Advancing Research in and on Teacher Education The TEPE conference 2008: Teacher Education in Europe: mapping the landscape and looking to the future, Ljubljana, Feb 2008 Hannele Niemi Vice-Rector University of Helsinki

2 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?

4 Teaching as a well-qualified profession ( Improving the quality of teacher education ) “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.”

5 Why do we need research in teacher education? Teacher education must be grounded on concepts of the teaching profession and knowledge creation.

6 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.

7 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

8 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

9 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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11 Competence of practitioners to use and produce evidence Evidence/research-based education (e.g. teacher education) Working conditions and organizational structures for support of evidence-based practice -time -space Professional networking Quality of evidence - multi- disciplinary -complexity Delivery and dissemination of evidence Evaluation culture -tool of development Application of knowledge Social contexts Economy Cultural factors © Niemi 2007

How should we promote research on teacher education?

13 Continuum of teacher education

14 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.

15 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 teachers and students teachers

16 Research-based teacher education – the case of Finnish teacher education The two-cycle degree (3 + 2), Ph.D.( 4 years, including 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.

17 Major in Education MA thesis & research methods and seminars BA thesis & research methods and seminars Research methods, observations Integrating theory and practice in the Finnish TE

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

19 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 (3 rd cycle of the Bologna process).For teachers, principals and teacher educators

20 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 (3 rd cycle of the Bologna process) a close cooperation with the European doctoral programmes. a close cooperation with higher education institutions and researchers

21 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.

22 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.