I did my junior high ("lukio") in one of these schools that also double as teacher graduate training ground. There's one thing in the article which I feel bares a mention.
"For one full year of her master's program, Stara got to train in one of the best public schools in the country. She had three teacher mentors there, and she watched their classes closely. When she taught her own classes, her mentors and fellow student teachers took notes."
There's one very important bit missing: the _students_ also give their own feedback. In writing.
I didn't understand how valuable this is while I was still in the school, but have begun to appreciate it in later age. These schools the teacher graduates are mentored in are among the elite in Finland. So not only are the mentoring teachers some of the best in country, the students are too.
And believe me, in the ripe age of 16-18, we're a cruel bunch. Feedback from that kind of target audience, on what works or doesn't, and why... That's valuable. Even to the current staff.
The best feedback we got in turn was that some of the other graduates had actually changed their teaching plans. And the mentoring teachers were proud of that!
"For one full year of her master's program, Stara got to train in one of the best public schools in the country. She had three teacher mentors there, and she watched their classes closely. When she taught her own classes, her mentors and fellow student teachers took notes."
There's one very important bit missing: the _students_ also give their own feedback. In writing.
I didn't understand how valuable this is while I was still in the school, but have begun to appreciate it in later age. These schools the teacher graduates are mentored in are among the elite in Finland. So not only are the mentoring teachers some of the best in country, the students are too.
And believe me, in the ripe age of 16-18, we're a cruel bunch. Feedback from that kind of target audience, on what works or doesn't, and why... That's valuable. Even to the current staff.
The best feedback we got in turn was that some of the other graduates had actually changed their teaching plans. And the mentoring teachers were proud of that!