Teachers as Active Contributors in Quality of Education: A Special Reference to the Finnish Context
The chapter reflects on what major changes teachers are facing in their profession related to concepts of learning and knowledge and how these changes influence teachers’ professional work. Thereafter, the author will introduce a conceptual model of the m
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Teachers as Active Contributors in Quality of Education: A Special Reference to the Finnish Context Hannele Niemi
Introduction – What Is the Core of Teaching Profession? In educational literature there has been much discussion on what is the core and nature of the teaching profession (e.g., Asia Society, 2012; Brandsford, DarlingHammond, & LePage, 2005; Darling-Hammond, 2010a, 2010b; Hargreaves, 2003). Is teaching an autonomous, expert profession, or is it just a craft that does not have a strong independent status? The latter would mean that teachers are more or less political tools; tightly connected to current flouting aims coming from economy and business or political forces, and often changing and depending on current government policies. In many countries teachers also face the pressures of high-stake national testing which has deep consequences on teaching and learning in classrooms and often narrows professional autonomy (Darling-Hammond, 2010a; Nichols & Berliner, 2007). Many researchers (e.g., Cousins & Ryan, 2009; Niemi & Kemmis, 2012; Smith, 2009) are worried that in recent years international measurements have become important sources for educational planning. Gert Biesta (2009) remarks: One of these tendencies is the rise of an international ‘league-table industry’ which is increasingly influencing education policy at national and local level. Studies such as the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) and, most notoriously, Organisation for Economic Co-operation Development’s (OECD) Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), generate a never-ending stream of comparative data that are supposed to tell us which educational systems are better and which are best. (p. 1)
The landscape of education and teaching is under significant pressure. Changing environments in concepts of learning, teaching, and knowledge, as well as new technology and rapid changes in economy, societal structures, industrial life, and H. Niemi (*) Faculty of Behavioural Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland e-mail: [email protected] D. Hung et al. (eds.), Adaptivity as a Transformative Disposition: For Learning in the 21st Century, Springer Education Innovation Book Series, DOI 10.1007/978-981-4560-17-7_12, © Springer Science+Business Media Singapore 2014
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vocations require changes in schools and teaching. Biesta (2009), Mathison (2009), and Day and Johansson (2008) argue that the question of good education cannot be solved only by instrumental aims rather it should be resolved by engaging in a process where the value and purpose of education are discussed. According to Biesta, the everyday use of the word ‘education’ often gives the impression that it refers to a single reality; however, ‘education’ is actually a composite concept. This becomes clear when we ask what education is for. The value and purpose of education also deeply affect the teaching profession (Campbell, 2008) and how teacher
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