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Recent Developments in the Training of
History Teachers in Finland
May, the 30th, 2008, Arja Virta
Faculty of Education, Department of Teacher Education
1. Background: Teacher education in
Finland
 All teacher education for general education
takes place in universities
 All teachers, also those for grades 1–6 in
compulsory education, take MA level degrees
 Elementary school teachers, class teachers (for
grades 1–6 ) major in pedagogy and usually do a
short course in history (about 3 ECTS)
 Subject-specific teachers in compulsory school from
grades 7–9, and in senior secondary school (=13–19
year olds)
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Teachers’ qualifications by school forms in
Finland (based on Jakku-Sihvonen & Niemi 2006, 11)
Age
School form
Teachers’
qualification
0–6
Kindergarten
Kindergarten teachers
(BA)
6
Optional pre-school
Kindergarten teachers
(BA) or class teachers
7–12
Basic education (compulsory) grades
1-6
Class teachers (MA),
subject teachers
13–15 Basic education (compulsory) grades
7 -9
Subject-specific
teachers (MA, MSc)
16 –
Upper secondary schools
Subject-specific
teachers (MA, MSc)
16 –
Vocational schools
Vocational or subject
teachers
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2. Changes after and/or due to the
Bologna process
 The programmes for teacher education
were reformed on basis of the national
working group in education
  ECTS system
  all programmes divided to BA and MA level
degrees (basically even before the Bologna process)
  analysis of core substance in every course
 MA as basic requirement for teaching in
schools from elementary level on (as before)
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3.Class teacher education
(MA, teaching grades 1–6)
(adapted from Jakku-Sihvonen & Niemi 2006, 38)
Components of class teacher
Education
BA 180
ECTS
Main Subject (general education):
pedagogical studies; educational
research; scientific writing; theses
60 including 80
140
Curriculum studies (subject
studies in school subjects for
60
60
teaching
practice; BA
thesis
MA 120
ECTS
(MA
thesis 2040 ECTS
(practice)
Total
300
ECTS
grades 1 to 6,)
Academic studies, minor subjects
25
0 - 35
25 - 60
Other studies (language, ICT…)
35
5 – 40
40 -75
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History in teacher studies for lower
grades
 Included in curriculum studies, makes
about 3–5 ECTS (emphasis: the nature of
history, didactics)
 Cross-curricular themes (cultural identity,
active citizenship etc supporting pure subject
studies)
 Class teachers can specialise in history
(qualify as subject teachers for grades 7 – 9 if
they study 60 ECTS in history)
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4. The education of the subjectspecific teachers of history
(= grades 7-9 and upper secondary) (ibid.,39)
Components
BA 180
ECTS
MA 120
ECTS
Total 300
ECTS
Academic studies in the
main subject (history)
60 (incl. BA
Thesis 10
ECTS in
history
60-90 (incl
MA thesis
20-40
ECTS)
120 - 150
Academic studies in minor 25 - 60
subjects (eg. social
sciences)
0 - 30
25 - 90
Subject teachers’
pedagogical studies
30-35
60 (min. 20
25-30
teaching
practice
general education; subject
didactics, practice
Other studies
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35 - 40
0-30
35-70
Components of history subject teacher
education
 SUBJECT STUDIES: major, history in the
Faculty of Humanities / minor: social sciences, in
the Faculty of Social Sciences, other minor
studies
 TEACHER STUDIES: a) educational studies, b)
history didactics (Fachdidaktik), c) Practical
training [a+b in Departments of Education /
Teacher Education; c: in University training
schools, Normalschule]
 Practical training is mainly organised in
university training schools (”normal schools”),
which belong to the Faculty of Education
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Different ways of becoming a history teacher
 1. MA majoring in history, teacher studies for history
teachers included in the degree (the mainstream)
 2. MA majoring in history, teacher studies done after the
degree, separate diploma
 3. MA as above (1 or 2), but teacher studies done in the
teacher education directed to adult education
 4. MA in class teacher programme (education as major,
history minor, 60 ECTS, qualifies for grades 7–9) A NEW
TREND – COMPULSORY EDUCATION IS MORE AND MORE OFTEN
FUNCTIONING AS A UNIFIED SCHOOL)
 5. MA in some other subject, teacher studies in some
other school subject (languages, social science,
religion), history as a minor subject (qualifies for grades
7-9)
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Current issues
 Social studies / social sciences are an
independent school subject (from 2003 on)
 until now majority of history teachers have had social
studies as a minor subject  this combination no
more so fixed
 Problem: resources for educating social studies
teachers (didactics etc)
 Problems of unemployment and overeducation
of history teachers  pressure from the Ministry
of Education to cut the numbers of new students
 no decisions yet
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Challenges and emphases of history teacher
education
 Principles of active learning and active
citizenship, global education
 Creating a personal professional identity ( why
do I teach history and social studies, who am I
as a teacher etc)
 Combining the roles and responsibilities of a
history and social science teacher: academic
expertise and professionalism; caring and
supporting the students; intercultural
competence
 Preparing teachers to teach in culturally diverse
settings
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For more information:
 Jakku-Sihvonen, Ritva & Niemi, Hannele (editors),
Research-based Teacher Education in Finland –
Reflections by Finnish Teacher Educators. Research in
Educational Sciences 25. Finnish Educational Research
Association. Turku 2006.
 Virta, Arja, Recent Developments in History Teaching in
Finland. In: Elisabeth Erdmann, Robert Maier & Susanne
Popp (editors) Geschichtsunterricht international /
Worldwide Teaching of History / L’enseignement de
l’histoire dans le monde. Studien zur internationalen
Schulbuchforschung Band 117. Scriftenreihe des GeorgEckert-Instituts. Hannover 2006, pp. 323–335.
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