Visions for Teacher Education – Experiences from Finland [VISIONS 2011: Teacher Education]

Abstract

The study of teacher education in different countries reveals that many basic problems seem quite similar, although we might use different ways of categorizing and labeling the constituent elements. These differences can be specific to certain contexts, at least partly due to different traditions. To allow educationalists to understand and learn from each other on a global level, it is important to find ways of communicating these issues. The present article provides a meta-analysis of various empirical studies conducted by the authors and other Finnish researchers. The discussion entails exposing the plan and composition of characteristic features constituting Finnish teacher education. However, its ambition goes beyond describing the state of affairs: Despite a unanimous appreciation of its design, both nationally and abroad, Finnish teacher education is facing many kinds of tensions and challenges, which we in the following characterize as dilemmas. The overall aim of this article is to discuss some of these dilemmas, and also to suggest some possible ways of dealing with these. We will discuss four types of dilemmas: (1) the organization of teacher education in higher education institutions and its internal organization, (2) the relationship between general and subject-specific didactics, (3) a research-based approach versus practice-oriented approaches, and (4) the dilemma of the transition from education to work.