Pertti KansanenProfessor Emeritus of Education

University of HelsinkiDepartment of Teacher

Education

Finnish Comprehensive School

• Nine years for all• Class teachers for the 6 first years• Subject teachers from 7 to 9

• The National Board of Education gives the frames of the curriculum

• Teachers write the curriculum for their own school

THE STRUCTURE OF THE FINNISH EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM

• Pre-School Education• Basic Education• Upper Secondary

Education General Upper

Secondary Vocational Education

• Higher Education University Education Polytechnic Education

Special features of the Finnish education system

• No streaming• No selection• No magnet schools• No national curriculum• Few national exams

• Teachers have pedagogical freedom• Teachers write the curriculum of their schools

All teachers are Masters

• To universities 1974; Kindergarten t. 1995• All teachers in the comprehensive schools

are Masters• Universities autonomous in their teaching• The unity of research and teaching• Master´s thesis (Research Master)• Research-based teacher education• Aiming at a reflective teacher

Departments of teacher education research departments

• All departments at universities are research departments (evaluated in the same way)

• All have responsibility to do research– Professors, university lecturers, doctoral

students

• Subject didactics (Fachdidaktik) inside departments of teacher education

• Professor chairs also in subject didactics

To doctoral studies

• Teachers autonomous practitioner researchers

• Direct access to doctoral studies– Class teachers in education– Subject teachers in their subject or in education

after additional studies

• Kirdergarten teachers Bachelors, may continue to Master and further to PhD

Finnish Teacher Education

Class Teacher Model• To teacher education• Education as a major• Studies at the

Department of Teacher Education

• How to get competence to a subject teacher?

Subject Teacher Model• To subject studies• A 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?

Entrance examination and suitability

• Roots in Jyväskylä Teachers College 1863• Book examination & interview• Starting as class teacher students < 15% • The same with subject teachers• Entrance examination makes the research

on the validity of the selection possible (performance, oral presentation)

CALLING

COMPETENCIESQUALITIES

MOTIVATION

Basic level of teacher education

• Studies in education• Subject matter studies• Student teaching and practice

Aiming atCompetencies in everyday teaching

Conceptual level of teacher education

• Main organising principle:Research-based approach

• Continuous courses of research methods

• Overall competence of research methods

• Teachers as practitioner researchers

Aiming atTeachers’ pedagogical thinking

The Aims of the Conceptual Level of Teacher Education

• Reflection• Making pedagogical decisions• Thinking skills • Problem solving• Methodological competence• Purposiveness

Metacognition & Pedagogical Thinking

RESEARCH-BASED TEACHER EDUCATION

TEACHER’S PEDAGOGICAL

THINKING

STUDY PROGRAMME

THEORY – PRACTICE relation

CLASSTEACHER

EDUCATION

Theoretical Structure of Class Teacher EducationHelsinki

CULTURAL BASIS 15 ECTS

PSYCHOLOGICAL BASIS 15 ECTS

PEDAGOGICAL BASIS 20 ECTSPr

actic

um st

udie

s20

ECT

S

Methodological studies

70 ECTS

EDUCATION AS A MINOR SUBJECTPedagogy of school subjects 60 ECTS

EDUCATION AS A MAIN SUBJECT 140 ECTS

Communication and orientation studies 25 ECTS

ORGANIZING THEMES

OPTIONAL MINOR SUBJECTSOPTIONAL STUDIES 75 ECTS

MAIN ORGANISING THEME

TEACHER’S PEDAGOGICAL THINKING

Making Educational Decisions

• Choosing between alternatives• Unconscious – Conscious• Planning – Interaction – Evaluation• Reflection-in-action• Reflection-on-action• Personal belief system >

A person’s philosophy of education

Fitzgibbons, R.E. (1981). Making educational decisions. An introduction to philosophy of education. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.

Reasons for justifying

INTUITIVE• Experiences• Colleagues• Traditions• Feelings

RATIONAL• Principles• Textbooks• Research results• Experiments

Teachers´ Pedagogical Thinking

2. Thinking level

1. Thinking level

Action level

METATHEORY

OBJECT THEORIES

PRE- INTER- POST

MAIN ORGANISING THEME

RESEARCH-BASED TEACHER EDUCATION

Two faces of research-based teacher education

Evidence-based teaching

• Based on research results• Literature research reviews• Meta analyses

• Hattie, J.A.C. (2009). Visible learning: A synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses relating to achievement. London: Routledge.

Practitioner research

• Based on one's own research

• Metacognitive approaches:reflection, purposiveness

• Pedagogical thinking

• Kansanen, P., Tirri, K., Meri, M., Krokfors, L., Husu, J., & Jyrhämä, R. (2000). Teachers´ pedagogical thinking. Theoretical landscapes, practical challenges. New York: Peter Lang.

Research-based approach in teacher education

• Every study unit connected with research– The conceptualisation of practice

• Continuous courses of research methods• Quantitative – qualitative methods

• Overall competence of research methods• All are known generally, some are known specifically

• Master’s thesis • Teachers as practitioner researchers

• Consumers of research: ability to understand and use research

• Producers of research: ability to conduct research

• Direct access to doctoral studies

Idea of a research based approach

For the individual development:• To develop a critical awareness• To train the ability to analyse: to deconstruct and to

reconstruct• To train teachers to become good consumers of research• To promote teachers’ intellectual and personal

development• To reflect is good in itself: quality of life

For the collective development:• To expose perceptions and ideas for collective examination• To think systematically together• To develop a common conceptual language• To open the potentiality of collective reflection• To reflect collectively promotes quality and professionalism• To develop the awareness of science as an ”open ended

inquiry”• To realise that science is crowded by temporary truths, not

eternal ones

DEDUCTIVE

INDUCTIVE

INTU

ITIV

E

RATIO

NA

L

Research-based

Problem-basedCase approach

School-based

ExperientialPersonal

Pedagogical thinking

The

way

to o

rgan

ise

the

activ

ities

DEDUCTIVE

INDUCTIVE

INT

UIT

IVE

RA

TIO

NA

L

Problem based,case approach

School based

Experiential,personal

Pedagogical thinking

T

he m

odel

of

stru

ctur

ing

actio

n

Research-basedTE

ACH

ING

CONCEPTUAL LEVELmetacognitionreflectionpedagogical thinking

thinkingskills-based teachingrecipesroutines, tips

adaptationconsumingknowledge- based

producingexpertise

Teac

her

e

duca

tion

P r a c t i c i n g

BASIC LEVEL

RESEARCHIN

G

CONCEPTUAL LEVEL

BASIC LEVEL

TE

AC

HIN

G

RE

SE

AR

CH

INGPRACTITIONER

consumer adaptation of knowledge- based practice

PERSONAL-PRACTICAL THEORY (rational)pedagogical thinkingreflectionmetacognition

PERSONAL-PRACTICAL THEORY (intuitive)everyday thinkingskill-based teachingrecipes, tips, routines

PRACTITIONER RESEARCHER producerexpert

P r a c t i c i n g

Teac

her

educ

atio

n

MAIN ORGANISING THEME

THEORY – PRACTICE relation

Principles of Student Teaching

• Starting as early as possible• Interaction between practice and theory• Every study period has aims of its own• From small units to larger combinations

Partnership with schools• University practice schools• Field schools

University practice schools

• University practice schools belong to universities

• Supervisors experienced and educated mentors

• Safe and peaceful context for practising• Practice integrated to the totality; to the

theory and research• Practice also in the field schools (one third)

Key features of teaching practice• Theoretical aspects are integrated with

practice during the studies at all stages.

• The aims of the teaching practice are to mature as pedagogically thinking teachers to grow into the profession, to become aware of their practical theories and

views on educational matters.• In teaching practice there are four

participants whose interaction with each other plays an important role.

a student teacher, peer student teachers, mentor teacher at the school were teaching

practice takes place, supervisor from the university.

29Jyrhämä

A SUPERVISORS’S TARGET AREAS REGARDING PEDAGOGICAL 

THINKING IN TEACHING PRACTICE

TARGET AREA SCHOOL PEDAGOGICAL VIEW

UNIVERSITY PEDAGOGICAL VIEW

Pedagogical decision-making

Intuitive, rational, mixed Argumentative,focusing on forming on synthesis

Pedagogical context Professional Academic

Curriculum School curriculum Teacher education curriculum

Goal-orientated Geared towards the needs of pupils

Geared towards the needs of students

Teaching process Teaching Supervision

Professional knowing Academic knowingJyrhämä

Comparison at the basic level

• Recruitment• Length• Basic curriculum (theory, fachdidaktik, practice)• Contents of the practicum• Analyses of the curriculum content

– Similar courses, different courses, number of credits, etc.

• Competence of teacher educators

• University – College - Vocational high school ---------------------Conclusion: Quite similar programmes

Comparison at the conceptual level

• Structure (integrated, asymmetric matrix, matrix)• University practice schools (Finland)• Teacher educators (professors, doctors,

doctorands)• Unity of research and teaching (Humboldt ideal)• Autonomy of teacher education vs. policy• Level of qualification (BA > MA)• To doctoral studies• Continuous evaluation of teacher education

– evaluation of research (publications, congresses, etc.)– evaluation of teaching (quality of teaching)– self-study of teacher education

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