Teacher Education in Finland and Future Directions

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mirjamaija Mikkilä-Erdmann ◽  
Anu Warinowski ◽  
Tuike Iiskala
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Educational System ◽  
Curriculum Design ◽  
School System ◽  
International Student ◽  
Teaching Profession ◽  
Individual Student ◽  
Theoretical Understanding ◽  
International Student Assessment ◽  
The Future

Finland has gained increasingly more global interest among educationalists and politicians because of its excellent results on large-scale international student assessments like the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). An interesting question is how a small country in the Global North with only 5 million inhabitants has managed to develop a school system that has gone from undistinguished to top-performing in two decades. The reasons for Finland’s successful and egalitarian school system can be investigated from many perspectives. One view regards teacher education, with the assumption that it has special characteristics that contribute to the success of Finland’s educational system. Factors include systematic selection, a progressive curriculum design that supports teachers’ learning of content knowledge, and the creation of teachers’ didactic skills. In addition, systematic teaching practices in special schools, called training schools, are used to help students integrate theoretical understanding and the practical skills needed for the teaching profession, especially those related to individual student learning in everyday classrooms. Furthermore, the role of empirical research skills in facilitating the development of teacher expertise is essential in Finnish teacher education. Generally, the concept behind Finnish teacher education seems to work very well. However, the system will face challenges in the future, such as how to develop new research-based methods of student selection that are valid and reliable. The educational path—from academic preservice teacher education in a university context to in-service teacher education—is developing and offers the newest research-based knowledge for all teachers, but there is still a lot work to be done in order to link all teachers within official continuous learning systems with universities throughout their careers. Finland’s teaching profession offers a great deal of autonomy and freedom, and the quality of school learning is based on teachers’ evaluations, not standardized tests. Like other countries, Finland is rapidly changing. Hopefully the most important feature of the Finnish educational system, the transparent dialog between the educational research community, the government, teachers, and parents, will carry over into the future. Without dialogue, educators cannot learn about the shared values supporting current and future schools.

Toward a Curriculum for the Future: Synthesizing Education for Sustainable Development and Internationalization of the Curriculum

2021 ◽  
pp. 102831532110310
Author(s):  
Jeanine Gregersen-Hermans
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Curriculum Design ◽  
International Student ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Student Assessment ◽  
Education For Sustainable Development ◽  
Curriculum Innovation ◽  
Critical Approach ◽  
International Student Assessment ◽  
The Future

The need to solve the common global challenges at a systemic level in a collaborative, equitable, and culturally sensitive way naturally connects Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and Internationalization of the Curriculum (IoC). The purpose of this article is to explore how ESD and IoC can strengthen each other and provide a more holistic student learning experience. The literature on ESD and IoC has been reviewed to identify the intersections in pedagogical approaches to curriculum design, delivery, and assessment. The review demonstrates how the ESD and IoC educational initiatives can be synthesized into a curriculum for the future, in which criticality plays a vital role. To illustrate this opportunity, the example of a curriculum innovation project at the International Business School Maastricht is provided. In this project, the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) model of Global Competence developed by the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) has been applied as the conceptual underpinning for the design of a 2-year learning pathway Intercultural Business. The project highlights that to achieve their aims, ESD and IoC need to function as a joint defining lens for curriculum design and delivery. A collaborative and critical approach offers an opportunity to (re-)imagine the curriculum from the perspective of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) and reach beyond the institution by engaging in sustainable and inclusive social change in line with the civic mission of the institution. The implications for the continuing professional development of lecturers and the need for students’ co-ownership of the curriculum are discussed.

scholarly journals Do Prospective Teachers Care About PISA Studies? A Pilot Study among University Students in Germany

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olga Ioannidou ◽  
Despoina Georgiou ◽  
Andreas Obersteiner ◽  
Nilufer Deniz Bas ◽  
Christine Mieslinger
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
University Students ◽  
Prospective Teachers ◽  
International Student ◽  
Teacher Education Program ◽  
Student Assessment ◽  
International Student Assessment ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Very High ◽  
Expected Outcomes

The results of international comparison studies such as the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) have initiated intense discussions about educational reforms in Germany. Although in-service and pre-service teachers are an essential part of such reforms, little is known about their attitudes towards PISA studies. The present study aims to fill this gap through the investigation of pre-service teachers’ awareness, interest, perception, and attitudes towards PISA. A questionnaire was used to survey a sample of 107 university students who were participating in a teacher education program. The results reveal that 100% of the participants are aware of PISA. Nearly 69% of the participants think that the impact of PISA is rather high or very high, while 41% of them believe that PISA results are reliable. Accordingly, half of the participants seem to be interested in PISA results for their country. The present study discusses these findings in the light of the expected outcomes as proposed in standards for teacher education.

scholarly journals Reflections on Analytical Choices in the Scaling Model for Test Scores in International Large-Scale Assessment Studies

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Robitzsch ◽  
Oliver Lüdtke
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
International Student ◽  
Student Assessment ◽  
Individual Student ◽  
Scaling Model ◽  
Large Scale Assessment ◽  
International Student Assessment ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Analytical Strategies ◽  
The Individual

International large-scale assessments (LSAs) such as the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) provide important information about the distribution of student proficiencies across a wide range of countries. The repeated assessments of these content domains offer policymakers important information for evaluating educational reforms and received considerable attention from the media. Furthermore, the analytical strategies employed in LSAs often define methodological standards for applied researchers in the field. Hence, it is vital to critically reflect the conceptual foundations of analytical choices in LSA studies. This article discusses methodological challenges in selecting and specifying the scaling model used to obtain proficiency estimates from the individual student responses in LSA studies. We distinguish design-based inference from model-based inference. It is argued that for the official reporting of LSA results, design-based inference should be preferred because it allows for a clear definition of the target of inference (e.g., country mean achievement) and is less sensitive to specific modeling assumptions. More specifically, we discuss five analytical choices in the specification of the scaling model: (1) Specification of the functional form of item response functions, (2) the treatment of local dependencies and multidimensionality, (3) the consideration of test-taking behavior for estimating student ability, and the role of country differential items functioning (DIF) for (4) cross-country comparisons, and (5) trend estimation. This article's primary goal is to stimulate discussion about recently implemented changes and suggested refinements of the scaling models in LSA studies.

scholarly journals Educational System Assessment: Italy And Finland, Comparative Case Study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eleonora Mattarelli ◽  
Cristiana De Santis
Keyword(s):  
Educational System ◽  
International Student ◽  
Student Assessment ◽  
Evaluation Process ◽  
Comparative Case Study ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
International Student Assessment ◽  
Efficiency And Effectiveness ◽  
System Assessment

Educational system assessment allows the evaluation of some learningoutcomes and permits the continuous monitoring of educational processes.The aim of this study is to explore the ways used to assess and evaluateschool systems and universities and students’ learning outcomes in Italy andFinland, two important educational realities as shown in PISA (Programmefor International Student Assessment) results (OECD, 2019). The attention isfocused on common and uncommon practices employed in each country andon perceptions that the educational system assessment creates in those whoevaluate and in those evaluated. Ten stakeholders from Italy and Finlandparticipated in focus groups or interviews one to one audio-taped,transcribed and analysed using qualitative methods. The results underlinethat the evaluation of school systems and universities helps build a largedatabase and that the evaluation process have to be made with trust betweenstakeholders involved, with innovation and awareness. The generalacceptance is increasing: stakeholders from two contexts consideredhighlight that, in order to improve efficiency and effectiveness, schoolsystems and universities need a formative assessment and evaluation inwhich everyone is involved from central educational institutions to teachersand students.

Teacher Education in Singapore

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason Loh ◽  
Guangwei Hu
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Teacher Training ◽  
International Student ◽  
Student Assessment ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Leadership Role ◽  
Ministry Of Education ◽  
International Student Assessment ◽  
Teacher Training College

Since the turn of this century, and especially in the past decade, Singapore has consistently done well in international benchmark studies, be it the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), or the International Baccalaureate diploma assessment. Singapore’s sterling performance in these different benchmark assessments has been widely attributed to the quality of its teaching force, which is, in turn, ascribed to the teacher education programs provided by its sole teacher education institution – the National Institute of Education (NIE), Nanyang Technological University (NTU). Teacher education began during the country’s colonial past, but there was no designated provider of comprehensive training until teacher training was institutionalized in 1950, when the Teacher Training College was established. After Singapore gained independence in 1965, the institution’s capacity expanded rapidly as a teacher training department and later as a statutory board within the Ministry of Education. In 1991, to raise the stature of teacher education, the Teacher Training College was incorporated as an autonomous institute within the newly formed NTU. Due to the need to ensure the survival of a tiny island nation over the years, it has been imperative to educate the population for industry and development. In the process, tensions have arisen from: (a) the recruitment of huge numbers of teachers and the concomitant quality of their training, (b) collaboration with the Ministry of Education, and (c) the influence of educational research on theory and practice. In the third decade of the 21st century, with the stranglehold that neoliberalism has on many educational systems around the world, including Singapore, will NIE be able to prepare its future teachers to navigate and survive in such a climate, while continuing to strengthen its theory-practice nexus? With the dwindling of student numbers across all sectors and the accompanying reduced need for new teachers in the country, will NIE look beyond the shores of Singapore, internationalize its programs, and take on a leadership role in the region?

Assessing local socioeconomic desegregation: The effects of successive decrees regulating school choice in the Belgian French-speaking community

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 248-268
Author(s):  
Julien Danhier ◽  
Nathanaël Friant
Keyword(s):  
School Choice ◽  
Educational System ◽  
International Student ◽  
Student Assessment ◽  
School Segregation ◽  
School Enrolment ◽  
International Student Assessment ◽  
French Speaking ◽  
Statistical Approaches ◽  
The Government

Assuming that free school choice is one of the parameters contributing to segregation in the Belgian educational system, the government implemented decrees to alter school enrolment policies in order to regulate school choice. In this study, two statistical approaches (a ‘Lorenz’ index and a multilevel one) have been used to measure the evolution of segregation from 2006 to 2015 exploiting two databases (administrative student count and the Programme for International Student Assessment). The results do not provide any support to the claim that there has been a reduction in school segregation, and they stress that the decrees are inefficient concerning this objective.

scholarly journals PHILIPPINE K TO 12 CURRICULUM AND PROGRAMME FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENT ASSESSMENT (PISA) 2018 READING LITERACY PARALLELISM AND TEACHING-LEARNING EXPERIENCES

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 275
Author(s):  
Aljon Galang
Keyword(s):  
Curriculum Design ◽  
International Student ◽  
Student Assessment ◽  
Instructional System ◽  
Literacy Skill ◽  
Reading Literacy ◽  
International Student Assessment ◽  
Learning Competencies ◽  
Teaching Learning ◽  
K 12

Philippine K-12 Curriculum and Programme for International Student Assessment 2018 Reading Literacy Parallelism and Teaching-Learning Experiences.. Objectives: This study is made to capture the instructional system and learning milieu of the PISA 2018 Reading Literacy-Related Senior High School  Subjects aiming to evaluate its curriculum design and implementation.Methods: The study used Illuminative Evaluation Model to evaluate the curriculum design and implementation by gauging the instructional system through heat mapping and the learning milieu of teacher participants and graduate respondents through survey, interview, and researcher’s past observation. Findings: In the study, it was found out that: (a) the K to 12 program through the learning competencies is 28.64% parallel with the PISA 2018 Reading Literacy Skill Framework; (b) teachers implement the curriculum in which the Reading Literacy Skills are reflected even under various teaching-learning constraints.; (c) the graduate respondents (GRs) are good in terms of locating information but need improvement in evaluating and reflecting on and/or among texts specifically the skill ‘detecting and handling conflict’. Moreover, GRs associate learning the PISA 2018 Reading Literacy Skills the most from the subjects Reading and Writing Skills and Practical Research and the least from 21st Century Literature.Conclusion: The K-12 program through learning competencies is 28.64% parallel with PISA 2018 Reading Literacy Skill Framework. This shows one of the characteristics of the written curriculum or the instructional system. 

scholarly journals THE EFFECTS OF HUMAN AND MATERIAL RESOURCES ON STUDENTS’ MATH ACHIEVEMENT IN 45 COUNTRIES

2014 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 8-20
Author(s):  
Serdar Aztekin ◽  
Haci Bayram Yilmaz
Keyword(s):  
Human Resources ◽  
International Student ◽  
Linear Models ◽  
Student Assessment ◽  
Hierarchical Linear Model ◽  
Individual Student ◽  
Mathematical Literacy ◽  
School Factors ◽  
Material Resources ◽  
International Student Assessment

This study aims to explore the effects of human and material resources on mathematical literacy. For this purpose, mathematical literacy test scores and questionnaire responses of 304,444 fifteen-year-olds in 45 countries participated in the 2012 cycle of Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) Project, were analysed through two-level and three-level hierarchical linear models (HLM). Selected indices and scales representing material and human resources’ effects on students’ mathematical literacy were investigated. The results revealed that 23% of the total variance in the literacy scores is attributable to between-countries, 34% of the variance is attributable to between-schools and the remaining 43% to individual student characteristics. Only two school factors, the quality of school educational resources and teacher morale, were found to have effects on students’ performance after accounting for the gender, the index of economic, social and cultural status, and the cumulative expenditure on education. The results of the study have potential to help policy makers determine their priorities in education and provide hints for future studies. Key words: human resources, material resources, PISA 2012, hierarchical linear model.

scholarly journals Alignment of the Philippine Mathematics Teacher Education Curriculum with the Programme for International Student Assessment

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 145-161
Author(s):  
Marilyn U.
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Mathematics Teacher ◽  
International Student ◽  
Mathematics Teacher Education ◽  
Student Assessment ◽  
Education Curriculum ◽  
Teacher Education Curriculum ◽  
International Student Assessment ◽  
Mathematics Literacy ◽  
Literacy Framework

<p style="text-align: justify;">This study aimed to examine the alignment of the Philippine mathematics teacher education curriculum with the 2021 mathematics literacy framework of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Such study could inform the Philippine Commission on Higher Education (CHED) if its mandated bachelor’s degree in secondary education major in mathematics could produce teachers at the secondary level prepared to deliver the expectations of PISA to mathematically literate 15-year-old learners. Through document analysis, the researcher reviewed the alignment of two official documents accessible online: the 2017 Philippine mathematics teacher education curriculum and the 2021 PISA mathematics literacy framework. Three mathematics education experts validated the researcher’s analysis. The results revealed alignment of the content and competencies covered by the teacher education curriculum and PISA mathematics literacy framework. However, the researcher found gaps in the curriculum in terms of its responsiveness in capturing some contexts and 21st century skills emphasized in PISA 2021 mathematics literacy framework. The study provided recommendations in addressing the gaps to inform needed updating in the teacher education curriculum to meet the expectations of PISA as a step to meeting the international standards of quality educational program.</p>

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