Religious Education Teacher Education in Finland

Arto Kallioniemi

Department of Teacher Education

Background:

• Finnish subject teacher education has historically a very long and organized structure

• In Finland re teachers are working in two levels of school system: higher level of comprehensive school (pupils at the age 13-16) and upper senior secondary school (pupils at the age 16-19). In these two levels the working tradition of teachers differs each other

The professon of Re teacher has changed a lot of in recent years

• subject teacher professon consists of three components:

1. knowledge-based expertise

2. pedagogical expertise

3. expertise connected to the school as working society

Centre for Religious Education, Human Values and Ethics

• RE- teacher education occur in co-operation between Theological Faculty and Department of Teacher Education

• In Department of Teacher Education we have own centre to organise this education. The centre is founded in 1998. The main task of the centre is to investigate and promote topics related to religious education, life questions (an alternative subject for re) and philosophy in school and also give education in RE

• in the centre there: 1. professor, 2. two lecturers and 3. doctoral students. We also get an assistent in autumn 2004 for research and education in life questions and philosophy

• the main current research project ”Religious Education in multicultural, postmodern society”

•

RE teacher education• -every year 35+ 5 new students for a special re teacher education

program

• * every spiring special entrance examination• * remarkable more candidates that we can take in• In faculty of Theology there are two degree programs: A.

Theological Function in Churches and Society and B. Teacher Education. Teacher Education is divided into two separated parts: B1. Religion only as a school subject

• B2. Religion and another subject, usually psychology or history• Faculty of Theology is responsible for subject studies and our centre

and department of pedagogical studies and the training schools for teaching practice. (collaboration with them is one essential core of this education)

Finnish Teacher Education

• Class Teacher Model• to teacher education• education as major

subject• studies at the Department

of Teacher Education• How to get a competence

to a subject teacher?

• Subject Teacher Model• to subject studies• A Subject as a major• Subject studies in Subject

Faculty• How to get compentence

to a class teacher?

The Basic Ideas of Teacher Education Program

• ¤ Main organizing theme: Research-based approach• ¤ Reflective teaching – Practioner researcher• ¤ Overall competence of research methods (compare

teacher as a researcher)• ¤ Combining practice with research compentencies=

Practicum• ¤ The totality of educational theory, pedagogical content

konwolede and practice =autonomous teacher personality

• ¤ pedagogical thinging – justifying with research-based arguments

Strategy for Teacher Education at the University of Helsinki

• Vision:• The teachers who graduates from the University of

Helsinki know their field of specialisation, are pedagogically skilled, preceive their responsibility as educators and uphold their professional expertise

• Teaching and learning icludes• * comprehension of the subject and its didactics• * expertise in teaching, studying and learning• * development of and research in teaching• * improvement of student’s ability to apply theory into

practice from early learning to adult education

Vision continued

• Support and nurture includes:• * care for the students and for the advancement of their

studies• * recognition of student problems and the operation of

appropriate action theory• * collaboration between home and school• Influence and responsibility includes• * recognition of the challanges in teaching environment

in transfoemation, e.g. the application of IT• * participation and influence in the official discussions

and decions-making within education and teaching_

Current Research Topics

• 1. Selection of Student for RE teacher education program

• 2. The professional growth of students in religious education teacher education program

• 3. The readiness to become as a RE teacher in education

• -also international co-operation in the research of these topics