The Idea of Finnish Comprehensive School – Grounding Principles and Future Challenges

Auli Toom, PhD, Adjunct Professor

In Terms of Equity – Quality in Teaching and Learning Conference

30.9.-2.10.2009 Helsinki, Finland

Faculty of Behavioural Sciences, University of Helsinki

Introduction

Orientation

The idea of Finnish comprehensive school

Current and future challenges in comprehensive school

Finnish research-based teacher education in the

background

Conclusions and considerations of the future challenges

between Finnish comprehensive school, teacher

education and society

Orientation

The wide international interest towards Finnish schooling system

among researchers and in public

PISA results

The secrets of Finnish comprehensive school

The specific characteristics of Finnish teacher education

Current viewpoints and teacher’s responsibilities

High goals and demanding contents of national core curriculum

Pupils’ welfare and educational equity

Pupils with needs of special education

Multicultural issues

Size of classes

The future of Finnish comprehensive school and teacher’s work?

Finnish comprehensive school:Historical perspectives and early stages

The societal situation and educational influences under

which the development and decisions of present Finnish

comprehensive school started to take form

The controversial issues the structure of comprehensive school teachers’ competence demands of civilization school administration

Finnish comprehensive school:Basic ideas and practical solutions

The practical decisions and solutions framing the

everyday practice at schools

Administrative organisation Curricular issues Subject matter issues Teacher qualification issues

Finnish comprehensive school:Current state and future challenges

The recent reforms and their influences to the present and future

state of comprehensive school

Administrative changes between grades 1-6 and 7-9 of

Finnish comprehensive school

Curriculum development and its responsibilities

High goals and demanding contents of national core

curriculum

Development of new pedagogies

Diversity at schools: needs for special education and

multicultural issues

Pupils’ welfare and educational equity

Finnish comprehensive school:Current state and future challenges

FINNISH SOCIETYdiversity – economic issues – support for education

SCHOOL TEACHINGcurricular demands – needs for special education –

multiculturalism – pedagogical challenges

TEACHER EDUCATION

CIVILIZED CITIZENhumanity – ethical responsibility – zest for life

Finnish research-based teacher educationin the background

The characteristics of Finnish teacher education have

come into discussion as a part of the qualities of Finnish

educational system How does the teacher education influence into the

Finnish comprehensive school? What is the relationship between Finnish

comprehensive school and teacher education? What does it mean that Finnish teachers are

academically educated? What kind of strengths, possibilities, threats or

challenges include in this relationship?

D E D U C T I V E

I N D U C T I V E

I N

T U

I T

I V

E Research-based

Problem based,case approach

School based

Experiential,personal

Pedagogical thinking

Th

e w

ay

of

org

an

izin

g a

ctiv

itie

s

Different teacher education programmes (Kansanen, 2005)

R A

T I O

N A

L

PRACTISING TEACHING PRACTISING RESEARCHING

everyday thinkingskills-based teachingteaching recipes, routines, tips

GENERAL LEVEL

metacognitionreflectionpedagogical thinking

producing researchexpertise

Making pedagogical decisions Inquiring one’s own work

RESEARCH-BASED TEACHER EDUCATION

Krokfors et al., 2007

adaptationconsuming researchknowledge-based

Two levels of research-based teacher education- the characteristics of twofold practice

BASIC LEVEL

Challenge 1:The complex working conditions at schools

Maintaining the research-based approach in TE MA degree Pedagogical thinking and decision making skills

The inquiry-oriented teachers produced by research-

based teacher education are needed in the near future

Teaching in today’s world requires pedagogical thinking

skills and dynamic professional competencies Inquiring approach towards teacher’s work Skills for interaction and extensive knowledge of

teaching methods High level practice calls for this kind of approach

Research-based approach in teacher education

Every study unit connected with research The conceptualization of practice

Continuous courses of research methods Quantitative methods – qualitative methods

Overall competence of research methods “All are known generally, one is known specifically.”

Master’s thesis

Teachers as practitioner researchers Producer of the research: ability to conduct the research Consumer of the research: ability to understand and use

research results and information in own work

Direct access to doctoral studies

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.

DEVELOPING THINKING SKILLS

Pedagogical thinking skills

THINKING AS LOGIC

Methodology Working culture

THINKING AS ARGUMENT

Methodological thinking skills

Argumentative skills

The core of research-based teacher education

(Krokfors, 2005)

Challenge 2:High goals of national core curriculum

Relevant contents of research-based teacher education

High learning goals of national core curriculum PISA success

Increased diversity and heterogeneity at schoolsEclectic basic values, ideals and ambitionsIncreased needs of special education

Interaction skills, pedagogical skills

Civilized citizens to Finnish society

Three levels of research-based teacher education:Organising theme – theories – action

EVERYDAY ACTION

Theories models

GUIDING PRINCIPLE – GENERAL IDEA

CONCEPTUALISATION OF ACTION

Research-based approach

Teaching

EvaluatingPlanning

SCIENCE

THEORETICAL BASE

EXPERTISE

PROFESSIONALSKILLS IN ACTION

THEORY – PRACTICE INTERACTION

(Kansanen, 1994; Krokfors, 2005)

The contents of class teacher education

OPTIONAL STUDIES 15 ECTS

COMMUNICATION AND ORIENTING STUDIES 25 ECTS

MAIN SUBJECT STUDIES Education

140 ECTS

CULTURAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL AND 50 ECTSPEDAGOGICAL BASES OF EDUCATION

TEACHING PRACTICE 20 ECTS

RESEARCH STUDIES IN EDUCATION 70 ECTSResearch methodsBachelor’s thesisMaster’s thesis

MINOR SUBJECT STUDIES

120 ECTS

OPTIONAL MINOR SUBJECT STUDIES 60 ECTS

MULTIDISCIPLINARY STUDIES 60 ECTSIN SUBJECTS TAUGHT IN SCHOOL

MA

ST

ER

’S

DE

GR

EE

30

0 E

CT

S

Challenge 3:Suitable and professional teachers at schools

How are we able to choose the best and most suitable

applicants to teacher education, who will enjoy teacher’s

work and stay at schools?

Student selection in teacher education Needs of everyday practice at schools New requirements for teachers New criteria of student selection

The attractiveness of teacher profession

Teacher’s work attracts young people in Finland

High number of applicants to teacher education Possibility to choose the best applicants to teacher

education

Two-phase selection procedure Book test (multiple choice questions) for all Interview for a selected group of applicants

After some years of teaching at schools, (too) many

young teachers consider to change to some other

profession

The qualities of a future teacher

COMMITMENT

SUITABILITY

(vrt. Kansanen, 2004)

Personality

Motivation

Educability

The core competencies of a future teacher

Social and interaction skills, empathy

Ability to tolerate uncertainty, incompleteness, and

imperfectness

Metacognitive skills

Self-confidence

Pedagogical skills for creating relevant teaching-studying-

learning environments

Challenge 4:Continuous in-service teacher education

The importance of continuous in-service teacher

education to make sure that our academically educated

teachers would not escape to other professions

The continuum between pre-service and in-service

teacher education General pedagogical content knowledge Contentual knowledge of school subjects Competence of various teaching methods Knowledge of recent research

Support for life-long learning and professional

development

STUDIES IN EDUCATION

STUDIES IN SUBJECT DIDACTICS

Ped

ago

gic

al c

ore

co

nte

nts

PRACTICUM

RESEARCH STUDIES

THEORY PRACTICE

Ref

lect

ive

teac

her

Pre-service education In-service education

How to become – and stay – as a reflective teacher?(Krokfors 2005)

Challenge 5:Continuous societal support for basic education

General social and political ethos supporting basic

education and schooling as well as teacher education Social and political consensus of educational issues Sufficient and stable financial resources for schooling

What would happen if the support was diminished or lost? How would pupils and teachers manage and ”survive”? What would happen for the aims of educational equity in

comprehensive school?

Social dimension of education and schooling

S O C I E T Y

Teacher as researcherpedagogical thinkingmastery of methodological skillspersonal practical theoryethical issues of educationactive agent of change in school and society

(cf. Krokfors, 2005)

Pupil(s) as active learner(s)pedagogical thinking

mastery of learning skillspersonal knowledge structures

ethical and responsible ways of actionactive agent of change in school community

I N T E R A C T I O N

S C H O O L

The core of teacher profession

THE PRACTICAL DIMENSIONInteraction

THE COGNITIVE DIMENSIONKnowledge base

THE ETHICAL DIMENSIONValues and choices

THE ETHICS

THE EXPERTISE

The profession

(Krokfors, 2005)

Conclusions:Future challenges of comprehensive school

Challenge 1: The complex working conditions at schools

Challenge 2: High goals of national curriculum

Challenge 3: Suitable and professional teachers at

schools

Challenge 4: Continuous in-service teacher education

Challenge 5: Continuous societal support for basic

education

Final considerations

Close interaction and reciprocal relationship between Finnish society, comprehensive school, and teacher education

Congruent general conceptions of the directions in

Finnish education and schooling

The aim of educating the civilized citizens to current and

future society

The aims, current challenges and future visions of all

these three parties are taken into account

THANK YOU!

For further information, please contact

PhD, Adjunct Professor Auli Toom (auli.toom@helsinki.fi)