Physics Teacher Preparation at University of Helsinki, Finland

1
Physics Teacher Preparation at University of
Helsinki, Finland

• Ari Hämäläinen, University of Helsinki
• Dan MacIsaac, Buffalo State College

2
Education System in Finland 1
3
Finnish Education System

• Free and universal
• No high-stakes testing, except
• Matriculation examination in the end of the Upper
  Secondary School
• Entrance examinations to universities etc.(often
  the same thing)
• Less than in most other countries school
  systems
• school hours homework
• testing grading
• control of schools teachers
• variation between schools

4
Finnish Grade School detail

• National, obligatory curriculum guidelines
  schools make their localized curricula based on
  the guidelines
• In lower grades, same teachers usually follow the
  class for several years, becoming expert on
  individual child and accountable for childs
  learning
• Approximately half of all Finnish children
  receive formal special education intervention
  differentiated instruction, career guidance,
  counseling, and special education are integrated
  as required

5
Finnish Grade School detail (cont.)

• Gr 5-9 physics is conceptual(Hewitt at grades
  7-9 in KSYK1)
• HS physics is algebraic (Knight alg-trig at KSYK)
• HS has 8 physics courses, of which 1 is
  compulsory courses are short intensive, 5-7
  weeks
• HS long form sequence math ends about US Calc
  IILong form math 13 courses, 10
  compulsoryRegular form math 8 courses, 6
  compulsory
• Readiness University of Helsinki first year
  physics starts with Calc Based Intl Ed of Knight
  in English
• Kulosaari secondary school, http//www.ksyk.fi/en/
  is an international school following the
  national curriculum

6
Less is more
2000 2003 2006 2009
Scientific literacy 3 joint 1 1 2
Reading literacy 1 1 2 3
Mathematics skills 4 2 2 2
Ranking of Finland in Programme for International
Student Assessment (PISA) surveys 2
7
Teacher Education General

• Attractive
• Academic
• Research-based
• Master's Degree

8
Subject Teacher Education General

• Two main paths to enter
• In the beginning of one's academic studies
• After completing a Master's degree in one major
  and 1-2 minor subjects
• Cooperation
• Subject department subject-matter program for
  teachers
• Department of Teacher Education pedagogical
  studies

9
Physics Teacher Preparation Program at University
of Helsinki
Physics as the first teaching discipline

• Bachelor's degree in physics
• Master's degree in physics education
• Total of 300 ECTS credits, 3 2 years(1 credit
  equals 25 30 h full-time studying)
• Physics content targets fostering deep conceptual
  understanding of the physics studied in grade
  school
• No upper-division physics courses such as
  Classical Mechanics, Mathematical Methods, etc.

10
Bachelor's degree (3 years)

• Physics contents the same as for all physics
  students
• Mechanics
• Electromagnetism
• Electrodynamics
• Waves and fields
• Basic relativity
• Thermophysics
• Measurement methods
• Structure of matter
• Laboratory work

11
Bachelor's degree (cont.)

• Minor in the second teaching discipline (usually
  mathematics or chemistry)
• General studies (IT, language, etc)
• Subject teacher studies at Department of Teacher
  Education
• Developmental psychology and learning
• Special education
• General and subject-specific didactics
• Basic teaching practice in Teacher Training
  School
• Seminar teacher as a researcher. Preparation of
  a research plan.
• Bachelors thesis (Dept of Physics)
• often has the same topic as the upcoming Master's
  thesis

12
Master's degree (2 years)

• Specific physics courses for teachers (Dept of
  Physics)
• Teachers' laboratory I II
• Concepts and structures of physics I II
• History and philosophy of Physics
• Teachers' thesis seminar
• Optional physics courses

13
Master's degree (continued)

• Subject teacher studies at Department of Teacher
  Education
• Social, historical and philosophical foundations
  of education
• Advanced and final teaching practices in Teacher
  Training School or Field School
• Seminar teacher as a researcher. Completing the
  research
• Master's thesis (Pro Gradu) (Dept of Physics)

14
History of Physics

• Development of physics as a science and a
  discipline
• Utilizing history of physics as a didactical tool
• How central physics phenomena were found
• Progress of the scientific method
• Historical viewpoint to evolution of concepts,
  models and theories

15
Concepts and structures of physics I II

• Structure of physical knowledge
• Goals of physics as a science
• How does the scientific method and the
  interaction between empiry and theory control the
  evolution of the concept structure that is
  typical for physics
• Practical aims
• Learn the physics way of thinking
• Learn how to speak good physics in teaching
• Learn how to use cooperation of theory and empiry
  for developing teaching strategies and setting
  goals

16
Teachers' laboratory I II

• Learn to implement and design teaching based on
  empirical concept formation
• Learn to use various equipment, including
  computer-based lab tools
• Lectures cover experiments in main physics topics
  from primary to upper secondary school
• Students choose 23 topics
• Written plan concept map (links are
  experiments)
• Making the experiments
• Written report revised concept map

17
Teachers' laboratory I II
Forming concepts Interaction, impulse, and
inertial mass
18
Pro Gradu examples of topics

• Teaching the electron in high school physics and
  chemistry
• Environment and society in physics teaching
  climate change
• The view of learning embedded in physics
  textbookshttp//per.physics.helsinki.fi/kirjasto/
  ont/msloan/Gradu20Final.pdf
• Constructing a set of concept map tools for
  teaching
• Teaching dynamics by experiments to visually
  impaired students
• Physics for preschoolers
• Physics for musicians
• Physics of clay shooting
• Quantitative exploration of the Doppler effect in
  teaching

19
Physics Teacher Preparation
Physics as a second teaching discipline
First teaching subject of participants of
Teachers' Lab courses in 2004 2011, N 310

• Most physics in schools is taught by math
  teachers!
• Most physics teachers are also math teachers

20
Physics as a second teaching discipline

• Physics Education Minor program is part of the
  Bachelor's Degree (Physics Education Major
  program is a part of the Master's Degree)
• Basic studies in physics for minors
• Motion and forces
• Heat and energy
• Electricity and magnetism
• Matter and radiation
• Laboratory work (together with majors)

21
Physics as a second teaching discipline
(continued)

• Compulsory subject studies in physics
• Concepts and structures of physics I II for
  minors
• Teachers' laboratory I II for minors
• Optional subject studies in physics
• History and philosophy of physics
• 2-3 Bachelor's Degree courses in physics,
  astronomy, geophysics or meteorology

22
Teacher Qualification

• To get a tenure, one must be qualified (today,
  must have Master's Degree)
• Qualification is proven by a personal diploma
  given by the university no central record of
  certifications
• Schools are allowed to hire unqualified teachers
  in temporary positions
• Many pre-service teachers work part-time as
  substitutes during their studies

23
References and links

1. Sahlberg, P. Finnish Lessons. What can the world
   learn from educational change in Finland?
   Teachers College, Columbia University.
   www.finnishlessons.com.Pasi Sahlberg is a past
   Finnish math and physics teacher, amongst many
   other things.
2. www.pisa.oecd.org
3. www.oph.fi/english
4. per.physics.helsinki.fi/eng/
5. www.helsinki.fi/teachereducation/
6. tinyurl.com/Jan2011poster-ppt

24
Thank you

• Questions, please!
• Ari.Hamalainen_at_helsinki.fi