The proposed strategic partnership aims to support the development of ethical and inquiring primary teacher education in multiple ways, such as by developing a joint curriculum, and through the professional development of academic staff and future teachers. We have identified two main areas that the inquiring approach would relate to, namely: 1. Subject-integrative/phenomenon-based approaches in primary teacher education. 2. Learning in open settings. Subject-integrative/phenomenon-based approaches emphasise the need to break down disciplinary boundaries in school subject teaching. Such an approach has gained increased attention, as the national curricula in participating countries require schools to offer learning opportunities along these lines. As it is a relatively new pedagogical approach on a large scale involving all schools through the national curricula, it is worthwhile for schools to identify what works and where the improvement needs are. Student-driven action research would offer opportunities for exploring and developing this relevant but yet little researched new curricular demand and its implementation. Learning in open settings involves identifying learning environments (both real and virtual) outside the traditional classroom. It can also involve teaching and learning in the classroom but applying new ways of engaging with the learning. We see more and more interest in using digital technology to bring students out of the classroom to explore their school environment. The specific objectives of the project are: 1. To create course outlines for integration of the innovative practice in primary teaching into teacher education programs. 2. To stimulate school-based research projects in the area of subject-integrative/phenomenon-based approaches. 3. To stimulate school-based research projects in the area of learning in open settings. 4. To promote student exchange and gather collective experiences on primary teaching. 5. To promote the professional development of future primary teachers. 6. To strengthen the cooperation between universities and local schools. 7. To develop a partnership between European universities that stimulates cooperation of researchers, teachers, and students in this field. The three participating universities are Tallinn University, University of Helsinki, Uppsala University. An executive committee consisting of two core members per university will decide how many participants will be included in every activity of the project. The participating higher education institutions provide primary teacher education on the university level and have an interest in developing the content and quality of these programs. Also, the universities aim is to contribute to the development of primary education in general. The institutions share the view that the development of teacher education should be research-based. A research-based approach means that a) program content and implementation draw on a subject, didactics, and pedagogy-related research about the latest knowledge, and b) it is an essential teacher education pedagogy enabling students to adopt an inquiring and researching approach in their own teacher development. The collaboration of the partner institutions can provide learning experiences from each other and promote innovation in teacher education. There will be three main types of activities: a) school projects will help future teachers to implement an inquiring approach in their work. The experiences they get through this strategic partnership will provide a model for how to implement the ideal of the inquiring teacher in everyday life at school, b) training includes development of innovative international seminars for student teachers and in-service training for teachers at school and university-based teacher educators taking place through face-to-face meetings and through web-based environments and digital media, c) the creation of teaching and learning materials taking into account relevant target groups, i.e. primary student teachers, academic staff, and in-service teachers. The project emphasises a phenomenon-based inquiry approach. In practice, this is materialised through two main methods: 1. Action research will be the main vehicle engaging the student teachers in inquiry-based and developmental work at schools. 2. Master’s thesis seminars, other courses in which students engage in writing projects, and practice teaching will provide the study contexts for implementing action research in a safe, guided and scaffolded learning environment. As a result of the strategic partnership, primary teacher education will be strengthened and innovative approaches for teaching research and pedagogical competencies are created. The biggest impact is on future teachers and, therefore, primary education. We envision potential long-term effects around teacher professionalism, curriculum implementation and school development.
There were several objectives that we wanted to achieve. 1. To create course outlines for integration of the innovative practice in primary teaching into teacher education programs. 2. To stimulate school-based research projects in the area of subject-integrative/phenomenon-based approaches. 3. To stimulate school-based research projects in the area of learning in open settings. 4. To promote student exchange and gather collective experiences on primary teaching. 5. To promote the professional development of future primary teachers. 6. To strengthen the cooperation between universities and local schools. 7. To develop a partnership between European universities that stimulates cooperation of researchers, teachers, and students in primary teacher education field.
We applied for this project to support the development of ethical, inquiring, and reflective future primary teachers through implementation of innovative practices. The integration of innovation was expected to take place in various courses taught by project members. This in turn would promote and support the use of new methods for student teachers. Namely, there were two main focus areas: subject-integrative approach and learning in open settings. There was a need to break down disciplinary boundaries in school subject teaching and empower future teachers to make use of diverse learning settings. Primary teachers who teach all the main subjects to their pupils have the opportunity to organise their lessons using a subject-integrative approach. This would benefit pupils' coherent understanding of the surrounding world and bring greater meaningfulness to learning experiences. Similarly, the inclusion of open learning environments (both real and virtual) can support pupils’ understanding of learning content and support their learning engagement. Teachers in the three participating countries Estonia, Finland, and Sweden experience high autonomy in their profession which they can use to make teaching and learning more effective.