Finnish teachers’ professionalism is built in teacher education and supported by school site

Lavonen, J., Korhonen, T., & Juuti, K. (2015). Finnish teachers’ professionalism is built in teacher education and supported by school site. The Hungarian Educational Research Journal, 5(1). http://herj.lib.unideb.hu/megjelent/html/56152b05d8821 This paper introduces and analyses education of professional teachers and support of school site to this professionalism in Finnish education context. First, the aims and content of teacher education is analysed and discussed. Three main areas, crucial to the professionalism of teachers were recognised to be: teachers’ knowledge base, their willingness and skill to collaboration and partnership and, moreover, willingness and skillto life-long-learning. Second, the school site support to teacher professionalism is analysed theoretically and empirically and discussed. Versatile leadership, teachers’ professionalism, meaningful learning, versatile physical and virtual learning environments and, moreover, the versatile use of networks and partnerships of the school were recognised as important for teacher professionalism.Peer reviewe

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

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Primary school teachers’ interviews regarding pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and general pedagogical knowledge (GPK)

Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) and General Pedagogical Knowledge (GPK) are fundamental types of knowledge for a teacher that he or she must use in order to plan, teach in the classroom, and assess students’ learning outcomes. This paper investigates experienced primary school teachers’ PCK and GPK while teaching science in Finland and in Thailand. Teachers’ interview data were analysed by using deductive and inductive content analysis. The analysis units were analysed according to the categories and sub-categories of PCK and GPK. In addition, the frequencies of all PCK and GPK sub-categories were counted and presented by country. The analysis revealed that the Finnish teachers had flexibility in their teaching: they did not have specific techniques with which to handle students; the techniques used depend on the situations occurring at the moment. There were no strict rules for student discipline in the class. They emphasised the teaching of concepts through textbook and computer materials. In Thailand, the teachers emphasised the teaching and learning of procedural knowledge and consequently used experimentation, along with authentic materials in the lab. There were student discipline problems in the classroom; therefore, rules were set up to cope with those problems.Peer reviewe

A comparative analysis of PISA scientific literacy framework in Finnish and Thai science curricula

A curriculum is a master plan that regulates teaching and learning. This paper compares Finnish and Thai primary school level science curricula to the PISA 2006 Scientific Literacy Framework. Curriculum comparison was made following the procedure of deductive content analysis. In the analysis, there were four main categories adopted from PISA framework: (1) knowledge of science (content knowledge), (2) knowledge about science, (3) competences, and (4) contexts. The analysis revealed that the Thai curriculum was more similar to the PISA framework than was the Finnish curriculum. The Thai curriculum emphasizes the scientific process and the Finnish curriculum the concepts and contexts in which these concepts meet, rather than the process.Peer reviewe

Overcoming Learning Difficulties with Smartphones in an Inclusive Primary Science Class

This paper examines how pupils with learning difficulties (LDs) used smartphones as supportive learning tools in an inclusive science class and how the usage developed over a two-year period. The case study was conducted in a Finnish primary school, where nine LD pupils’ smartphone usage was followed in three science learning practices that supported LDs. The data consisted of repeated smartphone questionnaires, interviews, learning outcomes, and teachers’ memoranda. The content and co-occurrence network analysis revealed that the smartphone usage varied in different practices, and its benefits developed gradually during the research period. Research highlights that teachers’ and pupils’ engagement with a dedicated, collaborative, and long-lasting process of smartphone usage in teaching and learning enables the achievement of change.Peer reviewe

Fostering pre-service teachers’ motivation-related practical wisdom through a mentoring procedure

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Maker-keskeinen projektioppiminen inklusiivisessa luokassa: Oppilaiden aktiivisen osallistumisen tukeminen opettajajohtoisilla reflektiivisillä keskusteluilla.

Supporting students' active participation in maker-centered project-based learning (PBL) can be challenging in inclusive classes. The aim of this study was to support students' active participation in cooperative team via teacher-directed reflective discussions during an inclusive, maker-centered PBL unit. The study was conducted during the students' final year of primary school. In the context of 44 students' inclusive class, the study focused on a team of 11 students (4 girls, 7 boys; aged 12 - 13 years) who worked in pairs and had their own differentiated responsibility areas (e.g. interior designers had interior design and lighting responsibilities) in the construction of a scale-model house. Because students in PBL need support in their learning, reflective discussions were organized after each lesson to ensure students' participation. Reflective discussions were video recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using a content and co-occurrence network analysis. The analysis revealed that teacher-directed reflective discussions first focused on supporting the cooperation of all students and then ensured the continuity of the process with most of the pairs. Some pairs, consisting of students with learning difficulties, needed intensified support until they could actively participate. The results indicate that teacher-directed reflective discussions improve students' cooperation skills and promote participation. A carefully prepared group composition enables the teacher to give intensified support to those students who need it most. In light of the results, we recommend that teachers focus on group composition when preparing inclusive, maker-centered PBL projects and use reflective discussions during said projects to promote inclusion and support students' active participation.Peer reviewe

Interest in Dialogic and Non-Dialogic Teacher Talk Situations in Middle School Science Classroom

Previous research has shown that dialogic teacher talk not only supports students' understanding but also raises their interest. However, there is little, if any, research on the connection between dialogic talk and student interest in classroom situations. To investigate this connection, we collected video observations and experience sampling data. In total, 87 middle school students aged 14 to 16 participated in the study. Data were collected from the classes of six science teachers, and three lessons were video recorded in each teacher's classroom. During the lessons, students were asked several times to express their interest in the situation through the experience sampling method (ESM). The measurements took place in situations where the teacher either talked with the students or talked to the whole group of students. The talk situations were categorised as dialogic or non-dialogic, based on the video recording. On a five-point scale of interest, the median value was 3.3 in non-dialogic talk situations and 3.5 in dialogic talk situations. We hypothesised that students' interest would be higher in dialogic talk situations than in non-dialogic talk situations. The hypothesis was tested with a related samples Wilcoxon signed rank test, and the results supported the hypothesis (Z = - 2.62;p <0.05). The results suggest that dialogic talk may trigger students' interest in science learning.Peer reviewe

Finland, A Package Deal: Disciplinary Climate in Science Classes, Science Dispositions and Science Literacy

Finland’s educational prowess, though tempered by recent international assessments, has remained intact. This report focused on lessons that could be learned regarding secondary-level science education from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2015, science-focused assessment. That PISA iteration included not only science literacy but also students’ science dispositions (epistemology, enjoyment, interest, and self-efficacy) and the schools’ science climate measures (disciplinary climate and teaching support). Due to the hierarchical nature of the PISA data, multilevel models were employed in this Finnish study, involving 5582 students from 167 schools. Science dispositions (as outcome measures) were differently associated with teaching support and disciplinary climate (epistemology with neither; enjoyment and interest, with both). Science literacy (as an outcome measure) was associated with all four science dispositions, whether modeled with each science disposition separately or all four simultaneously. Science literacy was also associated with the disciplinary climate in science classes for all tested models. We concluded that, in the Finnish context, science dispositions and the disciplinary climate were predictive of science literacy. Furthermore, we presented evidence from the literature indicating that these conclusions may well extend to other international contexts