Governance decentralisation in education : Finnish innovation in education

This paper introduces a Finnish education innovation known as decentralisation in education. The innovation is described based on education policy documents, research papers and two short interviews with national and municipality experts in curriculum design. In a decentralised education system local providers of education (municipalities) and teachers play important roles in the preparation of local curriculum and learning environments, including the use of digital learning tools and environments. Education providers localise the national aims and content and describe how education is organised. Classroom-based assessment is another characteristic of decentralisation. Three preconditions are required for a decentralised education system to be effective: 1) common, national level, long-term strategic aims and must be established and local level plans, such as curriculum and an equity plan, must be developed and the implemented, 2) quality work, student assessment, continuous improvement of learning environments and practices implemented at the local level and 3) professional teachers must collaborate and engage in broad planning and assess their teaching abilities and their students’ learning outcomes.Peer reviewe

Educating Professional Teachers in Finland through the Continuous Improvement of Teacher Education Programmes

The purpose of this chapter is to explore and analyze the kind of knowledge curriculum integration required of teachers and how teacher education should be developed to prepare teachers better for curriculum integration. The chapter is organized as follows: First, the concept of curriculum integration (CI) is briefly introduced in the context of the Finnish curriculum for comprehensive schools. Then Lee Shulman’s theory of teachers’ knowledge is discussed and applied to the framework of CI to identify the challenges teachers may face in implementing CI. Finally, implications for teacher education are suggested based on the current challenges identified in the Finnish context.The chapter analyses teacher professionalism and how professional teachers are educated in Finland and will be educated in future. Second, successes and challenges in the Finnish educational context and the role of teachers in education are discussed. The third section examines shortly primary and secondary teacher education at the University of Helsinki as an example of a teacher education programme in Finland. The main topic concerns how Finnish teacher education is aimed to be improved through broad-based collaboration. The Minister of Education nominated 100 experts from universities, the ministry, the teachers’ union, student unions and municipal union to a Finnish Teacher Education Forum and asked them to analyse research outcomes related to teacher education, to identify best practices based on teacher education strategies and policy documents in other countries, organise a national brainstorming process related to the renewal of teacher education and, inally, prepare a Development Programme for Teachers’ Pre- and In-service Education (life-long professional development) in Finland. Furthermore, the forum was asked to identify key actions to undertake to improve teacher education and support the implementation of the development programme, and also to create the conditions through inancing pilot projects and organising meetings for the renewal of Finnish teacher education through professional development projectsPeer reviewe

Educating professional teachers through the master’s level teacher education programme in Finland

INTRODUCTION. Teacher professionalism is discussed in contexts of the international research literature and the Finnish education system. Important issues such as the PISA test are useful to analyse the Finnish education system from an education policy perspective. METHOD. A short general overview of teacher professionalism research is presented and the Finnish educational context and the role of teachers are discussed. Teacher education—that is, how student teachers become professionals in curriculum design and instructional and assessment methodologies— is also analysed. RESULTS. Teacher professionalism in the Finnish context means a versatile knowledge base, collaboration and networking skills, competence for life-long-learning and, moreover, an ability to use these potentials innovatively in order to act effectively. Several reasons explain how teacher professionalism is in Finland: The reforms made in the education system in the 1980s; the way Finnish teachers are prepared to have a broad view of the competences that are needed to learn in the 21st century; and a culture of trust regarding the way teachers ensure the learning process of their students. DISCUSSION. Finnish teachers plan and implement teaching and assess their own teaching, students’ learning and learning outcomes, collaborate with other teachers and society and, additionally, continuously develop their teaching profession within the whole school context. Teachers have a big responsibility concerning the way their students learn, but at the same time teachers can develop their own autonomy in designing the curriculum, using instructional strategies and assessment methods.Peer reviewe

CLIMATE EDUCATION : A GRAND CHALLENGE

Non peer reviewe

A New Wave of Learning in Finland : Get Started with Innovation!

Peer reviewe

Towards Twenty-First Century Education : Success Factors, Challenges, and the Renewal of Finnish Education

Peer reviewe

Approaches to student evaluation in invention pedagogy

Peer reviewe

Technological pedagogical content knowledge of primary school science teachers during the COVID-19 in Thailand and Finland

Technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) is important for teaching science during the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper investigates the TPACK of Finnish and Thai primary school teachers in the context of teaching science through blended learning (BL) during the COVID-19. 11 teachers from Finland and Thailand were interviewed. The interview data were examined using deductive content analysis. The analysis revealed that all teachers used educational technology in their online classes in terms of providing the lesson content, learning activities, and the students’ learning assessment. Zoom and MS Teams were the tools used for online teaching in both countries. The main teaching method used in both types of instruction was experimentation. For online instruction, most teachers considered educational technology in every step of the teaching process to enhance students’ learning of science as much as possible. Many types of direct and technology-mediated interaction appeared during BL, especially during online teaching, which could be designed and analyzed in the context of the TPACK model.Peer reviewe

How Finnish teachers are encouraged to adopt information and communication technology

The aim of this reflective paper is to analyse how Finnish teachers are encouraged to adopt the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in teaching and learning. The paper is based on our research group experiences. First, a Finnish education context and a Finnish school model are introduced. Second, different approaches, like strategy-based development and pre- and in-service teacher education approaches in the context of ICT use, are discussed. Finally, the outcomes of 25 years of development of ICT use in education are briefly evaluated. Most examples are presented in the context of science education

Experiences of Moving Quickly to Distance Teaching and Learning at All Levels of Education in Finland

Abstract In this chapter, the teaching and learning in Finnish compulsory education during the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring and autumn terms of 2020 will be analyzed and discussed. First, preconditions, such as teacher and student digicompetences and digi-infrastructure for switching to distance teaching and learning, will be analyzed. Second, the organization and experiences of teaching and learning during this time are described based on representative surveys conducted during and after the spring 2020 distance teaching period. Finally, teachers’, principals’ and students’ engagement and well-being during the pandemic will be analyzed based on survey data. Preconditions for organizing effective distance teaching and learning during the 2020 spring term were appropriate teacher and student digi-competences and digi-infrastructure and availability of digi-tools. During the pandemic, teachers’ digi-pedagogy and students’ digi-competences developed. Moreover, several digipedagogy and co-teaching innovations were created. However, at the student level, we identified decreased engagement during the pandemic, and at the teacher and principal levels, we identified not only decreased engagement but also increased stress and even burnout. Principals suffered from teachers’ stress, whereas teachers suffered from families’ inequality in coping with distance learning. All in all, the switch to distance teaching and learning was organized effectively, but the distance-learning period weakened the equality of teaching and the conditions for learning.Peer reviewe