Finland: Education for the edu-Nation

This is part two of a seven part article series with Professor Jari Lavonen, professor of physics and chemistry education and Head of the Department of Teacher Education at the University of Helsinki in Finland. In this particular segment he will discuss how Finland supports and develops its teachers.

Read part one here: How is it that the Finnish education system is the best in the world?

Finland has extensive requirements for those who want to become a teacher, as they must complete a 5 years Masters level program. What are the opportunities for professional development once that happens? How does Finland support its teachers to be competent, flexible and willing to adapt to change? How is a teacher’s constant development of personal competence and learning and networking enhanced?

Teachers in Finland are highly educated and those working in basic and upper secondary education are all required to have a Master’s degree. In fact, there has been a 40 year tradition of educating primary teachers (Grades 1-6) and a tradition lasting more than 100 years of educating secondary teachers (Grades 7-12) in Master-level programmes at universities. Primary teachers teach almost all the subjects at primary level, whereas secondary teachers typically teach two subjects in the lower and upper secondary schools (Jakku-Sihvonen & Niemi, 2006)[1]. Several researchers argue that the most important reason for Finnish students’ success in PISA has been the professional teachers (Sahlberg, 2011[2]^; Niemi, Toom, & Kallioniemi, 2012[3]).

Research Orientation

An essential characteristic of primary and secondary teacher education in Finland has been an emphasis on research orientation. Student teachers learn to consume educational, research-based knowledge when they combine theory and experience or when they interpret situations during their teaching practices. This type of knowledge is required at local level, in the broad planning of teaching, throughout the development of teaching and school operations, as well as in teaching and learning assessments. Teacher educators have PhD degrees themselves and engage in educational research as a part of their profession. Consequently, all teachers are able to continuously develop through engagement by reading books and teacher journals. This is why we refer to teachers in Finland as professional teachers – not effective teachers as they are called in the US or in the UK.

Factors in the development of teacher education

The continuous development of the teacher profession also depends on school-level factors, cultural and education policy factors, in addition to the individual characteristics of a teacher. For example, important school-level factors are the nature of leadership, collaboration culture, structure of networks and school-society-family partnerships. Cultural and education policy factors on the other hand, include the state-level education context. An example of this would be whether the country is following a policy of accountability or alternatively trusts teachers without relying on heavy inspection and testing.

Systematic in-service training

Systematic in-service training of teachers and the support of their continuous professional development are organised by the providers of education, the municipalities. In practice, in-service training is offered by different providers. The state provides funding for in-service training programmes, primarily in areas important for implementing education policy and reforms. Education providers can also apply for funding to improve the professional competence of their teaching personnel. However, the reality may be a little different. According to a national survey (Lintuvuori, Ahtiainen, Hienonen, Vainikainen & Hautamäki, 2014)[4] there is a large variation on the number of days the teachers are participating in in-service training. The most common barriers to participating in the training were stated to be workload and lack of time; the economic situation of municipalities and schools was also cited as a significant obstacle.

Osaava Verme

They have been further supported by the Finnish Network for Teacher Induction Osaava Verme[5], which is a collaborative network of the Finnish teacher education institutions. The main goal is to develop and disseminate the peer-group mentoring model (PGM) to support new teachers. PGM, also known in Finland by the acronym verme, is a Finnish approach supporting new teachers in their early career. The PGM approach draws on the constructivist view of learning which maintains that we construct our knowledge based on our prior knowledge, experiences, and beliefs. It brings new teachers together to share and reflect on their experiences and to discuss the day-to-day problems and challenges they face. This method has been piloted by the funding of Finnish Work Environmental Fund in 2008-10 and is being continuously developed by 'Osaava Verme'.

PGM groups typically meet once a month to discuss work-related issues. The PGM approach draws on the constructivist view of learning which maintains that we construct our knowledge based on our prior knowledge, experiences, and beliefs. On this basis, peer discussion is therefore an essential element in creating a mutual understanding of the nature of the work that teachers do.

Keep an eye out for next week's piece on the skills that all children should learn, and when they should be taught.