In this article, we describe a collegial case study conducted in one Finnish university during the last field experience in a primary school teacher education program and discuss pedagogy of supervision from university supervisors' perspectives. The aim of the study was to clarify the role of university supervisors and try out a collegial…

Research shows that professional learning can have a powerful effect on teacher skills and knowledge, and on how well students learn. To be effective, however, professional learning for teachers needs to be conducted in the ways that it is in many high achieving countries--continuously, collaboratively, and with a focus on teaching specific…

Research on teacher education entrance examinations has become a significant branch of educational research in Finland. Class teacher selections are of great importance to get those applicants into training who are the most suitable for the teaching profession. This article investigates how successful entrance examinations are, as well as the…

Describes a study of Finnish elementary and secondary school teachers that analyzed relations between teachers' skills in using the new information and communication technology (ICT), their pedagogical thinking, and their self-reported practices. Topics include technical ICT skills; access to computers; information technology use; and age and…

This longitudinal study examined the development of expertise as a situational and contextual process among nine student teachers during their 3-year enrollment in a kindergarten training college in Finland. The research report is based on observations of student teaching, interviews with the student teachers, and student teacher diaries.…

Eight papers presented at an international symposium on teacher education research are featured in this document. Excerpts from the opening speech by Erkki A. Niskanen, Dean of the Faculty of Education at the University of Helsinki, outline research projects being carried out by teacher educators at the university. A paper by Yrjo Engestrom,…

Two studies are reported: "Elements of 'Good Teaching': A Comparison of Education Students' Perceptions in Botswana, California, Finland, and Zimbabwe" (John Yoder, Larry Shaw, Ben Siyakwazi, Kaarina Yli-Renko) and "Intercultural Communication: A Challenge to German Language Teacher Education" (Kaarina Yli-Renko). The first…

The debate about what constitutes good teaching in the industrialized countries of the world tends to be carried over into the developing world without examining ways in which social and cultural contexts of the originating countries differ from those of the receiving ones. This study explores differences in perceptions of elementary education…

This Yearbook 1989-90 is made up of six articles. The articles depict the ongoing discussion taking place in Finland as it re-assesses the state of its mathematics education and planning measures for its development. The opening article presents an analysis of the president of the International Commission on Mathematical Instruction of some…