Itsenäinen osaamisalue vai kaikkien taitojen äiti:reflektiivisyyden merkitys opettajan osaamiselle

Abstrakti Reflektio on keskeinen opettajan oppimisen edesauttaja. Tämän tutkimuksen lähtökohtana on havaintomme, että opettajankoulutuksessa reflektiota tarkastellaan usein pelkkänä ammatillisen kehittymisen välineenä, jonka avulla opettaja kehittää työtään ja itseään opettajana. Määritelmä ei kuitenkaan anna tarkkaa kuvaa siitä, kuinka reflektio kytkeytyy opettajan laaja-alaiseen osaamiseen ja miten reflektiotaito kehittyy osana osaamista. Artikkelissamme käsittelemme reflektiivisyyttä tarkastelemalla moniulotteista opettajan osaamisen prosessimallia (MAP). Tavoitteena on tutkia reflektion suhdetta MAP-mallin opettajan osaamisalueisiin. Analyysissa tarkastelemme MAP-mallin perustana olevaa kirjallisuutta kahden reflektiomallin näkökulmasta: Mezirowin transformatiivisen oppimisen teorian sekä Korthagenin holistisen lähestymistavan. Tutkimustulostemme mukaan reflektio kytkeytyy opettajan kaikkiin osaamisalueisiin tilannesidonnaisten taitojen (havaitseminen, tulkinta, päätöksenteko) sekä ammatillisten käytäntöjen kautta. Havaitsimme myös, että analysoimamme aineiston reflektiokuvauksista puuttui lähes kokonaan Mezirowin kriittisen reflektion taso, mutta Korthagenin malli oli aineistossa laajasti edustettuna. Tulkintamme mukaan reflektio voidaan ymmärtää itsenäisenä osaamisalueena, jonka kehittymistä tulee tukea. Tutkimus ottaa kantaa, mitä tämä tarkoittaa MAP-mallin ja opettajankoulutuksen kehittämisen kannalta

Authentic assessment as a support for student teachers’ reflection

Abstract Assessment and feedback guide learning. In light of this, the assessment practices of teacher education have received little research. This qualitative study examines student teachers’ discussions in a study unit built on authentic assessment practices: self- and peer assessment of videotapes from authentic performance with research-based rubrics. The aim is to investigate whether authentic assessment supports student teachers’ reflection and, if so, how. The findings show that authentic assessment led students frequently to reflection, and in most cases reflective discussions were induced by students’ self-criticism. We deduced that the encouraging feedback culture between students and between students and the teacher enabled students to be open about their self-critical observations. According to the findings, building a study unit on authentic assessment is a promising way to guide students to reflect on theory and practice and to learn skills that are essential for their future profession

Experiences of remote teaching, technological pedagogical competencies and workload of teachers in northern Finland during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract In this study, we examine the experiences of teachers, particularly in relation to their remote teaching competencies, in the county of Lapland, North Finland, during the COVID-19 pandemic, as they face new pedagogical challenges in remote teaching. To identify the teachers’ competency needs in remote teaching, the study uses questionnaire data (N=164) collected from primary, secondary and upper secondary school teachers. The results of the systematic representative survey study are analysed using the technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) model to investigate the preconditions for and challenges in implementing remote teaching in terms of teachers’ competencies. The participants’ responses indicate that different municipalities prepared for remote teaching and learning in quite diverse ways. Some municipalities lacked the necessary tools for remote learning, and the workload increase and job satisfaction experienced by teachers were related to the digital tools provided by their employers. The development of teachers’ diverse competencies is pivotal in teacher education and in-service teacher training so that they can acquire the ability to take initiative and function well in diverse and changing educational contexts. This study outlines the dimensions of teachers’ technological pedagogical competencies that were further developed from the TPACK framework

Pohjois-Suomen opettajien kokemuksia etäopetuksesta, teknologis-pedagogisesta osaamisesta sekä työn kuormittavuudesta COVID-19 pandemian aikana

Tiivistelmä Tässä artikkelissa tarkastelemme Lapin alueen opettajien etäopetukseen liittyviä kokemuksia COVID-19 -pandemian aikana. Opettajien etäopetuksen osaamistarpeiden tunnistamiseksi tutkimuksessa hyödynnetään kyselyaineistoa (N=164), joka on kerätty perusasteen ja toisen asteen opettajilta aikana, jolloin opettajat kohtasivat uusia pedagogisia haasteita etäopetukseen liittyen. Tutkimuksen tuloksia reflektoidaan teknologis-pedagogis-sisällöllisen tietämyksen mallin (TPACK) valossa. Tavoitteena on selvittää etäopetuksen toteuttamisen edellytyksiä ja haasteita opettajien osaamisen kannalta. Opettajien vastauksista voidaan päätellä, että kunnat olivat varautuneet etäopetukseen varsin eri tavoin. Joistakin kunnista etäopetuksen mahdollistavat työvälineet puuttuivat kokonaan. Opettajien työmäärän lisääntyminen ja heidän kokema työtyytyväisyys olivat yhteydessä käytössä olleisiin työnantajan antamiin digitaalisiin työvälineisiin. Opettajan perus- ja täydennyskoulutuksessa tulisi kiinnittää huomiota opettajien monipuolisen teknologis-pedagogista osaamisen kehittämiseen, jotta opettajat pystyvät toimimaan aktiivisesti erilaisissa muuttuvissa opetus- ja oppimiskonteksteissa. Tutkimus selventää opettajien teknologis-pedagogisen osaamisen ulottuvuuksia, joita kehitettiin edelleen TPACK-mallin pohjalta

A transnational comparative study of teachers’ experiences of remote teaching and learning during COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract This article presents the findings of an international comparative multiple-case study that examined the sudden change from classroom to remote online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study specifically explored the experiences of teachers in Northern Finland, England, and Norway to provide new information about the education situation and to guide the description of the areas that should guide the education of future teachers. The data were collected in three different ways in three different contexts: via an online survey of in-service teachers in Lapland, Finland (N = 164), and through different semi-structured interviews with teachers in England (N = 20) and Northern Norway (N = 30). The data analysis was conducted in two phases. The first phase focused on teachers’ experiences in teaching and learning and the second phase on teachers’ challenges. The results voice the teachers’ desire for more education on online pedagogy and practicals, the pedagogical use of technology, and the significance of teacher collaboration. The findings can be used for the development of teacher education to ensure the dynamic digitalization of future teacher education programmes and policies

Professional educators in the Circumpolar North:a model for the digital competence of future teachers

Abstract This article is based on a study that considers future teachers’ digital competencies in the Arctic education context with special attention to the necessary cultural and contextual dimensions of teachers’ work. This study explored the professional competencies teachers require when teaching diverse and multicultural pupils in the Circumpolar North drawing on the multiple affordances offered by the digital world. Previous research draws attention to specific teaching and teacher competencies required for rural schools in the Circumpolar North considering the unique assets and characteristics of rural places in this region. This study presents a model of Digital Competence for Future Teachers (DCFT) that illustrates the competencies required by teachers in rural schools in the Arctic. Within the proposed model, four types of digital knowledge-based competencies necessary for holistic education were identified: techno-cultural, intercultural, self-cultural, and micro-cultural. The model was created through a process of analysis of existing models of teachers’ digital competencies: MAP-, TPACK- and PEAT-models which are then reflected on the findings of an earlier international comparative multiple-case study by the same authors examining the sudden change to remote online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Cultural Competence for Equity and Inclusion (CCEI) framework. Although the presented study focused on the Circumpolar North, the findings have implications for teacher education and policy production more widely in national and international educational environments

Rare loss-of-function variants in SETD1A are associated with schizophrenia and developmental disorders.

By analyzing the whole-exome sequences of 4,264 schizophrenia cases, 9,343 controls and 1,077 trios, we identified a genome-wide significant association between rare loss-of-function (LoF) variants in SETD1A and risk for schizophrenia (P = 3.3 × 10(-9)). We found only two heterozygous LoF variants in 45,376 exomes from individuals without a neuropsychiatric diagnosis, indicating that SETD1A is substantially depleted of LoF variants in the general population. Seven of the ten individuals with schizophrenia carrying SETD1A LoF variants also had learning difficulties. We further identified four SETD1A LoF carriers among 4,281 children with severe developmental disorders and two more carriers in an independent sample of 5,720 Finnish exomes, both with notable neuropsychiatric phenotypes. Together, our observations indicate that LoF variants in SETD1A cause a range of neurodevelopmental disorders, including schizophrenia. Combining these data with previous common variant evidence, we suggest that epigenetic dysregulation, specifically in the histone H3K4 methylation pathway, is an important mechanism in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia

Rare loss-of-function variants in SETD1A are associated with schizophrenia and developmental disorders

By analyzing the whole-exome sequences of 4,264 schizophrenia cases, 9,343 controls and 1,077 trios, we identified a genome-wide significant association between rare loss-of-function (LoF) variants in SETD1A and risk for schizophrenia (P = 3.3 × 10−9). We found only two heterozygous LoF variants in 45,376 exomes from individuals without a neuropsychiatric diagnosis, indicating that SETD1A is substantially depleted of LoF variants in the general population. Seven of the ten individuals with schizophrenia carrying SETD1A LoF variants also had learning difficulties. We further identified four SETD1A LoF carriers among 4,281 children with severe developmental disorders and two more carriers in an independent sample of 5,720 Finnish exomes, both with notable neuropsychiatric phenotypes. Together, our observations indicate that LoF variants in SETD1A cause a range of neurodevelopmental disorders, including schizophrenia. Combining these data with previous common variant evidence, we suggest that epigenetic dysregulation, specifically in the histone H3K4 methylation pathway, is an important mechanism in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia