Questions we take to the University:

Selection procedure
In Finland you use a selection procedure to select student who may enter the master. Can you describe this procedure?
1.       What is the purpose of the selection procedure?
2.       What are the phases of the procedure?
3.       What are the criteria upon which you select students?
4.       Which (assessment)instruments do you use to measure to what extent de aspirant student meets the criteria?
5.       How are these instruments developed?
6.       Are these instrument grounded in theory and research?
 
Curriculum
We have noticed that your curriculum differs substantially from our curriculum in the Netherlands. In the attachment you can find a figure that presents our curriculum at the university and at the polytechnic university. Can you give an overview of your curriculum, and your vision on how students learn the profession of a teacher, following the question below?
1.       What subject do the students follow?
2.       What is the proportion in the curriculum between content knowledge, didactics (pedagogical content knowledge), knowledge of learning and pedagogy.
3.       How do you organize practical experience or apprenticeship in the curriculum?
4.       What kind of exercises go with the apprenticeship?
5.       The curriculum is different for both class teachers and subject teachers. What are the specific differences between those two?
6.       We read in reports that the teacher training program is ‘research-oriented’. What does this mean?
7.       How do you think a research-oriented attitude at students is enhanced best?
8.       In the Netherlands students experience a discrepancy between theory and practice. Do Finnish students experiences this discrepancy too? How does the Finnish curriculum tackle this challenge?

Differences between pupils
1.       How do the students learn to recognize the level of students and how to respond to that?
2.       What does differentiation look like in the class room and how are students prepared for this?
3.       How are teachers, who will teach newly arrived migrant students, trained to teach?

Apprenticeship, assessment and examination
1.       How do you measure your students’ progress?
2.       How do your students demonstrate their abilities? How are students assessed on this? Do you assess according to competences?
3.       What are the internships like?
4.       What do the students have to do during their internship?
5.       How is the accompaniment of students from teacher training?
6.       What does the collaboration with the training schools look like?
7.       What kind of assessment forms are there for the internship?
8.       Could we maybe see an example of those assessment forms?

Teachers’ life-long learning
1.       What roll does the teacher training play in the continuing education and training of teachers?
2.       Is there a special program for teachers that are just beginning? In the Netherlands 16% of teachers that are just beginning quit within five years. Is this also something that occurs in Finland? How do schools retain teacher for the profession?
3.       What is the added value of being university educated? Are there any cons? What issues does the teacher training experience? What about the attractiveness of the profession?

And these are the questions we take to Viikki Teacher Training School:

Coordination and organization of the apprenticeship
In Finnish and Dutch teacher training programs the apprenticeship in school is an important part of the whole program. We are interested in how the tasks that come along with apprenticeship and the cooperation between university and schools are organized in Finland. The following questions explicate our interests in detail.

1. Do you have a coordinator for matching the number of students with the available apprenticeship places? Is this coordinator staff member of the university or the school.
2. Do you take personal characteristics of student into account when dispersing student over schools. If yes, which characteristics do you take into account.
3. By who are students in their apprenticeship tutored and monitored? And how is the cooperation between university and school organized in this respect?
4. Are tutors and mentors educated or trained in their tutor and/or mentor activities?
5. Can you describe what kind of learning activities do tutors or mentors undertake with students? how frequently? At university or at school?  Individual or group activities?

Apprenticeship, assessment and examination

1. How do you measure your students’ progress?
2. How do your students demonstrate their abilities? How are students assessed on this? Do you assess according to competences?
3. What are the internships like?
4. What do the students have to do during their internship?
5. How is the accompaniment of students from teacher training?
6. What does the collaboration with the university look like?
7. What kind of assessment forms are there for the internship?
8. Could we maybe see an example of those assessment forms?

Teachers’ life-long learning

1. What roll do the teacher training schools play in the continuing education and training of teachers?
2. Is there a special program for teachers that are just beginning? In the Netherlands 16% of teachers that are just beginning quit within five years. Is this also something that occurs in Finland? How do schools retain teacher for the profession?
3. What is the added value of being university educated? Are there any cons? What issues does the teacher training experience? What about the attractiveness of the profession?

Quality assurance

1. Can you describe the system of quality assurance or quality control of the master education?
2. How do you assure that the master to become a teacher has the appropriate master level and prepares students adequately for the profession of teacher

Zondag

   Verzamelen op Schiphol vertrekhal – 08:00 uur

   Uitdelen Helsinki OV-card – Reis met bus 615 naar Hotel
– Hotel Sokos Presidentti, check in
– Helsinki verkennen – 15:00 – 17:30 uur
– Programma doorloop – samenstellen verslaggroepen 18:00 – 18:20 uur

Diner at Rosso Citykäytävä – Keskuskatu 6 – gereserveerd om 18:30 uur

Maandag

   Bezoek aan University of Helsinki – Centre for Continuing Education HY+
Adres: Fabianinkatu 32, Helsinki

– Vertrek hotel lobby @ 08:30 – 20 minuten lopen
– Programma op de Universiteit 09:00 – 16:00 uur
–  Voor de vragen die we meenemen, zie Opmerkingen

Diner – Virgin Oil Co. Restaurant – Kaivopiha, Mannerheimintie 5 – gereserveerd om 18:30 uur

Dinsdag

   Schoolbezoek aan Viikki Teacher Training school – Kevätkatu 2, Helsinki.

–  Vertrek uit Lobby om 08:00 uur, bus 68 bij Rautentiatori om 08:17
–  Start programma op Viikki 09:00 uur –  International coordinator Mrs. Erja Schunk

–  Voor de vragen die we meenemen, zie Opmerkingen

Diner bij Lappi – Annankatu 22 – Helsinki – gereserveerd om 20:00 uur

Woensdag

  Reflectiebijeenkomst:  gezien, gedaan, geleerd, genoten – 09:00 – 12:00 uur.

Vrije tijd in Helsinki 12:00 –  14:30 uur
Voor wie wil, om 12:30 uur, een kort bezoek aan de Temppeliaukiokerk (ook wel Rotskerk genoemd), 10 mimuten lopen vanaf het hotel

Vertrek naar vliegveld Vantaa Airport – 15:00 uur
Vliegen Vantaa Airport – 18:15 uur

  Aankomst in Nederland – 19:45 uur