Professional Special Needs Teacher Education: 25OPKOE
Code: 25OPKOE
Description
The professional special needs teacher education is based on inclusive pedagogy, which involves a reflective, inquisitive and development-oriented approach.
The education emphasises the activity of student teachers, shared production and assessment of information, and the development of new practices and special needs teaching skills.
The education focuses on special pedagogical competencies, pedagogical competencies of professional special needs teachers, work community competencies and development competencies.
Professional special needs teacher education builds a new professional identity. The identity of a professional special needs teacher is formed in a process that involves the past, present and future. Forming the identity of a special needs teacher in addition to the identity of a teacher requires that phenomena are studied from new perspectives.
The perspectives included in the studies involve individuality, guidance, authenticity, cooperation and plasticity.
The studies are multimodal.
Completing the studies entitles the person to use the abbreviation AmE (ammatillinen erityisopettaja, professional/vocational special needs teacher) to signal their qualification.
Curriculum development and working life cooperation
The background materials include interviews and workshop results of students in professional special needs teacher education, professional special needs teachers working in the field, and parties arranging education. We have also used information gained through networks, such as the PAEK expert and supervision groups as well as the network of providers of professional special needs teacher education. The background materials for development also include the teacher survey regarding the competency needs of professional teachers, carried out in 2018 during the Parasta osaamista project. In addition to the above, the studies also make use of the national and strategic curriculum policies for teacher colleges created in the OPEKE project.
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Show study timings by academic year, semester or period
| Code | Name | Credits (cr) | 2024-2025 | 2025-2026 | Spring 2025 | Autumn 2025 | 3. / 2025 | 4. / 2025 | 1. / 2025 | 2. / 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25OPKOE-1001 |
Pedagogical Skills Related to Special Needs
(Choose all ) |
25 | ||||||||
| 1L00FO49 | Basics of Special Needs Pedagogy | 5 | ||||||||
| 1L00FO50 | Supporting Reading, Writing and Mathematics | 5 | ||||||||
| 1L00FO51 | Supporting Socio-emotional Development | 5 | ||||||||
| 1L00HD08 | Interprofessional Collaboration | 5 | ||||||||
| 1L00HD09 | Special Education and Society | 5 | ||||||||
| 25OPKOE-1002 |
Pedagogical Skills of Professional Special Needs Teachers
(Choose all ) |
15 | ||||||||
| 1L00FO64 | Planning Individual Study Paths | 5 | ||||||||
| 1L00HH16 | Vocational Special Needs Teacher in Different Operational Environments | 5 | ||||||||
| 1L00HH17 | Implementing Individual Study Paths | 5 | ||||||||
| 25OPKOE-1003 |
Work Community Skills
(Choose all ) |
10 | ||||||||
| 1L00FO66 | Interaction and Cooperation Skills | 5 | ||||||||
| 1L00FO67 | Guidance and Support in Building Inclusion | 5 | ||||||||
| 25OPKOE-1004 |
Development Skills
(Choose all ) |
10 | ||||||||
| 1L00FO68 | Development of Own Work and Organisation | 10 | ||||||||
| Total | 60 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Due to the timing of optional and elective courses, credit accumulation per semester / academic year may vary.
| Professional Studies in Pedagogy |
| Planning Individual Study Paths |
| Basic Studies in Pedagogy |
| Basics of Special Needs Pedagogy |
| Supporting Reading, Writing and Mathematics |
| Supporting Socio-emotional Development |
| Optional Studies |
| Interaction and Cooperation Skills |
| Guidance and Support in Building Inclusion |
| Development of Own Work and Organisation |
| Teaching Practice |
No attached course units |
| Unclassified |
| Interprofessional Collaboration |
| Special Education and Society |
| Vocational Special Needs Teacher in Different Operational Environments |
| Implementing Individual Study Paths |
Sustainability and Responsibility
Sustainable Future is one of the pedagogical principles of TAMK. Ecological, social, cultural, and economic sustainability are important building blocks of a sustainable future. All these perspectives can be observed on individual, sectoral, societal, or global scales.
|
Ecological sustainability
Ecological sustainability can relate to biodiversity, ecosystem functions, sustainable and just use of resources (e.g. circular economy), and ways of mitigating human activities regarding nature’s carrying capacity (e.g. climate change). |
| Interprofessional Collaboration |
| Planning Individual Study Paths |
| Guidance and Support in Building Inclusion |
| Development of Own Work and Organisation |
|
Cultural sustainability
Cultural sustainability relates to knowledge of culture, pluralism, tolerance, valuing cultural diversity, and contributing to intercultural communication. |
| Basics of Special Needs Pedagogy |
| Supporting Reading, Writing and Mathematics |
| Supporting Socio-emotional Development |
| Interprofessional Collaboration |
| Special Education and Society |
| Planning Individual Study Paths |
| Interaction and Cooperation Skills |
| Guidance and Support in Building Inclusion |
| Development of Own Work and Organisation |
|
Social sustainability
Social sustainability relates to equal distribution of well-being, realization of fundamental rights, engagement in societal action and decision making, as well as to coping with individual challenges, taking responsibility, and pursuing sustainable lifestyle. |
| Basics of Special Needs Pedagogy |
| Supporting Reading, Writing and Mathematics |
| Supporting Socio-emotional Development |
| Interprofessional Collaboration |
| Special Education and Society |
| Planning Individual Study Paths |
| Interaction and Cooperation Skills |
| Guidance and Support in Building Inclusion |
| Development of Own Work and Organisation |
|
Economic sustainability
Economic sustainability can manifest in combining environmental and economic perspectives in decision making, discussing responsible consumption and business, or addressing different forms of debts (economic, resource-related, social). |
| Interprofessional Collaboration |
| Planning Individual Study Paths |
| Development of Own Work and Organisation |
|
Future orientation
Future orientation can appear as dealing with megatrends or powers of transformation, or as discussing and creating scenarios, or as future oriented career counselling or coaching. |
| Special Education and Society |
| Planning Individual Study Paths |
| Interaction and Cooperation Skills |
| Development of Own Work and Organisation |
| Unclassified |
| Vocational Special Needs Teacher in Different Operational Environments |
| Implementing Individual Study Paths |
| Code | Name | Credits (cr) |
|---|---|---|
| 25OPKOE-1001 |
Pedagogical Skills Related to Special Needs
(Choose all) |
25 |
| 1L00FO49 | Basics of Special Needs Pedagogy | 5 |
| 1L00FO50 | Supporting Reading, Writing and Mathematics | 5 |
| 1L00FO51 | Supporting Socio-emotional Development | 5 |
| 1L00HD08 | Interprofessional Collaboration | 5 |
| 1L00HD09 | Special Education and Society | 5 |
| 25OPKOE-1002 |
Pedagogical Skills of Professional Special Needs Teachers
(Choose all) |
15 |
| 1L00FO64 | Planning Individual Study Paths | 5 |
| 1L00HH16 | Vocational Special Needs Teacher in Different Operational Environments | 5 |
| 1L00HH17 | Implementing Individual Study Paths | 5 |
| 25OPKOE-1003 |
Work Community Skills
(Choose all) |
10 |
| 1L00FO66 | Interaction and Cooperation Skills | 5 |
| 1L00FO67 | Guidance and Support in Building Inclusion | 5 |
| 25OPKOE-1004 |
Development Skills
(Choose all) |
10 |
| 1L00FO68 | Development of Own Work and Organisation | 10 |