The Finnish National Board of Education decision determines which of the three subject areas are included in the candidate s aptitude test.

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1 2015 COMPLETING THE APTITUDE TEST FOR TEACHERS The aptitude test for teachers consists of three subject areas, a portfolio and a feedback session. The Finnish National Board of Education decision determines which of the three subject areas are included in the candidate s aptitude test. If the holder of the decision wants to complete the aptitude test, he or she must contact a teacher training unit at a university in order to sign up for the test. When signing up, the candidate agrees with the university on the timetable and the details of the test. In general, the aptitude test must be completed within a year from the sign-up. In the following, the methods of completing the aptitude test are described, and instructions on how to prepare for it are given according to what the Finnish National Board of Education and representatives of universities have agreed. The listed reading should be regarded as an example; the faculty that organises the test can agree with the candidate on literature other than the listed. THE SUBJECT AREAS OF THE APTITUDE TEST ACCORDING TO THE TEACHING PROFESSION Subject area 1: Exploring teacherhood / Exploring special needs teaching CLASS TEACHERS & SUBJECT TEACHERS An essay on Exploring being a class teacher / Exploring being a subject teacher. When writing the essay, the candidate should make reference to at least two sources, as well as his or her own education and experiences. The length of the essay is about 710 pages. Kansanen, P. (2004). Opetuksen käsitemaailma. Jyväskylä: PS-kustannus Patrikainen, R. (1999). Opettajuuden laatu. Ihmiskäsitys, tiedonkäsitys ja oppimiskäsitys opettajan pedagogisessa ajattelussa ja toiminnassa. Jyväskylä: PSkustannus. Luukkainen, O. (2005). Opettajan matkakirja tulevaan. Jyväskylä: PS-kustannus SPECIAL NEEDS TEACHERS An essay on Exploring special needs teaching. When writing the essay, the candidate should make reference to at least two sources, as well as his or her own education and experiences. The length of the essay is approximately 7 10 pages. Saloviita, T. (1999). Kaikille avoimeen kouluun.

2 Määttä, P. (1999). Perhe asiantuntijana. Erityiskasvatuksen ja kuntoutuksen käytännöt. Ahvenainen, E. & Holopainen, E. (1999). Lukemis- ja kirjoittamisvaikeudet. Subject area 2: The Finnish school An essay on The Finnish school When writing the essay, the candidate should make reference to at least two sources, as well as his or her possible own experiences about the Finnish school. The length of the essay is approximately 7 10 pages. Lampinen, O. (1998). Suomen koulujärjestelmän kehitys (3. painos). Helsinki: Gaudeamus. Opetushallitus (2010). Esiopetuksen opetussuunnitelman perusteet. Tampere: Juvenes Print Tampereen Yliopistopaino Oy. ( et_2010.pdf) Available in English: ( Opetushallitus (2004). Perusopetuksen opetussuunnitelman perusteet. Vammala: Vammalan kirjapaino Oy. ( Available in English: Finnish National Board of Education (2004): National Core Curriculum for Basic Education ( on_requirements/basic_education) Opetushallitus (2003). Lukion opetussuunnitelman perusteet. Vammala: Vammalan Kirjapaino Oy. ( pdf) Available in English: Finnish National Board of Education (2003): National Core Curriculum for Upper Secondary Schools ( on_requirements/general_upper_secondary_education) Lasten erityishuolto- ja opetus Suomessa Hätönen, H. (2006). Eläköön opetussuunnitelma II. Opas ammatillisen koulutuksen järjestäjille ja oppilaitoksille. Saarijärvi: Opetushallitus. Subject area 3: Demonstration of teaching skills The candidate must contact a school and an instructor in order to demonstrate his or her teaching skills. The school and the instructor must be approved by the university arranging the aptitude test. 2

3 The demonstration of teaching skills consists of lessons the candidate observes (no more than 5 hours) and lessons the candidate gives (no more than 10 hours). The aptitude test for class teachers must include lessons in mother tongue and literature (content: reading and writing). The instructing teacher writes an evaluation about the demonstration of teaching skills. The candidate writes a report about the demonstration of teaching skills according to the following instructions. Reporting the demonstration of teaching skills The report should be approximately 7 10 pages long and include the following points: An overall description of the demonstration of teaching skills the school and teaching post in which the demonstration of teaching skills was given the physical and emotional working environment of the school the material and emotional working conditions of the school the goals of the demonstration lessons (both the lessons given and the lessons observed by the candidate) - on the level of the school and the class/group - on the level of a learner - the goals the candidate set for himself or herself a description of learning - a description of the learning in the class/group on a general level the lessons given during the demonstration of teaching skills - the times and contents of the lessons included in the demonstration of teaching skills, and the candidate s and the instructor s evaluation of how the goals were met a description of the support received from the instructing teacher and co-workers In addition, the requirements for special needs teachers also include A description of 2 3 pupils - their individual characteristics and difficulties in learning - a description of the individual educational plan (IEP) of each pupil, and its central goals Pedagogical thinking The candidate describes his or her own pedagogical thinking from the following viewpoints: theoretical basis (didactical, special pedagogical, philosophical, etc.) pedagogical solutions in teaching (teaching methods and equipment, and ways of working) interaction between the teacher and the learner, and interaction among learners teaching the whole class/group in relation to individual instruction the educational dimension - learner s self-esteem and its growth - rules and norms and educating towards them learning difficulties and behavioural problems as challenges 3

4 changes in pedagogical thinking during the demonstration of teaching skills. PORTFOLIO The candidate compiles a portfolio of his or her own growth and development as a teacher, according to the instructions below. The extent of the portfolio should preferably be 7 10 pages. The candidate designs the form and structure of the portfolio himself or herself. A good structure and clarity of the portfolio are appreciated. Defining portfolios Compiling a portfolio involves long-term, systematic self-evaluation and development of one s own work and competences, analysing their bases and collecting feedback from colleagues, superiors and other associates. Its purpose is to support the development of one s own expertise as a teacher. Compiling a portfolio can be characterised as a process, with the end result forming gradually alongside the aptitude test as one s ideas become more structured. The aims of the process of compiling a portfolio are to describe and structure the candidate s competences, learning and development processes and related experiences to outline the candidate s own professional development and the development of his or her knowledge path to be a uniting method of working for the candidate The content of the portfolio The portfolio is a record of one s own professional development. In it, the candidate also presents his or her own teaching philosophy, as well as experiences and plans concerning his or her teaching career. The portfolio should include selected samples of lesson plans, study tasks, feedback etc., as well as discussion on the significance of studies and experience to growing into teacherhood, based on these samples. A portfolio can be characterised as a public document that follows the learning process and tells about the competences of the person who compiled it, and it should be possible to evaluate its reliability on the basis of the text. Some general suggestions for subtopics and related questions are listed below: The development of your own teaching career - Where have you studied and when? - Where have you taught and when? - How would you describe your own development over the years? Self-evaluation of your own competences - How would you describe your own activities as a teacher and colleague in a working community (strengths and weaknesses)? - How could you further develop your activities as a teacher? - How do you manage stress and take care of your own well-being and development? A description of your own view of education - What are the central principles/values in your work? 4

5 - What kind of understanding of learning and/or mission statement is your work based on? - How has your view of teaching changed while reading books from the reading list during the aptitude test? Discussing your own learning - What were the most important things, experiences, situations, events or issues to you during the aptitude test? - What issues do you think you need to learn more/get more education about? - How did your own learning benefit from compiling a portfolio? The most important thing in the portfolio is a conscious discussion of your own teacherhood. No one is born a teacher, one has to learn to be one! Useful literature about compiling a portfolio Heikkilä, J Opettajan portfolion avulla kohti omaa opettajaprofiilia. Jyväskylä: Tuope. Tutkiva opettaja 1. Linnakylä, P., Pollari, P. & Takala, S. (toim.)1995. Portfolio arvioinnin ja oppimisen tukena. Jyväskylän yliopisto. Kasvatustieteen tutkimuslaitos. Niikko, A Ammatillisen kasvun itsearviointi porfoliokäytäntönä. Jyväskylän ammatillisen opettajakorkeakoulun julkaisuja and other similar Internet sources THE FEEDBACK SESSION THAT ENDS THE APTITUDE TEST Before participating in the feedback session, the candidate must send in the essay(s) described above, the report compiled about the demonstration of teaching skills, and the portfolio to the university that arranges the aptitude test. The feedback session will be arranged when all parts of the aptitude test have been successfully completed. FURTHER INFORMATION University of Helsinki, Faculty of Behavioural Sciences University of Eastern Finland, Philosophical Faculty University of Jyväskylä, Faculty of Education University of Lapland, Faculty of Education University of Oulu, Faculty of Education University of Tampere, School of Education University of Turku, Faculty of Education Åbo Akademi University, Faculty of Education 5