 60 ECTSIN SUBJECTS TAUGHT IN SCHOOL OPTIONAL MINOR SUBJECT STUDIES 60 ECTS Curriculum for teacher education COMMUNICATION AND ORIENTING STUDIES 25 ECTS MASTER’S DEGREE 300 ECTS OPTIONAL STUDIES 15 ECTS KRISTIINA KUMPULAINEN

21. Epistemilogy COMPARING MODELS AND THEORIES Theories models CONCEPTUALISATION OF ACTION Teaching Planning Evaluating ACTION The Development of Expertise in Teacher Education SCIENCE THEORETICAL BASE EXPERTISE THEORY PRACTICE INTERACTION PROFESSIONAL SKILLS KRISTIINA KUMPULAINEN

22. Why evidence-based teacher education? Ideas behind the principle • prepare teachers to respond to the evolving challenges of the knowledge society • the most recent knowledge of • subject matter • curriculum content • pedagogy • social and cultural dimensions of education • make decisions to improve education to different learners KRISTIINA KUMPULAINEN

23. Research-oriented attitude and continuous learning in teaching profession • Teachers learn to take an analytical and open-minded approach to their work and are ready to learn new methods for their professional practise. • The aim is that they can see their profession intellectually, socially and morally challenging career. KRISTIINA KUMPULAINEN

24. Teacher’s responsibilities and current challenges in Finland • High goals of the national core curriculum • Number of students in the classroom • Pupils with special educational needs • Multicultural issues • The core of teacher’s work? • The correspondence between competence and qualification? KRISTIINA KUMPULAINEN

25. TEACHERS’ COMPETENCE • Wide responsibility in upbringing • Education frustrates teachers more than before • Teachers find their competence to be at risk. • The core of teachers work has blurred. COMPETENCE QUALIFICATION KRISTIINA KUMPULAINEN

26. CHALLENGES IN ACADEMIC TEACHER EDUCATION ETHICAL DIMENSION Values and choices ETHICS Teaching profession COGNITIVE DIMENSION Knowledge base PRACTICAL DIMENSION Interaction EXPERTISE KRISTIINA KUMPULAINEN

27. Policy decisions on studies at the University of Helsinki • Personal study plans to all students • Minor subjects to be included in degrees (multidisciplinary) • studies abroad to be recommended • to be accepted as part of the degree programmes • Teacher education as a part of the Bologna Process • Pedagogical studies 60 credits (25+35) – MA gives a qualification • Grading scales is standardised: 0-5 • Students’ progress will be followed up regularly at checking points KRISTIINA KUMPULAINEN

28. Specific aims of the Bologna Process at the University of Helsinki • The quality of degrees in the faculties will be enhanced • The emphasis on research • The Strategic Plan of the University • The Master’s degree will be the primary aim, the Bachelor’s degree an interim aim • The multidisciplinarity of degrees will be furthered • Quality assurance systems will be further developed • student feedback systems, follow-up of graduates, feedback from employers, the feedback systems will be used in the development of education KRISTIINA KUMPULAINEN

29. Kiitos!Kristiina KumpulainenCICERO LearningUniversity of Helsinkikristiina.kumpulainen@helsinki.fiwww.cicero.fi KRISTIINA KUMPULAINEN

30. THE BASIC IDEA OF TEACHER EDUCATION • INTERACTION is based on • collegial working culture • the development of teachership • EXPERTICE is based on • pedagogical thinking • teacher as a researcher thinking • active and wide knowledge base • THE ORIENTATION TO THE SOCIETY is based on • the ethical base of teachership • activity as a member of school community and society KRISTIINA KUMPULAINEN

31. TEACHER’S PROFESSION TEACHER’S PROFESSION ”TEACHERSHIP” TEACHING What is a proper knowledge base for a good teacher? KRISTIINA KUMPULAINEN

32. Strengths in Finland • The best Pisa results • The best educated teachers (MA degree since 1979) • Among the younger age group, the proportion of people with higher education degree – one of the highest in the world • The growth of the economy – fastest in the world since the middle of 1990s • 3,5 % of GDP for research and development • High competitiveness (WEF and International Inst. for Management Development), Finland is among the top countries • Creativity Index ranks Finland in position 2 after Sweden KRISTIINA KUMPULAINEN