Pertti Kansanen

The Epistemological Stance between the Knower and the Known.

Abstract The purpose of this study is to build a conceptual framework of teachers’ practical knowing. Through consideration of interview data from both elementary and secondary school teachers, the common features underlying teachers’ thinking were identified. The empirical findings indicated that teachers shared field-invariant epistemological standards guiding their practical knowledge. Teachers’ professional and moral character were interrelated and could not be separated from each other. In this paper, these two epistemological dimensions in teachers’ reasoning were brought together. The stances of teachers’ professional character and teachers’ moral character have the potential of combining vocational and professional aspects by establishing epistemological standards in teachers’ thinking.

Subject‐matter didactics as a central knowledge base for teachers, or should it be called pedagogical content knowledge?

This paper compares the concepts of ‘subject‐matter didactics’ (Fachdidaktik) with ‘pedagogical content knowledge’. The former is based on German didaktik and has a long tradition. The latter was introduced by Lee Shulman in the late 1980s and has no tradition in the same way as its German counterpart. Both of the concepts deal with the same ideas; there are, however, essential differences. Subject‐matter didactics is a broader concept also containing value aspects and other curriculum‐related characteristics. Pedagogical content knowledge, on the other hand, is more research‐oriented although at the same time part of a broader knowledge system. Both concepts are dealt with quite separately in the research literature. Combining the promising aspects of both areas might, in future, lead to new insights.

Teaching as Teaching‐Studying‐Learning Interaction

Abstract The teaching‐learning process is expanded to a teaching‐studying‐learning process where the active role of the student is emphasized. Interaction is suggested as the central concept in this process. Interaction can be divided into the phase preceding the interaction proper and the phase following it. In addition to pre‐interaction and post‐interaction, direct and indirect interaction as well as the symmetrical and asymmetrical nature of this interaction are considered. The role of the student and the place of learning are emphasized by the activity of studying. The potential passive nature of the concept of process is also analysed.

Investigating Finnish teacher educators’ views on research‐based teacher education

In this article, we examine teacher educators’ views on research‐based teacher education. Finnish research‐based teacher education has four characteristics: (1) the study programme is structured according to a systematic analysis of education; (2) all teaching is based on research; (3) activities are organized in such a way that students can practice argumentation, decision‐making and justification when inquiring about and solving pedagogical problems; and (4) the students learn formal research skills during their studies. According to the results, teacher educators appreciate the research‐based approach to which the university is committed, although they were sceptical about how well this vision transfers to the students.

Studying--The Realistic Bridge between Instruction and Learning. An Attempt to a Conceptual Whole of the Teaching-Studying-Learning Process.

Examining learning is a wide and open topic. If we pay attention to learning as achieving some aims and goals defined before, we need a broader and more precise context, an instructional process. This consists of interaction between a teacher and the students. It is based on particular relationships between the teacher, the student and the content that is studied in the instructional process. The human relationship between the teacher and the students is a pedagogical relation and it is regulated by the pedagogical context. Fundamental to learning is, however, how the student meets the content to be learnt, the didactic relation. This relation is invisible by nature. To organise this relation belongs to the expertise of the teacher. The student learning is supposed to take place in the didactic relation of the instructional process.

Didactics and its Relation to Educational Psychology: Problems in Translating a Key Concept Across Research Communities

Didactics, meaning the systematic study of the instructional process, has a long tradition in many European countries. In Anglo-American literature, however, didactics is largely absent. Instead, it is often dealt with under the heading of educational psychology, curriculum theory or some other heading. In this article the author clarifies the distinction between educational psychology and didactics, and argues that didactics is a valuable concept whose absence in the Anglo-American tradition of educational studies is a disadvantage.

Teaching as a Master’s Level Profession in Finland: Theoretical Reflections and Practical Solutions

In the Finnish teacher education system, teachers (in grades 1–12) pass a master’s degree in the university. In this chapter, the most important theoretical aspects that underpin the Finnish teacher education programmes are described and analysed, and we consider why it may be called research-based teacher education. The primary class pre-service teachers write their master’s thesis in ‘education’, while the secondary subject pre-service teachers write it in their ‘main subject’ within their own faculty (mathematics, physics, history, language, religion, etc.). Teacher education is considered from two perspectives or strata. The first deals with everyday practice and can be called a basic level of teacher education; the other stratum may be called a conceptual level of teacher education. An organising theme, a research-based approach, is applied as an integrative principle throughout the programme. It is built on evidence of research, teachers’ pedagogical thinking, and close theory-practice relation. University practice schools have an important role connecting practical experiences with theoretical studies. These schools and their teachers, mentors of student teaching at the same time, are specialised in teacher education and work closely with the supervisors of the university department. The system is supported with a model of peer-group mentoring in order to facilitate adaptation into the profession at the beginning of the career.

Educating inquiry-oriented teachers: students' attitudes and experiences towards research-based teacher education

In this article, we will discuss research-based teacher education as an organizing theme of teacher education. We will report the results of two surveys in which students expressed their attitudes towards the research-based approach and their experiences of research-based teacher education. The construct validity of the inventory was tested using both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. The comparison of the factor means revealed that the multimode teacher education group had a statistically higher mean score than the traditional class teacher education group for factors which dealt with the pedagogical content knowledge of those subjects that class teachers teach in their classes. When the experienced implementation of the research-based approach was analyzed, the results ran in the same direction. The difference between the attitudes and experiences concerning the research-based approach was remarkable. However, our results suggest that the research-based approach is an appreciated general level organizer for teacher education.

Education as a Discipline in Finland

Abstract The development of education as an academic discipline since it first became established at the University of Helsinki in 1852 is presented and discussed. It is argued that the autonomy of education would be better noticed if the traditional academic content areas are not too heavily emphasized. In any case the main research areas in teacher education are research on teaching and didactic problems.

Pedagogical Ethics in Educational Research

The ethics of education is usually addressed under several themes, moral education being the most common conception of it. Although the moral aspects may be acknowledged as implicit and self-evident in every research context, it seems doubtful that the dimension of ethics is, in fact, missing. The point here is that, in a bounded system, there is no need for the moral aspects to become conscious. However, introducing pedagogy as a practical concept to the educational context makes the moral dimension of education clear and visible. The aim here is to justify the use of pedagogy and to suggest how this may be possible.