Prof Hannele Niemi Key Note at TEPE 2009 Conference

What is quality in teacher education – how to define and how to achieve it? The TEPE conference 200 9 , Quality in teacher Education , Umeå University 18 - 19 May 200 9 Hannele Niemi Vice-Rector University of Helsinki

Contents What is quality in teacher education? How to assure and achieve it?

What is quality in teacher education?

What is quality ? No absolute definition – related to something (earlier situation, practice, outcomes etc) Related to concept of knowledge, culture and a human being T o achieve something important, useful and relevant In teacher education, mission of teacher education have close relationship to national educational needs and/or larger context (e.g. quality of teacher education in Europe) May have some mandatory elements by law

Teacher education Schools Societal structures Work life Business life Changes in professions Inter- nationalisation Multi c ultu ral society Values Learning environments

T eaching a s a well-qualified profession ( Improving the quality of teacher education 3.8.2007) “ 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.”

Teacher education as part of the European Higher Education Area a profound knowledge of the most recent advances of the research in the subjects they teach the newest research on how something can be taught and learnt (pedagogy) the aim is that teachers can internalise a research-orientated attitude towards their work teacher education in itself should also be an object of study and research

Improving the Quality of Teacher Education Common principles COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL AND THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, 2007 These proposals would serve to: ensure that provision for teachers' education and professional development is coordinated, coherent, and adequately resourced; ensure that all teachers possess the knowledge, attitudes and pedagogic skills that they require to be effective; support the professionalisation of teaching; promote a culture of reflective practice and research within the teaching profession; and promote the status and recognition of the profession.

Components Admission Initial teacher education Orientation to a school community In-service teacher education Meta-knowledge of teaching and learning for LLL Academic and pedagogical k nowledge : pathways to cultural richness and understanding Social and moral code of the teaching profession Reflection – development of the profession Practical skills for the profession

Reflection Teachers work in conditions of continuous change, cultural dispersion, and increasing diversities in all areas of life. Teachers’ competence must include a readiness to analyse a situation like a researcher, draw conclusions and take action. This means that teachers need a critical mind and the ability to reflect. Reflection can be in action or on action. Because many decisions have to be made rapidly – in action – teachers must have deeply internalised the knowledge and the moral code which will guide them as they adapt to changing situations.

Teachers’ practical skills to deal effectively with different learners (age, gender, cultural background, learning difficulties, etc.) to cooperate with other teachers and work in schools or other educational communities to cooperate with a variety of educational stakeholders to participate in processes of developing curricula and learning environments to participate in processes of solving problems in school life or educational institutions to develop their own professional identity

Admission High-level academic qualities Social qualities (such as interaction skills) a problem of a lack of teachers can never be solved by lowering standards

Initial teacher education Research-based second-cycle education Subject content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge Social and moral knowledge Skills to develop one’s own teaching and the teaching profession

Orientation to a new school community Introduction to school community and partners Introduction to local contexts and stakeholders Support for teachers’ own professional development

In-service teacher education Systematic support for teachers’ own life-long learning Development of a portfolio for teaching professionals Participation as partners in school development processes Participation in research-based development projects To take an analytical and open-minded approach to their work

Continuum of teacher education

How to assure and achive quality in teacher education

Quality assurance at the institutional level Policy and procedures for quality assurance in TE The strategy, policy and procedures should have a formal status and be publicly available. How to prevent the marginalisation of TE in HE What would be relevant criteria? Assessments of their programmes and awards Institutions should have formal mechanism for the approval, periodic review and monitoring of their programmes and awards Assessment of students Quality assurance of teaching staff Learning resources and student support

Between two worlds Higher education context Academic standards Quality of research Quality of HE teaching Schools and society Quality of teachers Effectiveness of teachers Pupils’ learning outcomes Conditions of teaching profession

Quality in initial teacher education ( David Blake, Jenny Lansdell ) Quality Assurance in Education , 2000 , Vol . 8 , (2), 63 - 69 “… effective teacher education is developed, based on the contention that high quality courses result from the thinking and commitment of teacher education professionals, working with their colleagues in schools, in local settings. It is argued that the development of high quality initial teacher training (ITE) results essentially from the engagement of teacher educators with ideas drawn from teacher education practice and research. Centrally-driven curriculum blue-prints are unlikely to lead to the same high quality results, rather they will tend to result in mere compliance. The argument is illustrated by an example of teacher education development in one institution leading to a set of propositions about the elements which characterise high quality teacher education more generally.

Retaining Quality Teachers Janine L. Certo & Jill Englebright Fox The High School Journal 86.1 (2002) 57-75 What is consistent across all participants in the study is the finding that insufficient salary, lack of administrative support, and lack of planning time (hectic/stressful schedules) are the top reasons that teachers leave the profession. These factors not only lead to teachers' sense of professionalism and improved levels of job satisfaction, but ultimately increase the likelihood of teachers' remaining in their school divisions. Lack of opportunity for job sharing and policies related to high-stakes testing were also found to impact attrition.

Development of a questionnaire for assessing students’ perceptions of the teaching and learning environment and its use in quality assurance, David Kember and Doris Y. P. Leung , Journal Learning Environments Research, Vol. 12 (1), 2009, 15-29 There are few available instruments that assess students’ perceptions of university teaching and learning environments and can be used to provide diagnostic feedback, at the degree or program level, on the quality of the environment. This article describes the development, testing and application, for quality assurance purposes, of a suitable instrument. The final version of the questionnaire includes scales seeking students’ feedback on nine facets of the teaching and learning environment

Generic capabilities David Kember and Doris Y. P. Leung • Critical Thinking • Creative Thinking • Ability to Pursue Lifelong Learning • Adaptability • Problem Solving • Communication Skills • Interpersonal Skills • Discipline Knowledge • Career Relevance

Learning environment David Kember and Doris Y. P. Leung • A ctive Learning • Teaching for Understanding • Teacher–Student Interaction • Assistance from Teaching Staff

Enduring values Research-based teaching Focus on learning Goal-oriented long-term development of teaching Esteem and support for the teaching profession The Teaching Evaluation Matrix, The University of Helsinki

ASPECTS OF THE QUALITY OF TEACHING 1. OBJECTIVES AND PLANNIN G Management of the quality of teaching Management and strategic planning of teaching C urriculum design Learning objectives and core elements Quality assurance of education Management of the quality of resources Student recruitment Management of human resources Teaching qualifications in the filling of teaching posts Teaching skills Management of the teaching and learning environment Each aspect of teaching is considered in the light of a four-level framework

ASPECTS OF THE QUALITY OF TEACHING 2. IMPLEMENTATION Teaching methods Supervision and guidance of learning Student advice Learning strategies Learning materials Contacts with the labour market

ASPECTS OF THE QUALITY OF TEACHING 3. ASSESSMENT Learning assessment criteria Learning assessment methods Provision of feedback to students Student feedback for teaching and supervision Feedback from the labour market Follow-up of graduate employment

A proposal A joint European research project Researchers and teacher educators in different European countries policy makers, representatives of school administration and higher education institutions and stakeholders also partners What is quality in teacher education – how to define and how to achieve it? Reflective, comparative, aiming at improvements

Prof Hannele Niemi Key Note at TEPE 2009 Conference

More Related Content

What's hot

Viewers also liked

Similar to Prof Hannele Niemi Key Note at TEPE 2009 Conference

More from Brian Hudson

Recently uploaded

Prof Hannele Niemi Key Note at TEPE 2009 Conference

Editor's Notes