Educating Student Teachers to Become High Quality Professionals – A Finnish Case
Keywords:
Active learning, Professional development, Student teachers, Teacher education, Teachers
Abstract
For decades, the Finnish orientation toward teacher education has committed itself to the development of an inquiry oriented and research-based professional culture. The aims of teacher education are to train students to find and analyse problems they may expect to face in their future work. This study consists of a survey of student teachers (n=545) in two universities in Finland. Web-based surveys with quantitative and qualitative questions were sent to all student teachers in the beginning of May 2010. Students assessed how teacher education had provided them with the competences they need in a high standard profession, what kinds of active learning experiences they had in their TE studies, and how research studies of teacher education had contributed to their professional development. The participants of the study assessed that they had achieved good skills in planning teaching and curricula. They were capable of using different teaching methods. They were aware of their own teaching philosophy and their responsibilities as professionals and life-long learners. They consider the research component of TE valuable to their independent and critical thinking. They were very engaged in studies. Finnish pre-service teacher education seems to function very well and to be effective in providing the skills teachers need to work as independent professionals. The results of the study show, however, that students also need more supervision and guidance on how to collaborate with parents and other stakeholders outside school, such as representatives of working life as well as partners in business life and culture.
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and teacher education in Finnish universities. A commentary by an international review
team. Helsinki: Ministry of Education, Division of educational and research policy, 14.
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of the Committee for the Evaluation and Development of Educational Sciences. Helsinki:
Ministry of Education, Division of educational and research policy, 16. (in Finnish,
abstract in English).
Darling-Hammond, L. (2005). Teaching as a profession: Lessons in teacher preparation
and professional development. Phi Delta Kappan, 8(3), 237-240.
Darling-Hammond, L. (2010). The flat world and education. How America’s commitment to
equity will determine our future. New York: Teachers College.
Davenport, T. H., & Prusak. L. (1998). Working Knowledge: How Organizations Manage
What They Know. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Business School Press.
Dreyfus, H. L., & Dreyfus S. E. (1986). Mind over machine. The Power of Human Intuition
and Expertise in the Era of Computer. New York: Blackwell.
Finnish Higher Education Evaluation Council (2011). From http://www.kka.fi/?l=en&s=1.
Isopahkala-Bouret, U. (2005). Joy and struggle for renewal: A Narrative Inquiry into
Expertise in Job transitions. University of Helsinki, Faculty of Behavioural Sciences,
Department of Education, Research report 201.
Jussila, J., & Saari. S. (1999). Opettajankoulutus tulevaisuuden tekijänä. Korkeakoulujen
arviointineuvoston julkaisuja 11. Edita: Helsinki.
Ministry of Education (2007). Committee report Teacher education 2020 (Chair by
Hannele Niemi). Helsinki.
Niemi, H. (1995) Teacher professional development, part 2. Evaluation of teacher education
in the frame of reference of learning experiences and new professionalism. Reports from
the Department of Teacher Education in Tampere University A 3. (In Finnish, abstract in
English).
Niemi, H. (1996). Effectiveness of teacher education. A theoretical framework of
communicative evaluation and the design of a Finnish research project. In H. Niemi & K.
Tirri (Eds.), Effectiveness of teacher education. New challenges and approaches to evaluation
(pp. 11- 32). Reports from the Department of Teacher Education in Tampere University A 6.
Niemi, H. (1999). ICT in Teacher education. In M. Sinko & E. Lehtinen (Eds.), The
Challenges of ICT (pp. 145-173).
Niemi, H (2002). Active Learning – A cultural change needed in teacher education and in
schools. Teaching and Teacher Education, 18, 763-780.
Niemi, H., & Jakku-Sihvonen, R. (2006). Research-based teacher education. In R. Jakku-
Sihvonen & H. Niemi (Eds.), Research-based teacher education in Finland – reflections by
Finnish teacher educators (pp. 31-50). Turku: Finnish Educational Research Association.
Niemi, H., & Kemmis, S. (1999). Communicative evaluation: evaluation at the crossroads.
Lifelong Learning in Europe (LLinE), IV(1), 55-64.
Niemi, H., & Kohonen, V. (1995). Towards new professionalism and active learning in
teacher development: Empirical findings on teacher education and induction. University of
Tampere. Department of Teacher Education. Research series A 2.
Nonaka, I., & Toyama, R. (2003). The Knowledge-Creating Theory Revisited: knowledge
creation as a synthesizing process. Knowledge Management Research & Practice, 1, 2-10.
From http://dx.doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.kmrp.8500001.
Pintrich, P. R., & McKeachie, W .J. (2000). A Framework for Conceptualizing Student
Motivation and Selfregulated Learning in the College Classroom. In P.R. Pintrich &
P. Ruohotie (Eds.), Conative Constructions and Self-regulated Learning (pp. 31-50).
Hämeenlinna, Finland: RCVE.
Scardamalia, M. (2002). Collective cognitive responsibility for the advancement of
knowledge. In B. Smith (Ed.), Liberal education in a knowledge society (pp. 67-98).
Chicago: Open Court.
Scardamalia, M., & Bereiter, C. (2003). Knowledge building. In Encyclopedia of education
(2nd ed., pp. 1370-1373). New York, USA: Macmillan Reference.
Schön, D. A. (1991). The Reflective Turn: Case Studies In and On Educational Practice. New
York: Teachers Press, Columbia University.
Sfard, A. (1998). On Two Metaphors for Learning and the Dangers of Choosing Just One.
Educational Researcher, 27(2), 4-13.
Smyth, J. (1995). Introduction. In J. Smyth (Ed.), Critical discourses on teacher development
(pp- 1-19). Great Britain: Cassell, Wellington House.
Tabachnick, B. R., & Zeichner, K. M. (1991). Reflections on reflective teaching. In B.
R. Tabachnick & K. M. Zeichner (Eds.), Issues and practices in inquiry oriented teacher
education (pp. 1-20). New York: Falmer Press.
Vokke project 2005, The Finnish project related to the European Bologna process
implementation. Retrieved March, 14, 2011 from http://www.helsinki.fi/vokke/english.
htm.
Published
2011-03-31
How to Cite
Niemi, H. (2011). Educating Student Teachers to Become High Quality Professionals – A Finnish Case. Center for Educational Policy Studies Journal, 1(1), 43–66. https://doi.org/10.26529/cepsj.440
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