1.   Professionalizing in and through research Research studies and active learning promoting professional competences in Finnish teacher education Hannele Niemi University of Helsinki

2. The aims of the presentation
What is Finnish teacher education?
Why research studies in Finnish teacher education?
How can research studies promote teachers’ professional development?
How active learning is related to student teachers’ professional development and research studies?

3. Comprehensive school for all
Big changes in
Comprehensive school for all
1980’s no streaming
Mixed ability groups
Special need education support
Inclusion
No dead ends – a learner can always continue in the system
Teacher education
All must have 5 years MA degree
Very popular academic career
Only 10 % are selected from talented and motivated applicants

4. What makes Finnish teachers different?
All have MA degree
No national high-stake testing
No inspectorate
All belong to Teacher Union
Not high salary – moderate level
Commitment to their profession

5. FINNISH TEACHER EDUCATION
Teachers’ professional work
FINNISH TEACHER EDUCATION
AUTONOMY
RESPONSIBILITY
REFLECTION

6. Teachers’ professional work
Human beings
Society
Knowledge
AUTONOMY
RESPONSIBILITY
REFLECTION

7. Teachers’ responsibilities
Teachers are expected to take the responsibility to develop their profession.
To analyze complex situations like a researcher.
To make conclusions and decisions to develop their teaching to different learners.

8. WIDE PROFESSIONAL ROLE – aims of the Finnish TE
Local responsibility for quality: Every school must be a good school
Local curriculum
Teachers’ important role
Supporting every students’ learning and learning skills
In collaboration with parents, multi-professional groups, and social and health care providers.

9. 3 LEADING PRINCIPLES OF TE
A Research-Based Approach as a Main Guideline
The Social and Moral Code of the Teaching Profession
Integration of Theory and Practice

10. 3 LEADING PRINCIPLES OF TE
Teachers as independent and responsible professionals
for promoting equity and LLL skills
21st century skills
A Research-Based Approach as a Main Guideline
The Social and Moral Code of the Teaching Profession
Integration of Theory and Practice

11. Teacher Degrees: 3 years BA + 2 years MA = teacher qualification
Class teachers: Master of Education (grades 1-6)
Major in Education
Minors in 1-2 subject matter disciplines
Secondary teachers: Master of Sciences, Arts etc. (grades 7-9 and upper secondary)
Major in subject a matter
Minor in Education
Minors in 1-2 subject matter disciplines

12. Teacher Degrees: 3 years BA + 2 years MA = teacher qualification
Class teachers:
Entrance directly to teacher education programs.
Secondary teachers:
Entrance first to the University to an academic faculty and in the 2nd/3rd year to the pedagogical studies

13. Communication. language and ICT
Academic disciplines
45-55%
Research studies
20%
Pedagogical
Studies
Communication. language and ICT
10%
A personal study plan 2%
Optional studies
3-10%
Teaching practice
Teacher training schools in Universities
Local schools

14. The main components of the Finnish TE
Academic disciplines
Pedagogical studies
Teaching Practice
Communication and ICT
Optional studies
For all
Teachers
1/5 of the 5
years program
Integrated from the 1st year
Basic skills for the profession
School
Subjects
Education
Extensions of the qualification
Research studies : research methods + BA and MA thesis

15. DIFFERENT PHASES OF PRACTISE

16. DIFFERENT PHASES OF PRACTISE
MA Thesis
Research
Courses
BA Thesis
Research
Courses
Research methods

17. Teacher education on research-based foundations
Teachers need a profound knowledge of the most recent advances of research in the subjects they teach. In addition, they need to be familiar with the latest research on how something can be taught and learnt.
Teacher education in itself should also be an object of study and research
The aim is that teachers internalise a research- orientated attitude towards their work.

18. Research studies in TE
According to Finnish degree requirements, research studies consist of
a theoretical basis for research work (e.g., reading and reviewing research literature and learning research methods) and
conducting authentic research projects, as well as preparing and writing BA and MA theses.

19. Generic skills or focused professionalism?
The academic contents and practical are not be seen as separate or exclusive; they are always complementary in the teaching profession.
Teachers as experts work in complex situations
research-informed knowledge + tacit knowledge + confidence to carry out their expertise in demanding unique situations.
Progressive problem solving, that is, tackling problems

20. Teachers as researchers and knowledge creators
Log roots in American teacher education history. as early as 1908
(Henson, 1996; Lowery, 1908)
a tension since the beginning of the movement: “Even with encouragement to become involved with research, the type and level of involvement was limited throughout the first half of the twentieth century” (Henson).
In the 1980s and 1990s teachers as researchers was quite visible in TE discussions:
- the importance of reflection and inquiry-based orientation in teachers’ work (Elliot, 1990; Hargreaves, A. 1996, Hargreaves, D., 1996; Tabachnick & Zeichner, 1991).
The inquiry-based orientation has had a close connection with
an emphasis on critical reflection in teachers’ work
the mission of making teachers critical thinkers.
focused on crucial issues of social justice and inequalities in education

21. Since the late 20th century
An important paradigm for math and science teachers
Language teachers see its value as well
The ideology of teachers as researchers has expanded to many other subjects.
CPD (Continuous Professional development) – action and design based projects
Pre-service TE in some countries

22. Teachers and evidence-based policy and practice
Teachers should have basic competences for systematic inquiry and knowledge processes so that they can analyze their work and students’ learning like researchers.
How are teachers prepared for this kind of role, in which they are active partners in research projects or conduct research-based activities on their own? Levin (2004) remarked:
Very few organizations have the capacity be involved actively in research partnerships or to make extensive use of the results. Efforts to increase teacher research or action research run into problems of time and research background among teachers. Many user organizations—for example, schools, adult learning organizations or individual employers—are small and lack with training or skill in research. (p. 10)

23. Teachers’ professional role
Is teaching and teachers’ work more a craft in which teachers are expected to follow “teacher-proof” curricula and standards that authorities have defined in detail, or are teachers open to exploring new questions?
Many researchers (e.g., Darling-Hammond, 2010; Hargreaves, 1994; Hargreaves, 2000; Oser, 1994; Schön, 1991; Tabachnick & Ziechner, 1991) emphasize a broad view of teachers’ professional role in schools and society as a whole.

24. Commission of the European Communities (2007, p. 14)
The European Union’s recommendations for basic principles of teaching and teachers’ work emphasize teachers role as knowledge creators
Teachers have a responsibility to develop new knowledge about education and training:
– continue to reflect on their practice in a systematic way;
– undertake classroom-based research;
– incorporate into their teaching the results of classroom and academic research;
– evaluate the effectiveness of their teaching strategies and amend them accordingly; and
– assess their own training needs.

25. Hannele Niemi & Anne Nevgi: Research studies and active learning promoting professional competences in Finnish teacher education
Teaching and Teacher Education journal (Volume 43, October 2014, Pages 131–142).
Link to the article:

26. Designing own instruction
Cooperation – teachers working with others
Ethical commitments in teaching profession
Diversity of pupils and preparing them for the future
Teachers’ own professional learning
TEACHER EDUCATION
FOR WIDE PROFESSIONAL
ROLE

27. Active Learning Experiences Instrument
Based on theories that consider learning a constructivist, self-regulative, and collaborative processes.
It consisted of 20 items comprising one scale.
The items described active learning experiences according to the following themes: independent inquiry, structuring and restructuring of knowledge, problem-solving, critical orientation in studies, and the evaluation of knowledge.
The scale: 1 = almost never, 2 = once or twice in a year, 3 = about once in a month, 4 = about once in a week, and 5 = nearly daily.  

32. As a summary of the regression analysis, we may conclude that research studies in TE have clear predictive value in terms of student teachers’ professional competences, and have a particular effect on their own professional learning.
However, the effects are much higher if students also have active learning experiences in their studies. We can conclude that research studies and active learning reinforce each other and together facilitate students’ growth in professional competences.

35. High value of research studies—high professional competences
The open-ended responses emphasized the quality of guidance and supervision.
The students stressed the importance of clear objectives, well-communicated working methods, and comprehensive support for their research from research supervisors
They criticized incompetent supervisors who did not have a clear idea of research studies, as well as the timing of studies that require more thought.
“Topic interesting. Teachers/supervisors have been incompetent, at least in my case. It is difficult if a student does not know what should be done.” (178)
“The course should be implemented in another way.” (45)

36. Excellent value of research studies—excellent professional competences (n=48)
The main message of this group’s responses was that these studies are really needed for the teaching profession and they are an important part of TE.
“It is a sum of many small factors, e.g. a theme was the freedom to select a topic in a reasonable range, and I found a topic in which I really became interested, a theme of my research thesis was really linked with my career choice, learning and teaching (unlike my pure Math subject matter research), a supervisor who was able to give me freedom and advices, demand and give space and certainly a peer researcher with whom cooperation went unbelievable easily (smoothly) and without problems.” (50)
“ I feel that research studies are the important part of my TE…. I believe that research studies also support to shape my own thinking of educational philosophy”

37. Low value of research—low professional competences
The third-largest group (n = 42) exhibited the lowest-level values in professional competences and few active learning experiences. They did not see relevance of the research studies, particularly research for their profession.
“ too many research studies and they were separate from other studies”
The emphasized that teaching is quite practical and they enjoy practice and would like to learn more in this vein.
“It feels like a tease that basics of research work are still taught separately in pedagogical studies. These studies should introduce recent research. To do own study is too much.” (78)
“ I would hope that more lesson hours would be transferred from research studies to pedagogical subject matter pedagogy.” (238)

38. Intermediate value of general research but low value of research for profession capacity—good professional competences
The smallest group (n = 35) was slightly contradictory. Members in this group had high levels of competences, and intermediate active learning, but they did not have good experiences related to research studies and had the lowest values in Research for Profession.
The main message: research studies took too much time and work and they would like to have better supervisors for research studies.
“Research studies are useful for developing one’s own thinking. However, in my case it happened that supervision was incompetent, which certainly decreases one’s engagement with research. To get deeply in touch with a topic, good supervision is required.” (43)

39. The quality of research studies is important
How the studies have been constructed and implemented.
Practical elements of research studies such as timing and credits.
Pedagogy: how to integrate research studies with other elements of TE, particularly with academic subject studies and classroom practices
Authentic experiences with research studies as part of their own professional learning: They need freedom and support.
The role of a research supervisor is crucial as s/he must understand teachers’ professional development, make studies pedagogically meaningful, and clarify the objectives and criteria of these studies.

40. Research studies: research methods, BA+MA seminars, own authentic study, part of research projects
Student teachers regard research studies as an important part of their education.
Research studies promote student’ professional development
Active learning experiences reinforce the positive effect.
Research studies should be integrated with other parts of teacher education
(Niemi & Nevgi 2014)

41. Thank you very much!
Hannele Niemi Professor of Education University of Helsinki,
P.O. Box 9, University of Helsinki, Finland, phone (int.)
iemi/