Study Guide

Objectives

The core competence fields of teachers’ work are assessment competence, cultural competence, teaching and facilitation competence, partnership competence and wellbeing competence. They form a framework for all competence objectives.

Teacher students
- know basic concepts and phenomena of educational science and educational research and can explain learning based on them
- conceptualise learning, know different learning conceptions and can use them as development tools and apply them in their field and in building their teaching/supervision knowledge
- can explain the meaning of human growth and life cycle in teaching and education
- assess philosophical and historical background viewpoints of education and consider their importance and topicality in developing their educational thinking and operating environment
- analyse social tasks of the educational system and expand their understanding of social impact possibilities as teachers and facilitators.

Content

The basic starting point for teachers’ work is an extensive understanding of learning and education. Teachers’ work reflects on the historical period and its views. The course examines different fields of educational science. The course is a part of the educational science studies.

Key questions:
What are the basic concepts and phenomena of educational science and educational research?
What learning conceptions are there and how do they explain learning? How can they be applied in teachers’ work?
What viewpoints do educational and developmental psychology bring into teachers’ work? What is life cycle thinking?
How has teachers’ work changed and what historical changes and ideologies have there been? How has the conception of teacherhood and learning changed as a part of the social change?
What viewpoints does educational philosophy bring into teacherhood and teachers’ work?
What viewpoints does educational sociology bring into teacherhood and teachers’ work?
What is the Finnish education system like and what are its social tasks?