Quality Culture in Teacher Education

Symposium at ECER 2010 Conference

27.08.2010. Helsinki

Chair: Hannele Niemi (University of Helsinki)

Discussant: Priit Reiska (Tallinn University)

2

Teaching as a well-qualified profession

(Improving the quality of teacher education 3.8.2007)

“All teachers are graduates from higher education

institutions”. (The recommendations 2007)

“To ensure that there is adequate capacity within Higher

Education to provide for the quantity and quality of

Teacher Education required,

and to promote the professionalisation of teaching,

teacher education programmes should be available in the

Master and Doctorate (as well as the Bachelor) cycles of

higher education.”

What is quality?

No absolute, agreed definition

No agreed way to measure quality

It is culturally bound

It is a value - Depending on

Concept of knowledge and knowledge creation

Concept on learning

Concept of teaching

What do we know about teachers?

Promoting quality of teachers –European

recommendations 2007 – based on many research and

working groups

Teachers‟ knowledge of learning and different learners is

decisive

Teachers‟ capacity to reflect on their own work is

important

Teachers‟ moral sensitivity and intentions to scaffold

learners are important

What are good learning outcomes?

Reproduction of contents?

Understanding and mastering important concpets and

skills?

Learning metaknowledge of learning: learning to learn

skills, direct and regulate one‟s own learning?

Facing the future – having understanding of life and own

chances?

Creating one‟s own identity and value basis?

5

The symposium explores the following

research questions

RQ1.What kinds of QA methods are used at a national level and

what kinds of consequences they have on TE?

RQ2.What kinds of QA methods are used at a HE institutional

level?

RQ3.How do national and institutional QA methods ensure

teachers‟ competences in certain critical areas such as active

and collaborative learning, knowledge creation, ICT pedagogical

applications, and inclusive education.

RQ4. How are QA methods applied to the continuum of teacher

education as life-long learning?

27.8.2010

6

FI SE SLO CA/US

Comparisons of TE policy and

practice: contexts and

resources,

Entrance criteria

Pre-service training

Induction

In-service training

International survey of teachers‟

competences

Singapore

?

Scot-

land?

1515 15 15 15 15 15

National case studies of teachers ‟ competences: working with different learners, quality

of learning outcomes, support of active and collaborative learning, cultural intelligence,

digital literacy

Quality of Teacher Education

Students in schools

Teacher

educators

Key players at the

TE

•Concept of professional development and expertise • Reflection

•Active learning and learning orientation•Collaborative learning•ICT and social media in education and learning•Cultural intelligence and moral sensitiveness

Student

teachers

Teachers

and

principals in

schools

Heads of

TE departments

QA and

quality

culture in

TE,

effect-

iveness

of

methods

and

practices

Slovenia Scotland Finland US/CASinga-

poreSweden ?

9

Quality Assurance in

Finland

Ministry of Education• Steering

• Decision-making

• Evaluation by authorities

(accountability negotiations and

reports)

FINHEEC

(as an independent agency):

• National responsibility

• Audits of QA systems

•Other evaluations

Curriculum development, feedback systems,

staff development

TE

Education

Math &

Science

Humanities Social

Sciences

Arts Sport Other

Quality assurance at HEIs - Main responsibility for quality and

improvement of education

•Establishment of QA system

•Participation in external evaluations and audits of FINHEEC

•HE institutions’ own internal and external evaluation of teaching and research

•Institutional Feedback systems

Strategic planning at faculties and

departments

The Finnish

QA System

Quality assurance in TE at a national level (1)

” The FINHEEC evaluations use an enhancement-led

approach. The aim is to help higher education institutions

to identify the strengths and good practices in their

operations as well as development targets.

Audits

Auditing focuses on two levels: the HEI‟s QA system as a

whole and the quality assurance related to the HEI‟s basic

mission. The target of the audit is the HEI‟s QA system,

developed by each HEI starting from its own premises

and objectives

Very few remarks on TE

11

Quality assurance in TE at a national level (2)

Specific evaluations

Internal and external

Research projects

National working committees

National cooperation as bench marking

National projects in Bologna processes

Meetings of Deans and Ministry of Educations and Culture

Research projects in quality of TE

12

Curriculum development, feedback systems,

staff development

TE

Education

Math &

Science

Humanities Social

Sciences

Arts Sport Other

•Establishment of QA system

•Participation in external evaluations and audits of FINHEEC

•HE institutions’ own internal and external evaluation of teaching

and research

•Institutional Feedback systems

Strategic planning at faculties and

departments

QA at HE institutional level- Main responsibility for

quality and improvement of education

14

http://www.helsinki.fi/arviointi/koulutuksenarviointi/loppura

portien%20pdfversiot/pdf-

versiot/Laatumatriisi2005_en.pdf

The Teaching Evaluation Matrix, The

University of Helsinki

AREA OF QUALITY OR RESULTS in QA

Matrix

1. TEACHING AND RESEARCH

1.1. Teaching, studies and

research

1.2. Higher education research in

support of teaching

2. TEACHING OBJECTIVES

2.1. Teaching objectives and core

elements

2.2. Student-centred teaching

3. SUPERVISION OF TEACHING

3.1. Teaching strategy

3.2. Quality control in teaching

3.3. Educational planning

3.4. Teaching qualifications in

filling teaching posts

3.5. Teaching development

projects

3.6. Internationalism

4. TEACHING

4.1. Teaching methods

4.2. Supervision of learning

and individual feedback

4.3. Study guidance and

advice

4.4. Use of information

technology in teaching

4.5. Study material

4.6. Contacts with the labour

market

15

5. LEARNING RESULTS

5.1. Core syllabus

5.2. Acquiring good learning strategies

5.3. The examination system and learning

evaluation

5.4. Grading criteria

6. RESOURCES

6.1. Management of human resources

6.2. Teaching qualifications of teachers

6.3. Management of premises and

equipment

6.4. Student recruitment

7. FEEDBACK AND FOLLOW-UP

7.1. Student feedback

7.2. Feedback from working life

7.3. Employment

8. POSTGRADUATE STUDIES

8.1. Recruitment and position of

postgraduate students

8.2. Supervision and teaching

8.3. Doctoral programmes and

postgraduate cooperation

8.4. Specialisation

SELF-ASSESSMENT FORM

STATISTIC16

17

Institutional Level: Models of evaluation the

subject teacher education programme,

University of Helsinki (Lavonen 2010)

Students can give feedback twice a year through the

evaluation questionnaires:

- how teaching has helped them in achieving the goals

- quality of teaching

- general arrangements

Teachers of the subject teacher program have evaluation

and planning meetings at least twice a term

Teacher and students are planning

and evaluating a course together

Student

evaluations

of the

programme

Collection

of students’ evaluations

National

strategies

Research on

subject and

Research on

teaching and

learning→ Content

Research on

teacher education- Structure of teacher knowledge

- Forms of knowledge: professional … practical

Own research

on teachereducation

Subject teacher education programme

Co-operative planning of the programme: Teachers from

the subject departments, Department of teacher education,

school teachers and the student teachers

18

Student

evaluations

of the

programme

Collection

of students’ evaluations

National

strategies

Research on

subject and

Research on

teaching and

learning→ Content

Research on

teacher education- Structure of teacher knowledge

- Forms of knowledge: professional … practical

Own research

on teachereducation

Subject teacher education programme

Co-operative planning of the programme: Teachers from

the subject departments, Department of teacher education,

school teachers and the student teachers

Lavonen 2010

Student teachers’ evaluations of the course:

Psychological basis related to teaching and

learning a subject (10 cp.) (Lavonen 2010)

1 2 3 4 5

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%P

erc

en

t

2005

2006

2007

Significance of a course small significance big for development of for development ofa teacher profession a teacher profession

Study of Finnish Teacher Education

(Niemi 2010) – Survey of student teachers

What has teacher education provided to you?

How do you study? (Self-Regulated Learning)

ICT in Teacher Education

Cultural intelligence

Active learning – Collaborative learning

Questions about research component teacher

education

Qualitative descriptions of experiences on TE

21

22

Here you see different images of experiences in

teacher education. Which of them does describe best

your own experiences?

59.09%

3%8%

10% 20.17%

Web-based questions to TE

experts: Promoting professional

values and attitudes in the

teaching profession

1. •promote a culture of

reflective practice

2. •teachers to be autonomous

learners

3. •teachers to engage in

research, develop new

knowledge and innovate

4. • teachers to take part in

school development

5. •teachers to collaborate with

colleagues, parents etc

6. to substantially increase

teachers‟ learning mobility so

that it becomes the norm, not

the exception

1 2 3 4 5 6

Web-based questions to TE experts: Make

recruitment and selection more effective to

promote quality education

1. Our country attracts

and retains the best

candidates for

teaching profession

2. We have methods in

our country to review

teachers recruitment,

placement, retention

and mobility policies

3. Teaching as an

attractive career/

profession.

1 2 3

1. To provide professional

and personal support

(„induction‟) for all

beginning teachers,

during their first years in

the profession

2. To make available

mentoring support

throughout the career

3. •To provide teachers

with enough support to

be effective1 2 3

Web-based questions to TE experts:

How do different levels interact?

National AQ methods

Accreditation

Auditing

Internal and external assessments

Resource allocations and infrastructure

Institutional QA methods

In the whole HE institution (evaluations, entrance criteria etc)

In TE faculties and departments (feed back systems etc.)

Resource allocations and infrastructure

QA methods of teachers

Responsibility of quality of teaching and learning

environments -> learning outcomes

QA of students -> learning outcomes26

•Thank you!

Kiitos!

We need deeper analysis of relationships between

contextual factors, teachers’ competences and

student learning?

Starting a European/global project?

- A pilot phase in Finland

- Parallel projects in Sweden, Scotland, Slovenia

- Other countries?

28

FI SE SLO CA/US

TE policy and practice: national QA procedures

and contexts in TE and to find how they promote

quality culture in teacher education

Singapore

?

Scot-

land

Quality of Teacher Education - QUALTE

Quality of teacher education as a career long

training and development 2011-

2012

2010-

2011

2012-

2013

International conclusions and recommendations 2013-

2014

Relationships between high quality teacher

education and students’ learning outcomes in

schools

Inter-

national

co-

operatio

n

How to promote active learning (Niemi 2002)

How to make change?

There is a mutual reinforcing process between and in

cultures of teacher education and schools. These maintain

the status quo in educational settings, but they can also act

as supporting forces in a positive case.

We are an integral part of our contextual cultures and

traditions, and we reproduce them through our own acts.

Culture is a social structure, and it can be changed by social

interventions.

This is a great challenge to quality assurance methods and

practices. We must seek new values and practices creating

quality culture in TE. It is also reforming of learning and

supporting the learning of different individuals and groups.

31

FI SE SLO CA/US

Comparisons of TE policy and

practice: contexts and

resources,

Entrance criteria

Pre-service training

Induction

In-service training

International survey of teachers‟

competences

Singa

pore

Scot-

land?

1515 15 15 15 15 15

National case studies of teachers ‟ competences: working with different learners, quality

of learning outcomes, support of active and collaborative learning, cultural intelligence,

digital literacy

Quality of Teacher Education

Students in schools

Teacher

educators

Key players at the

TE

•Concept of professional development and expertise • Reflection

•Active learning and learning orientation•Collaborative learning•ICT and social media in education and learning•Cultural intelligence and moral sensitiveness

Student

teachers

Teachers

and

principals in

schools

Heads of

TE departments

QA and

quality

culture in

TE,

effect-

iveness

of

methods

and

practices

Slovenia Scotland Finland US/CASinga-

poreSweden ?

•Thank you!

Kiitos!