Discussions on Some Educational Issues. Research Report 30
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DOCUMENT RESUME ED 273 599 SP 027 957 AUTHOR Kansanen, Pertti, Ed. TITLE Discussions on Some Educational Issues. Research Report 30. INSTITUTION Helsinki Univ., (Finland). Dept. of Teacher Education. REPORT NO ISBN-951-45-3635-5 PUB DATE 85 NOTE 129p. PUB TYPE Reports - Descriptive (141) -- Collected Works - General (020) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC06 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Adult Education; *Educational Philosophy; *Educational Research; Elementary School Teachers; Elementary Secondary Education; *Foreign Countries; Secondary School Teachers; *Social Influences; *Teacher Education; Teacher Role IDENTIFIERS *Finland; Sweden ABSTRACT Educational issues in Finland and Sweden are addressed in the following papers: (1) "Teacher Training and the Official Teacher's Role" (Karl-Georg Ahlstrom and Maud Johnsson); (2) "Evaluation of Coercive Elements in Education" (Timo Airaksinen); (3) "Philosophy from the Viewpoint of Education" (Pertti Kansanen); (4) "Education of Secondary School Teachers and Research concerning Their Education in Finland" (Hannele Niemi); (5) "The Societal Determinant and an Assessment of Its Realization in the Revised Training of Class Teachers" (Arja Puurula and Kari Uusikyla); and (6) "Adult Education for Life Transitions" (Paula I. Robbins and Seppo Kontiaiuen) (JD) *********************************************************************** Repro3uctions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS BEST COPY AVAILABLE MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC).- cr, RESEARCH REPORT 30 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office ol Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION igN Department of Education CE NTE R (ERIC) This document has Osten reproduced IS received from the person or organization " University of Helsinki originating it ID Minot changes have been made to improve reproduction duality Points ot view or opinions slated in this doctr ment do not neCeSaarily represent official OERI postlion or policy 14.1 k DISCUSSIONS ON SOME EDUCATIONAL ISSUES Edited by Pend Bansanen In i frr,... 4 44 ej I ir 1-1111441 r: '1; Wow csi 0 Helsinki 1985 RESEARCH REPORT 30 Department of Teacher Education, University of Helsinki Ratakatu 2, SF-00120 Helsinki e- U4'cu.& DISCUSSIONS ON SOME EDUCATIONAL ISSUES Edited by Pertti Kansanen Helsinki 1985 ISBN 951-45-3635-5 ISSN 0359-4203 Helsinki 1985 Yliopistopaino 4 Contributors Ahlström, Karl-Georg, Professor, Ph.D., Department of Education, Uppsala University. Airaksinen, Timo. Professor, Ph.D., Department of Philosophy, Uni- versity of Helsinki. Johnsson, Maud, MA, Ass., Department of Education, Uppsala Uni- versity. Kansanen, Pertti, Professor, Ph.D., Department of Teacher Education. University of Helsinki. Kontiainen, Seppo, Professor, Ph.D., Department of Education, Uni- versity of Helsinki. Puurula, Arja, Lic.Ph., Department of Teacher Education. University of Helsinki. Robbins, Paula I, Ph.D., University of Lowell. USA. Uusikylii, Kari, Doc., Ph.D. Department of Teacher Education. Uni- versity of Helsinki. Contents Teacher Training and the Official Teacher's Role 1 by Karl-Georg AhlstrOm and Maud Johnsson Evaluation of Coercive Elements in Education 33 by Timo Airaksinen Philosophy from the Viewpoint of Education 51 by Pertti Kansanen Education of Secondary School Teachers and Research 67 Concerning their Education in Finland by Hannele Niemi The Societal Determinant, and an Assessment of its 91 Realization in the Revised Training of Class Teachers by Arja Puurula and Kari UusikylA Adult Education for Life Transitions 107 by Paula 1. Robbins and Seppo Kontiainen fi TEACHER TRAINING AND THE OFFICIAL TEACHER'S ROLE by Karl-Georg Ahlstrdm 8 Maud Jonsson* Background and starting points The curricula for the Swedish school system in conjunction with certain acts of parliament represent thestate's view of how work in the schools ought to be carried out. They provide a framework for schools in the form of organization, objec- tives, content, allocation of teaching time etc., and in certain cases prescribe and in others recommend types of activity which should fall within this framework. Curriculum and statute togetherthus express expectations of how the teacher's work should be organized, what it should consist of and how it should be carried out. These expectations concern- ing the teacher's behaviour are 'role prescriptions';they can be said to constitute an official teacher'srole. These prescriptions give expression, justas the curricula and the law, to political visions, andare of course not necessar- ily compatible with the views on school and teachingheld by the individual teacher with a different politicalpersuasion. They can even be at odds with the 'receivedexperience' which the majority of teachers feel that the profession has ac- quired. Open resistanceto reform proposals worked out by central administration has occurred, but in the majority of cases the resistance takes more subtle forms: a reform is carried out, but in such a way that in practice everything *Translation by David Anstey remains as it has always been (Sarason 1973). Thereexists therefore a dichotomy between the view of the teacher as a servant of the state and as the servant of his profession. The professional knows, or thinks he knows, what objectives can be reached and what means are necessary for the achievement of specific goals. The TivIl servant has only to pursue those aims set up for him by others, with the help of means allo- cated to him. Educational research finds itself in the middle of this di- chotomy. To the extent that it attempts to shatter those illu- sions with which 'received expeviences is beset, or demon- strates that the school system does not function in accordance with its aims and guidelines, educational research is probably regarded with suspicion by the profession. In Sweden educa- tional research has for a long time been deeply involved in the government projects of evaluation and realization of pol- itical educational visions. It is regarded in all probability by th teaching profession as being allied to the state, and individual representatives of research as advocates of the of- ficial teacher's role. Teacher training, which in common with schools is state-run, may be regarded as having the obligation of training the would-be-teacher in the official teacher's role, but must naturally equip him also with the expertise accumulated within the profession. Certain -cher trainers, but not all, have been recruited specifically because they are highly respected as teachers and are willing to pass on the 'received experi- ence' to new generations of teachers. It is therefore open to question how their loyalties are divieed between the state, representing the official teacher's role, and the teaching profession presiding over the 'received experience'. Questions arise also over the shaping of the teaching role that the student teachers are trained in. 2 Teacher training is from many points of view a highly complex organization, not least with respect to the composition ofits staff. A number of those involved in the training of teachers have been recruited on the grounds that they possess a high degree of eApertise as teachers in those areas of education which teacher training is concerned with. In some cases this practical expertise is linked with high academic qualifica- tions in certain teaching subjects. Another group of teacher trainers consists of specialists in areas which do not corre- spond to the teaching subjects within the school system. Teachers in pedagogics and psychology, for example,fall with- in this group. One should therefore take into accountthe fact that teacher trainers have their reference groups sometimes within and sometimes outside the classroom walls, for example in an academic faculty. If a conflict of loyalties exists within teacher training this shouldcome to the surface in the interpretation of the official teacher role that teacher trainers make with their differing backgrounds andidentities. The present paper offers an analysis of the training of sub- ject teachers in Sweden from these points of departure. The system of class teachers is applied here in the first six years of primary school, and thereafter subject teachingtakes over. The subject teacher has as a rule two or three subjects. Teacher training takes somewhat different forms in different parts of the country, as the decision-making process is to a considerable degree decentralized. The present study deals with the training of subject teachers in the form that it exists at the University of Uppsala during the years 1980- 1982. The analysis is based on a series of investigationsoriginally set up to study the consequences of thenew reorganized system of higher education which came into force in 1977, and the tensions inherent in the training sketched in the opening paragraphs were not at the outset the focus of our interest. 3 In due course, however, they began to assume a greater prominence. This brought certain consequences which we shall return to later. Organization of subject teacher training There are separate curricula for each of the levels of school- ing where subject teaching takes place, i.e., the senior level of the nine-year compulsary school, the upper secondary school and adult education. The training of subject teachers does not differentiate between the various needs of these school