Advancing Research in and on Teacher Education

The TEPE conference 2008: Teacher Education

in Europe: mapping the landscape and looking

to the future, Ljubljana, 21-23 Feb 2008

Hannele NiemiVice-RectorUniversity of Helsinki

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Contents

Why do we need research in teacher education?

How should we promote research on teacher education?

Why do we need research in teacher education?

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Teaching as a well-qualified profession(Improving the quality of teacher education 3.8.2007)

“All teachers are graduates from higher education

institutions”. (The recommendations 2007)

“To ensure that there is adequate capacity within Higher

Education to provide for the quantity and quality of

Teacher Education required, and to promote the

professionalisation of teaching, teacher education

programmes should be available in the Master and

Doctorate (as well as the Bachelor) cycles of higher

education.”

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Why do we need research in teacher education?

Teacher education must be grounded on concepts of the teaching profession and knowledge creation.

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The aims of teacher education

Provide teachers with studies that guide them to

considering themselves as accountable professional

actors,

Make teachers aware that they have rights and

obligations to contribute to the development of education.

Their task is to facilitate different learners to learn better.

Teachers have a strong societal function, and this

perspective should be integrated into the TE curricula.

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From knowledge reception to knowledge producing - promoting active and collaborative learning

Learning as an active individual process, but also a

process based on sharing and participation.

Teachers need the most recent knowledge and research

about the subject matter and

how the subject matter can be transformed in relevant

ways to benefit different learners -> lifelong learning

They should be familiar with the curricula and learning

environments in educational institutions and in non-formal

educational settings

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Generic skills or focused professionalism?

The academic contents of TE and practical skills must

not be seen as separate or exclusive; they are always

complementary in the teaching profession.

Teachers as experts work in complex situations research-based knowledge and research-informed

knowledge + tacit knowledge + confidence to carry out their

expertise in demanding unique situations.

Progressive problem solving, that is, tackling problems

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Promoting research- and evidence-based practice

If the teaching profession aims to have a high professional

status, teacher education must prepare teachers to work

using an evidence-based approach in their work

They need the competence to use different kinds of

evidence, including the evidence that research provides.

They must have also the capacity to carry out action

research in their classrooms and schools.

The pre-service teacher education curriculum provides a

foundation, but without research-oriented in-service

training, teachers’ potentiality to renew and develop their

own profession will stagnate.

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Research-mode 1-mode 2

-Triple Helix

Evidence •Personal experiences

•from documents or archives•artefacts

•observations

Knowledgecreation

Interactive learningprocess of researchers, policy-makers, and practitioners

Applications

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Competence of practitioners to use and produce evidence

Evidence/research-based education (e.g. teacher education)

Workingconditions and organizationalstructures forsupport of evidence-based practice

-time-space Professional

networking

Quality of

evidence -multi-disciplinary-complexity

Delivery anddissemination ofevidence

Evaluationculture-tool of development

Application of knowledge

Social contextsEconomy

Culturalfactors

© Niemi 2007

How should we promote research on teacher education?

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Pre-service TE Induction(3years)

In-service TE

(5years) (Career-long)

Research-based/evidence-based work

Continuum of teacher education

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The LUMA Centre is an example of cross-boundary activities. It is serving science teachers, students and researchers.

The centre is coordinated by the Faculty of Science in the University of Helsinki

promoting the teaching of biology, chemistry, geography, mathematics, physics and technology and enhancing interaction between schools, universities and business and industry.

http://www.helsinki.fi/luma/english/

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The LUMA Centre

Encourages teachers to play an active role in developing their own teaching using the latest research and being also an action researcher in their own schools. Student teachers are involved. Provides support (in Finnish, partly also in Swedish and English) for teachers: information on experimental work and modelling & latest research news  The website also illustrates materials and tools for science teaching.  Invites also pupils to work with researchers. They can joint to virtual clubs on the web or participate science days or camps. Young pupils may work with club assignments also with their parents.

LUMA-newsletters to 70 000 teachers and students teachers

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Research-based teacher education – the case of Finnish teacher education

The two-cycle degree (3 + 2), Ph.D.( 4 years, including

60-80 ECTS as course work closely integrated with the

doctoral thesis.)

Academic disciplines; a major or minors depending on the

qualification being sought.

Research studies consist of methodological studies, a BA

thesis and a MA thesis.

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Practicum integrated with theoretical studies

Intermediate Practicum (BA level, 12 ECTS): Starting with specific subject areas, moving towards more holistic and pupil-centred approachesUniversity teacher training schools

Advanced Practicum (MA level, 8 ECTS):Different options for developing expertise, can be connected with the Master’s Thesis

Mainly in Municipal field schools

Studyyears

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3

2

1

Major inEducationMA thesis & research methods and seminars

BA thesis & research methods and seminars

Researchmethods,observations

Integrating theory and practice in the Finnish TE

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Facilitators

Context

PD Program Teachers

Elements of a professional development system (Borko, 2004, p. 4)

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At a European level

European level research programmes, in which teaching,

school administration, educational policy and teacher

education are in focus: Learning together – improving

education

European level developmental projects: Evaluation and

evaluation culture – towards more participatory and

communicative culture.Active interaction of researchers,

practitioners and policymakers is needed.

European doctoral programs: Enhancement of learning

in different cultural and societal contexts (3rd cycle of the

Bologna process).For teachers, principals and teacher

educators  

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At a national level

Action research programs as a part of teachers’ and

other professionals’ continuous education.

Local or regional action research projects should be

collected into larger programmes in which researcher as

facilitators are actively involved.

National doctoral programmes for teachers, principals

and teacher education (3rd cycle of the Bologna process) a close cooperation with the European doctoral

programmes.

a close cooperation with higher education institutions and

researchers  

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At a local level

Multi-professional networking: researchers, teachers,

social-workers, working-life partners.

Teacher’ action research projects in schools and

networking these schools

Networks of learners - Supporting learning at different

age levels in formal and informal settings.

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Teacher education on research-based foundations

Teachers need a profound knowledge of the most recent

advances of research in the subjects they teach. In

addition, they need to be familiar with the latest research

on how something can be taught and learnt.

Teacher education in itself should also be an object of

study and research

The aim is that teachers internalise a research-orientated

attitude towards their work.