The Finnish Education For All- an example of possible models for solving the educational

puzzle

HSE - Yaroslavl' ForumSession: Models of Teacher Training and Upgrading

Jarkko HautamäkiCentre for Educational Assessment, Department of Teacher

EducationUniversity of Helsinki, Finland

22.4.2014

Educational Puzzle to be Solved

CodaThe educational goal is to develop children who not only honor the rules and norms of the society but who are able to use these rules to promise themselves what they will do, to plan ahead, to delay gratification and work towards their goals and to meet their obligations. In so doing they move from being controlled by others to controlling themselves, the vaunted goal of education. (David Olson)

To begin - two ways to look on schooling as

a solution to variances /differences between students

Model of Schooling 1st step

Coverage: % of the relevant age cohorthistorical expansion from 1 % to 100 %;

how to organise education for ALLusing (comprehensive vs. selective)

models for schooling

Historical expansion of education from a class-based priviledge to the right of

citizens

Model of Schooling – 2nd stephow to tacklethe variation ofpupils & to solvematching (demands/competence)

Content: the level ofthe knowlegdeand skills

Defined via curriculum goals &leaving credentials & links to further education

What the civil and

economic activities require:Our best quess!

Model of Schooling – the moral issue

Coverage: using models for schooling

Content: if the level is fixed to a ≈high level, does this mean that all should attain this very level?

if YES, we have an educational problem,if NO, we have a moral problem

How to tacklethe variation ofpupils

The moral obligationWhen education is a universal benefit, and the future requires competent adults with good education, then the school has a moral obligation to support everyone to learnBut pupils have also the obligation to try to learn and to learn to commit oneself to studies

How we in Finland have solved this educational puzzle?

And are we satisfied with the results, so far?

The Finnish Education System• Basic education still mostly divided to two

separate entities of grades 1–6 and grades 7-9

• Age-cohort 60 000, together 540 000 students

• About 3000 schools• Average expenses 7000 e/student

• c. 40 000 teachers in basic education

• c. 5500 special teachers (=14 %)

PISA assessmentpoint/position

Educational Equity Account in Finland (PISA 2006 data, Hautamäki & al, 2008)

Factor Cognitive outcomes Interpretation

Regional No difference Regional balance is achieved

Urban/rural Urban M > rural M Real, but so far small differences, monitoring in needed

Parents’ education Higher means for students with better educated parents

Debates and further analyses still needed; a complex issue!

Finnish/Swedish Finnish > Swedish Need to be analysed even if the diffs were same in PISA 00 and 03

Immigrants Natives > immigrants Need to be monitored reading habits?

Gender Girls > boys Level diff is modest; balance diff is large

Assessment of teachers

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Finnishtrends

Opposite trends (an example)

Qualification Master degree Teachers in US apply to the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (use of portfolio, videotaped lesson, …)

Standards for teachers

No standards Australian professional standards for teachers

Assessment (appraisal)

Self-assessment and development discussions with the headmaster

External appraisal and writing of evaluation sheets (S. Korea)

Inspectors No-inspectors Heavy inspection in UK

Testing No-national testing

Teachers are valued based on their students’ success in national tests

Teacher EducationA. Basic training

B. Inservice training

Selection

Practice & Theory

Initial Mentoring

Prevention of Burn-

Out

Dialog old/new

But there is no way, for any educational systems, to manage without well-trained and committed teachers, and systemic solutions to train them and to have a well-functioning inservice training.

But these systems are historically given; but have to change as well – taking their time.

Brief history of teacher training 1852 Professor in Education, the first of its kind in the Nordic countries, is established at the University of Helsinki.

1863 Finland’s first teacher training seminar 1864 Helsingin normaalilyseo school for teacher training (boys) 1869 Finnish girls school in Helsinki for teacher training (girls)

1947 The Helsinki Teacher Education College is founded. The college is dedicated to educating class teachers.

1974 Teacher education in the whole of Finland is transferred to universities and higher education institutions.

1979 Class teacher education becomes an academic discipline master level at the universities

The Finnish Education System since 1968/1972

• Basic education still mostly divided to two separate entities of grades 1–6 and grades 7-9

• Age-cohort 60 000, together 540 000 students

• About 3000 schools• Average expenses 7000 e/student

• c. 40 000 teachers in basic education

• c. 5500 special teachers (=14 %)

PISA assessmentpoint/position

Curriculum: contents, details, control: degrees of freedom

Teachers’ competence and ideas of teaching the subjects: rules, duties, obligations

Curriculum: contents, details, control: degrees of freedom

Teachers’ competence and ideas of teaching the subjects: rules, duties, obligations; layered corpus

Adaptive balancing

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Finnish Teacher Education Development Programme (2002): The teacher education programmes should help students to acquire:

• high-level subject knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge, and knowledge about nature of knowledge,

• social skills, like communication skills; skill to cooperate with other teachers,

• moral knowledge and skills, like social and moral code of the teaching profession,

• knowledge about school as an institute and its connections to the society (school community and partners, local contexts and stakeholders),

• skills needed in developing one’s own teaching and the teaching profession.

• academic skills, like research skills; skills to use ICT, skills needed in processes of developing a curricula,

• ….

high

qua

lity

prof

esio

nalis

mpa

rtne

rshi

plif

e-lo

ng-

lear

ning

The main ideas behind teacher education

• Student teachers are supported to develop competencies for: broad planning (curriculum) implementation (teaching

methods) and assessment Collaboration and action culture

• Teacher’s academic expertise is based on an idea of “teacher as a researcher” active and wide knowledge base pedagogical and reflective thinking

• Teacher education guides the students to think on the ethical issues of education to be active agents of change in the school community,

teacher education and society.

PROFESSIONALITY

ACADEMIC

EXPERTISE

SERVICE

TO THE

SOCIETY

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A secondary (subject) school teacher

• typically teaches at grades 7 to 12 (ages 13 to 19)

• teaches typically one major and one minor subjects (e.g. math and physics)

An elementary (primary) school teacher (a class teacher)

teaches at grades 1 to 6 (ages 7 to 13)teaches typically all 13 subjects

The Department of Teacher Education provides studies in six different educational programmes:

Class Teacher Education

Craft Studies and Craft Teacher Education Home Economics and Home Economics Teacher EducationKindergarten Teacher and Early Childhood Education

Subject Teacher Education Special Education

1 ECTS credit = 27 hours of work

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Structure of the master degree of a primary teacher: 3 + 2 years

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

Major Education orEd. Psych.

Multi-disciplinarystudies

Minor Subject

Communicationand language

studies

Bachelor’s level (180 Bachelor’s level (180 cr) Master’s level (120 cr)

Master-thesisMaster-thesis

cr =

26

hour

s of

wor

k S

tudy

cre

dits

BSc thesis

Finnish language

Mathematics

Physics,Chemistry Biology,GeographyHistoryReligion/ethicsSportsArtsMusicCrafts

PedagogicalstudiesTeaching

practice

Core elements:- pedagogical studies- subject studies in all the major subjects- practice in training schools (9)

Only nominated research universities can train teachers (faculty), and there are 8 such universities in Finland, but these universities have different ways to work (there are no detailed orders)

The Department of Teacher Education provides studies in six different educational programmes:

Class Teacher Education

Craft Studies and Craft Teacher Education Home Economics and Home Economics Teacher EducationKindergarten Teacher and Early Childhood Education

Subject Teacher Education

Special Education

The aim of the subject teacher education is to educate subject teachers for duties in basic and general upper secondary education as well as adult education.

Teachers’ pedagogical studies provide the students with extensive pedagogical qualifications for teacher duties at various educational levels and institutions (basic education, vocational institutions, polytechnics, folk high schools, adult education centres).

Teachers’ pedagogical studies in basic and general upper secondary education (60 ECTS)

comprise basic studies of 25 ECTS credits and intermediate studies of 35 ECTS credits. As a rule, the studies require full-time studies lasting one academic year and they include a great deal of contact teaching requiring attendance.

These teachers graduate from Research Universities, majoring in their subjects (Physics, History, …)

1st period 18 ECTS creditsPsychology of development and learning (4 cr)Special education (4 cr)Introduction to subject teaching (10 cr)

2nd period 13 ECTS creditsTeacher as a researcher -seminarResearch and methods (6 cr)

Basic practice in Teacher Training School (7 cr)

3rd period 17 ECTS creditsSocial, historical, and philosophical foundations of education (5 cr)Evaluation and development of teaching (7 cr)

Applied practice (5 cr)

4th period 12 ECTS creditsTeacher as a researcher -seminarPedagogical thesis (4 cr)

Practice in Teacher Training School (8 cr)

Core elements:- pedagogical studies combined with- advanced subject studies in one subject- practice in one of the training schools (9)

The Department of Teacher Education provides studies in six different educational programmes:

Class Teacher Education Craft Studies and Craft Teacher Education Home Economics and Home Economics Teacher EducationKindergarten Teacher and Early Childhood Education Subject Teacher Education

Special Education

Special support by a special teacher in her small class for 4 pupils

But support can be also given this way

Also something can be learned from others

Non-degree special education teacher studies = A diploma or a certificate to special education The extent of the studies is 60 ECTS.

There are three different studies:

- special education class teacher studiestheir core education is a class-teacher

- special education teacher studiestheir core education is Master Art /Master Sc in some

school subject: Finnish, Physics, History, …

- early education special teacher studiestheir core education is kindergarten teacher

Non-degree special education teacher studies The extent of the studies is 60 ECTS. The studies have been planned so that it is possible to complete them in one academic year. The competences are determined on the basis of the student’s first degree and other teacher competence.

Figure 1 The Three step model of student support in Basic educationChanging Structures/Responsibilities

Basic studies in special education 25 crBasic course in special education 6 crChallenges of learning 6 crExclusion 5 crSpecial educational needs 5 crIntroduction to educational research 3 crIntermediate studies in special education 35 crNeurocognitive aspects of learning I 4 crCommunication 4 crDyslexia 5 crMathematics 3 crChallenges in behaviour 4 crSocial background of special education 4 crOrientation towards professional life 3 crTeaching practice 5 crShort final paper 3 cr

A generalization

HUMAN CAPITAL: highly educated teachers, A strong pedagogical leadership

and part-time special education

SOCIAL CAPITAL: Collaborative Documentation and

decision-makingIn student welfare group

TOOLS AND ROUTINES:Pedagogical assessment based onMeamingful information and well-

Functioning routines

The TriangleHuman Capital- Techers’ knowledge and skills- Teachers’ beliefs- Instructional leadershipSocial Capital-quality of professional community-effort-based instuctional culture

Human CapitalHC is needed when implementing new policies, is created and strengthened through developing social capital within schools and introducing systematically tools and practices that make the change of class-room practices possible

Social CapitalIs related to the ways people in organisation use when they share what they know and with whom they talk, how openly or widely the information is shared

The provision of diagnostic and remedial tools

• The core principle (early recognition and immediate support) would we futile unless relevant tools recognizing the learning problems and intervening were not available

• The use tools constitutes the backbone of the expertise of the special education teachers. Variety of toolsets used for different problems, age-groups and subjects has been developed by psychologists, logopedists and special education teachers. These means are complementary.

Plasticity (universal

constraints)

)

Educability(socio-historical

constraints)

TeachingIntervention

Rehabilitation

Teachability(objective constraints

Advisory Board for Professional Development of Education Personnel

Inservice training in Finland- municipal obligation- Ministry of Education:Programmes- National Board of Education:monetary supportA special state program 2010-2016- Computers and ICT in Education- Wellbeing of Teachers- Quality of Education

Tasks:- To follow the state and development of needs of continuing education;- Make proposals and give statements about the

direction and realisation of continuing education;- To follow continuing education planning of

education personnel in other countries;- TALIS Finnish participation was initiated here- To assist education authorities in the planning of

the continuing education agenda for the years 2014-2020, and in development of quality assurance criteria

Members are nominated by the Ministry of Education, and they represent ministry, NBE, municipalities, professional unions (teachers, principals), universities’ teacher training units, and different kind of educational institutions

Special state program 2010-2016- Computers in Education- Wellbeing of Teachers- Quality of Education

Organisation- Ministry, NBE, Teachers Union- Provinces- Municipalities and- Network of Schools

Special target-groups:- mentoring for starting teachers- mentoring for middle-career teachers- support and re-fresment for teachers over 55 with a long career- potential rectors and directors of schools

CodaThe educational goal is to develop children who not only honor the rules and norms of the society but who are able to use these rules to promise themselves what they will do, to plan ahead, to delay gratification and work towards their goals and to meet their obligations. In so doing they move from being controlled by others to controlling themselves, the vaunted goal of education. (David Olson)

The End

Classics on learning to learnT.S.Eliot, Modern Education and the Classics, 1932, in Selected Essays, Faber and Faber, 3rd Enlarged Edition, 1969, p. 512 No one can become really educated without having pursued some study in which he took no interest-for it is a part of education to learn to interest ourselves in subjects for which we have no aptitude.

hisei seDenmark 1.18 0.07Finland 1.01 0.06Iceland 1.07 0.09Norway 1.71 0.08Sweden 1.52 0.08UK 1.33 0.05

Highest International Socio-economic Effect, hisei; PISA 2006 Reading Scores: Nordic countries and UK; Multilevel modelling (2-level models, by countries)

ADAPTIVE SCHOOLCo-operation between

institutions (school, family, protection,

social work)loosening the borders

THINKING SCHOOL Cultivates andforms thinking

creatingthe mastery of thinking

OPEN SCHOOLCo-operation within school(teachers, special teachers,

psychologist, …)redefining the internal

borders

MORAL SCHOOLCultivates

the humanistic valuescreating

the perspectiveof

hope

Main ideas of the new strategy: inclusion, nearest school Intensified support a new concept (every child is entitled; no special education referrals if not given this type of support first). This support is not just the work of Sp. Ed. teacher but every teacher (class-teacher, subject teacher)

Systematic, evidence-informed teaching and pedagogical evaluation Multi-professionality Co-teaching, co-educationalFlexible groupings and differentiation and individualizing of teaching

Emphasizing pedagogical instead of psychological/medical (much in common with the RTI-model applied in US)RTI – model : response_to_intervention (hoitovaste]

Yl

The NEEDGreat and difficult to serve Small and standard

SUPPORTSpecial

Intensive

General

Standard

Overdiagnosed andexpensive

Underdiagnosed andneclegted

2 %

5-7 %

15-20 %

Model for Teachers’ Roles

• Is related to another question, • Ie., how to manage the logistics of the whole

system so that a need is properly served with a relevant ’service’

• Using two kinds of information– Knowledge or evidence chain (what is it about)– Material chain (where are students, teachers,

tools, time-and-space options)

PRINCIPLES

Early intervention

Neighbourhood school

Inclusion

STRUCTURE

3-step model (general, intensified, special support)

PROCESSES

Intensified support

LP Learning Plan

Special support

ILP Individual Learning Plan

PRACTICAL TOOLS

COLLABORATION, ROLES

student

Parents, guardians

Preschool, class, subject, spec. ed. teachers

Principal

Multi-professional Student Wellfare Group, Multi-administr.

Two things: A (special) educational activity can be modelled using logistics as model, where a lot of several things have to be co-ordinated in time-space

And the basis for ’need-servic’e is always a hypothesis which must be proved in the teaching-learning transactions, which taken place

A model of the CONCEPTUAL FOUNDATIONS FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION from a socio-historical and developmental approach, where SPECIAL EDUCATION is given a mediating position between 3 different types of CONSTRAINS and various TOOLS, which are used/invented to overcome the constraints. The 3 types of constraints are PLASTICITY (universal constraints, like blindness), TEACHABILITY (objective constraints, like difficulties in comprehending/teaching geometry) and EDUCABILITY (socio-historical constraints, like gender and SES). Using this model it is possible to compare different modes of activity in SE field, i.e, the notions like teaching <> intervention <> rehabilitation can be described within the same model. Learning processes are modified differently in different modes of mediation, and lead through different ways into development, ie., the permanent bases for following developmental steps.

Plasticity (universal constraints)

Teachability(objective constraints)

Educability(socio-historical

constraints)

Development Learning

Type of mediation:teaching,

intervention,rehabilitation

TeachingIntervention

Rehabilitation

The developmental function is either a competence function or a dysfunction; forms of these are totally or in principle different, which leads to different interventions:

a) To increase a competence functionb) To prevent a dysfunction to increase or to make the dysfunction to decrease

Plasticity (universal constraints)

Teachability(objective constraints)

Educability(socio-historical

constraints)

Development LearningTeachingIntervention

Rehabilitation

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Characteristics of Finnish Education Policy (1)Laukkanen (2008), Niemi et al. (2012), Sahlberg (2011)

1. Common, consistent and long-term policy- models for teacher & comprehensive education are 40 years old

2. Educational equality - need to mitigate socio/economic backgrounds - education is free (books, meals, health care, …) in basic education - well-organised special education (inclusion) and counselling

According to PISA School Questionnaire data - 97% of the schools are public schools - 99% of the funding comes from the government (OECD: 83%). - 64% (33%) of the schools reported that students are not grouped by ability into different classes in any subject

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3. Devolution of decision power to the local level - leadership and management at school level (headmaster) - local curriculum and classroom based assessment

According to PISA School Questionnaire data - in 65% of the schools a principal teacher formulates the school budget (53%)- in 97% of the schools, principal teacher and teachers feel that they are responsible for disciplinary and assessment policy (77%)

4. The culture of trust and co-operation are based on professionalism (academic experts): - no inspectors, no national exams (testing) - no private tutoring or evening schools

Students in class teacher education complete a Bachelor of Education degree comprising 180 ECTS credits and a Master of Education degree comprising 120 ECTS credits, the completion of which takes approximately five years. 180 + 120 = 300 ECTSThe class teacher education qualifies graduates to teach a class in grades 1 to 6 in basic education.

The major subject studies entail 60 ECTS credits of pedagogical teacher studies. In addition, the degree also comprises subject didactic studies (how to teach learning to read and write and calculate, other school subjects)supervised teaching practices and minor subject studies, as well as language and communications studies.