It has been said that a country's educational system is a reflection of it's society and that in the general teacher education you can find - or spot - traces of ideological thoughts behind the society and dreams for it's future.
Being together with other exchange students gives me a greater perspective to the teacher education in general and my own role as a student and a teacher to be. The fact that I can see huge contrasts in the structure of the teacher education in different countries puts things in a perspective, which gives me an opportunity to look at the educational system in my homecountry with different glasses.
Teacher educations strive towards giving their future teachers a set of competences they find useful in their future teaching profession. For some, theoretical knowledge and arguments are valued higher than knowledge from practical experiences - and other teacher educations have the opposite goals where the students should get as much practical experience as possible before graduating. Very often two keywords seem to be as follows: Freedom and responsibility. The freedom to choose between different ways of combining theory and praxis and the responsibility to achieve your goals. Teacher students have the freedom to model and shape their education and gain different competences but at the same time they also have the responsibility - towards them selves as well as the society they will engage in - to develop the best suited competences for their profession in an ever changing society in an onknown future.
All these choices and responsibilities can seem overwhelming and leave the student (politicians etc.) in what might seem as a condition of despear. What do I want? What shall I choose? How can I know I am doing the right thing? I could go on and on but the point is that it is not easy to find "the best solution" - if there even excists such a thing. In my opinion the best way is not to copy what others do in order to achieve the same things as they have done. One should always look at the context and carefully apply suitable changes in the right way at the right time.
This week I started a course called Introduction to Finnish School Life. During the next 2-3 months I will attend 8 lectures and 30+ observation lessons at the University's public school. Since I study English they gave me the oportunity to assist one of the English teachers at the school and I will do so starting from next week. This course will - together with three similar courses - hopefully put me in a position where I will eventually become better capable of making the right desicions when it comes to my own education and my responsibility to give valid feedback to people I meet on my way - which might even result in possible changes in the educational system in my homecountry.
I would like to end by quoting (and twisting) an expression used on The Faroe Islands (it probable originates from the English expression you live and learn) and it goes something like this:
"You will learn as long as you live - and you will live as long as you learn."
1st February
This is a reflection from my latest update under "assessment".
Assessment is without a doubt one of the most important things in efficient and successful teaching and of course the evaluation has to be carefully planned in order to insure a positive backwash effect. When teachers want their pupils to do a good job they have to motivate the pupils - and how do you do that? Well, in some cases assessing the pupils is how you do. You provide them with an extrinsic motivation factor - which in my case from "assessment" seemed to work very well. But. Yes there is always a but. What about the pupils who do not work well in competition and who would work much more efficient when using intrinsic motivation factors?
At my home university it is a common thought - or "rule" - that teachers have to think about intrinsic motivation as well as extrinsic motivation, but do pupils actually need to be stimulated in both ways to perform well?
In this Finnish craft's classroom where I observed the pupils were set on a specific task to create a product similar to the teacher's. Everyone did the same thing and had been working on it for a few weeks. Were interest and other intrinsic motivation factors taken in to consideration? If not, how can this be done? Maybe the Danish teacher education has a suggestion to a craft's subject where a combination between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation is easier accessible and thereby possibly making the lessons more efficient. The subject I am thinking about is material design which is a combination between crafts and textile work and is a subject where the pupils can design, plan and create according to budget, instructions, interest, and ability. As far as I know the subject is new at the teacher education and does not excist at public schools.. yet.'
30th March
I can't believe it's already been 2 months since my last entry about my professional development! Time really flies by when you're busy - and not just busy, I must add, having fun as well.
How have I developed professionally these last two months? I don't know where to begin or end, so I'll try to sum it up with a few bullets. Here goes.
- More knowledge about the Finnish education system - facts, curriculum, structure, interviews, observations, personal experiences, history, future changes,
- My horizon - education vise - has become much, much broader, to include not only Finland, Denmark and The Faroe Islands, but countries such as The UK, The US, Germany, Poland, Greece, Japan, Hong Kong..
- I've been introduced to - and gotten acquainted with on my own - more and different learning theories, approaches to teaching and learning, as well as concrete teaching methods that I can adapt to my own teaching
- My knowledge of TEFL has expanded greatly and I automatically transfer everything I meet on my way towards becoming a competent teacher to my future profession
- I have truly discovered that the process of becoming an excellent - expert? - teacher, is not found on the path of teacher education only, but includes examining many other paths in detail. Some might be huge, easily accessible motor ways where many others have been before you - other paths are narrow, crooked and difficult to walk - they might even be completely undiscovered! Becoming an excellent teacher is to me not a question of practice - but the way you approach practice. It is a lifestyle.
- Do I want to choose the easy way - the way that can make a "good teacher" - or do I want to devote the rest of my life to this profession? ..I think I do..
