Tension Patterns in Finnish Teacher Education – Recruitment, Reform and Relevance

Abstract

AbstractIn this chapter, tension patterns and development opportunities within Finnish teacher education are examined. We have chosen to focus the analysis on the recruitment of student teachers, the relationship between theory and practice and mentorship for newly qualified teachers. Tension patterns and development opportunities appear in all three phases, linking the content and form of teacher education.The analysis examines the overarching idea behind a recently introduced recruitment reform that was developed to let interviews play a larger role in the process. This was developed to address a situation in which an applicant applies to several universities or programmes, but is interviewed only once. The relationship between theory and practice in teacher education remains problematic, despite the practice schools’ favourable organizational conditions. New teachers still face challenges when entering the profession; mentoring programmes have been introduced to reduce these tensions.Like some other provinces in the Nordic countries, the self-governing Åland Islands have their own school system, which has both Finnish and Swedish traits, as well as similar kinds of tensions. Despite the presented tensions, research-based teacher education continues to be an appropriate foundation for the continuing development of Finnish teacher education.