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

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

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

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Digisti duuniin? : Digitaalisen työnhakupalvelun mahdollisuudet osana nuorten työllistymisen tukemista. Case Vantaan työttömät nuoret.

Opinnäytetyön tarkoituksena ja tavoitteena oli selvittää nuorten työllistymisen taustalla olevia haasteita ja nykytilaa sekä kartoittaa digitaalisen työnhakupalvelun mahdollisuutta olla yhtenä vaihtoehtona tukemassa ja helpottamassa nuorten työllistymistä. Lisäksi selvitettiin digitaaliselta työnhakupalvelulta toivottavia ominaisuuksia ja julkisen sektorin sekä nuorten itsensä maksuhalukkuutta tällaista palvelua kohtaan. Nuorisotakuu-järjestelmästä johtuen kunnilla on alle 30-vuotiaiden rekrytointivelvoite, joten nuorten työllistyminen on yhteiskuntamme erityisessä intressissä. Tämän vuoksi tarkasteltavaksi valittiin kasvavan Vantaan alueen työttömät nuoret. Työ toteutettiin laadullisena tapaustutkimuksena. Sen yksittäisenä tapauksena oli nuorten työllistymisen haasteet ja digitaalisen työnhakupalvelun nuorten työllistymiselle mahdollisesti tarjoama tuki. Työ rajattiin koskemaan Vantaan aluetta ja sen työttömiä nuoria. Tiedonkeruumenetelmänä käytettiin teemahaastattelua. Tutkimuksessa haastateltiin sekä Vantaan alueen työttömiä nuoria, että heidän parissaan työskenteleviä Vantaan kaupungin julkisen sektorin asiantuntijoita. Teoreettinen viitekehys koostuu nuorisotyöttömyyden määrittelystä ja nykytilasta sekä syrjäytymisen pohdinnasta osana nuorten työllistymisen haasteita. Lisäksi työssä on tarkasteltu digitaalisuutta osana nykyaikaa ja nykynuorten elämää, ja avattu digitaalisten palvelujen käyttäjäkeskeistä suunnittelua erityisesti Lean Startup –ajattelun näkökulmasta. Tutkimuksella saatiin sekä konkreettisia ehdotuksia nuorten työllistymisen helpottamiseksi, että näkemyksiä ja ajatuksia digitaalisen työnhakupalvelun tarpeellisuudesta, käytöstä ja kehittämisestä. Saadut tulokset koostettiin tekstin ohella työn loppupuolelle kahteen visuaaliseen infografiin ja Lean Canvas -mallin niihin osioihin, jotka käsittelevät ratkaisua ja tulovirtoja. Tutkimustulosten mukaan työelämän vaatimukset nuoria työntekijöitä kohtaan ovat lähivuosina tiukentuneet. Täytyy olla koulutusta ja työkokemusta, omata sosiaalisia taitoja ja kyetä pitämään osaamistaan jatkuvasti yllä. Nuorten työnhakutaidoissa on parantamisen varaa, mutta myös työelämätaitoja pitäisi päästä enemmän harjoittelemaan jo aivan peruskoulussa. Työvoimapolitiikassa kannustimet toisivat parempaa tulosta kuin sanktiot ja moninaisen byrokratian ja päällekkäisten toimintojen karsinta olisi tarpeen. Tämän päivän nuoret kaipaavat alati digitalisoituvassa maailmassa edelleen henkilökohtaista ja yksilöllistä tukea. Digitaaliset palvelut eivät saa nuorilta varauksetonta suosiota. Digitalisaation rinnalla olisikin säilytettävä mahdollisuus henkilökohtaiseen kontaktiin ja palveluun, eikä tulisi siirtää esimerkiksi julkisten viranomaispalvelujen saatavuutta ainoastaan internetiin. Pelkällä digitalisaatiolla ei siis voida ratkaista nuorten työllistymisongelmaa, mutta digitalisaatio voi toimia yhtenä hyvänä ja nykyaikaisena keinona muiden keinojen joukossa. Asiasanat: nuorisotyöttömyys, syrjäytyminen, nuorisotakuu, diginatiivit, digitaalisuus, digitaaliset palvelut, Lean Startup –ajattelu, Lean Canvas –malliThe purpose of the thesis was to find out challenges and the current state of young people’s employment. This thesis also aimed to find out if a digital job search service could be one of the alternatives that could support and help young people’s employment. In addition, the aim was to find out desirable features of the digital job search service and the willingness of the public sector and the young to pay for it. Because of the Youth Guarantee system, the municipalities have an employment obligation concerning young people under 30 years old. Thus, young people’s employment is of special interest to our society. Due to this, a group of unemployed youth was selected for consideration from the growing Vantaa region. The research method was a qualitative case study. The case was the challenges concerning young people’s employment and and the possibility of supporting it with a digital job search service. The thesis was delimited to cover the Vantaa region and its unemployed youth. The material was collected by theme interviews. The interviews took place with unemployed young people in the Vantaa region and with public sector specialists of the City of Vantaa who work with young people. The theoretical framework consists of literature concerning the definition and the current state of youth unemployment, and also about thinking of exclusion as a part of the challenges concerning young people’s employment. In addition, the theoretical part is based on material related to digitalization as a part of the present and the life of young people today. There is also information about user-centric design of digital services especially from the perspective of the Lean Startup method. The study brought forth both concrete thoughts, ideas and suggestions on how to ease youth employment as well as the significance, usage and development of a digital job search service. Alongside text, the results were presented with two visual infographs and the parts of the Lean Canvas model that concern solutions and revenue streams. According to the results, demands of the working life towards young workers have become more and more pronounced in the past few years. One should have education, work experience, social skills and the ability to maintain know-how but also be able to learn new things continually. There is a need for improving young people’s job search skills, but skills concerning working life should also be practised more already in primary school. In labor policy, incentives would bring better results than sanctions, and also elimination of multifaceted bureaucracy and multiple functions would be necessary. Today's young people still miss personal and individual support despite the continuing digitalization of the world. Digital services do not receive unreserved popularity from the young. Alongside digitalization, an opportunity for personal contact and service should be retained, and for example public authority services cannot be made available only online. Problems concerning young people’s employment cannot be solved by digitalization alone, but it can act as one good and modern tool among others. Keywords: Youth Unemployment, Exclusion, Youth Guarantee, Digi-natives, Digitalization, Digital Services, Lean Startup method, Lean Canvas mode

Approaches to student evaluation in invention pedagogy

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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

Crossing Classroom Boundaries in Science Teaching and Learning through the Use of Smartphones

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