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"Niemi, Hannele"
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Teacher Professional Development in Finland: Towards a More Holistic Approach
The article reflects on teacher professional development as a continuum that starts during pre-service time, continues into the first years of newly qualified teachers’ induction phase, and spans a career-long development throughout their teaching careers. Finnish teachers work in contexts that provide high professional autonomy and agency in their work. Pre-service teacher education prepares them for this responsible role. In earlier years, in-service training occurred on training days and through short courses. The new trend sees teachers as developers in the whole school community. Teachers have researchbased orientation in pre-service teacher education, which makes them capable to design school-based projects and their own development as it relates to school development. The article introduces four cases in which new trends have already been implemented. These best practices are examples how to (1) support the school community to cross boundaries towards multi-professional cooperation, (2) design an innovative school community using a design-based approach together with many partners, (3) connect pre-service and in-service research-based teacher education in science, technology and math (STEM) teaching, and (4) promote induction for new teachers.
Journal Article
Education reforms for equity and quality: an analysis from an educational ecosystem perspective with reference to Finnish educational transformations
The article starts with the serious question of why educational reforms do not lead to better learning. Although access to education has increased remarkably, the quality of education can be very low. The reality is that by 2030 there will be 800 million young people who do not have basic skills in reading and math. The answers will be sought from the concept of the educational ecosystem and how different subsystems, such as curriculum system, evaluation systems, teacher education policy, and the labour market, should be interconnected, and the systemic changes supported by all these subsystems. The basic conditions are that different actors and stakeholders work in collaboration, there are active interactions within and between different subsystems for supporting both equity and quality in education. Educational reforms are complex processes and need diverse partners and governance in which trust is present. The article also provides a brief case description in Finnish contexts of how educational reforms have been implemented in the frame of the ecosystem concept. In the end, the article summarises how educational ecosystems could help in overcoming global learning crises. (DIPF/Orig.)
Journal Article
Educating Student Teachers to Become High Quality Professionals – A Finnish Case
For decades, the Finnish orientation toward teacher education has committed itself to the development of an inquiry oriented and research-based professional culture. The aims of teacher education are to train students to find and analyse problems they may expect to face in their future work. This study consists of a survey of student teachers (n=545) in two universities in Finland. Web-based surveys with quantitative and qualitative questions were sent to all student teachers in the beginning of May 2010. Students assessed how teacher education had provided them with the competences they need in a high standard profession, what kinds of active learning experiences they had in their TE studies, and how research studies of teacher education had contributed to their professional development. Theparticipants of the study assessed that they had achieved good skills in planning teaching and curricula. They were capable of using different teaching methods. They were aware of their own teaching philosophy and their responsibilities as professionals and life-long learners. They consider the research component of TE valuable to their independent and critical thinking. They were very engaged in studies. Finnish pre-service teacher educationseems to function very well and to be effective in providing the skills teachers need to work as independent professionals. The results of the study show, however, that students also need more supervision and guidance on how to collaborate with parents and other stakeholders outside school, such as representatives of working life as well as partners in business lifeand culture.
Journal Article
Teachers’ and Students’ Views of Using an AI-Aided Educational Platform for Supporting Teaching and Learning at Chinese Schools
In Chinese schools in less advanced places, there is an urgent need to improve the quality of education and educational equity. This study aims to investigate how an AI-aided educational platform can be used to provide additional teaching and learning resources to serve this need. The AI-aided educational platform used in this study is called Smart-Learning Partner (SLP), which is based on AI technology to provide new opportunities for personalized learning and more educational resources. A qualitative research method was applied in this study. We interviewed and surveyed 98 students and 32 teachers at 9 Chinese schools located in less developed areas. We used content analysis to interpret the findings based on students’ and teachers’ experiences of using the SLP platform. The data demonstrated that this kind of AI-aided educational platform was viewed by students and teachers as a useful tool in students’ learning and teachers’ work. It provided additional possibilities to students and teachers with its rich assessment tools, personalized and overall student learning analysis reports, plentiful high-quality mini-lecture videos, and recommendations from the platform based on the students’ needs for further enhancement study. However, challenges still exist. Adequate electronic devices for students are needed, especially in schools in less developed areas. Students and teachers called for user-friendly interfaces and features, social interaction aspects, and gamification mechanisms with recent online learning platforms. We conclude that based on the teachers’ and students’ views, AI-aided education platforms are useful tools for supporting teaching and learning in Chinese school.
Journal Article
From Play to Progress: Student Learning of Social Skills with a Solution-Focused Approach
Social skills are essential for fostering healthy relationships and promoting positive social interactions. Supporting students’ development of these skills has become increasingly important in educational contexts and is emphasized within many countries’ national core curricula. However, teachers often lack pedagogical methods for nurturing such skills. This study addresses this gap by investigating how the “Curious About Others” play based on solution-focused and playful pedagogical approaches can support students’ learning of social skills. In the study, we used a qualitative research method involving the qualitative data collected from students’ written documents, learning reflections, discussion recordings, observations, and interviews with students and teachers. The material was analyzed using content analysis. Results indicate that the intervention improved students’ social skills and their abilities in communication, cooperation, empathy, and self-control. These findings highlight the benefits of integrating solution-focused and playful approaches into educational practices. The study underscores the importance of incorporating such interventions into curricula to foster social skills. Practical implications for educators include promoting playful learning activities and strength-based solution-focused approaches to support social–emotional development and create a positive learning environment.
Journal Article