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In this research we present how a group of Finnish adult preservice teachers (n=21) incorporated 21 st CS through their methods of working instructional methods in the final practicum in autumn 2013. The research material consists of pre-service teacher's practicum plans, taped lessons and written practicum synthesis. The nature of teaching has changed significantly during the past decades, as a result of which teaching has never been more difficult or more important. This is a challenge also for teacher education programs. The adult teacher education program at Kokkola University Consortium Chydenius focuses on developing 21 st century skills (21 st CS) to enhance the use of technology, to support critical thinking and problem solving, and to enable collaboration and creativity during studies. Our curriculum is designed to produce deep understanding and authentic application of 21 st CS in all practicums. Because Finnish teachers are free to choose their methods, it is important that pre-service teachers are aware of 21 st CS. The current Finnish national curriculum includes some 21 st CS, such as learning through peer interaction, helping students (= pre-service teachers) take responsibility for their learning, and helping them develop strategies for applying skills in novel situations. At the moment, Finland is in the midst of a curriculum reform that includes consideration of adopting 21 st CS more clearly in learning situations. We found that 21 st CS were taken into account in planning learning environments, but how to apply 21 st CS in classroom demanded deeper understanding and abilities of applying these skills in practice.

In this article, our focus is on sustainable development in mathematics education from the point of view of teacher training. The aim was to develop prospective teachers' content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge of school mathematics. As a case study, we chose the mathematical symbol "a/b", and examined how prospective class teachers in Finland connect it to the concepts of fraction, ratio, division, rational number or probability. Mathematics textbooks often have a central role in lessons, and they affect strongly how pupils understand concepts and the relationships between them. We chose languaging as a multi-semiotic approach to interpreting what kind of meanings the prospective class teachers gave the mathematical symbol "a/b". The results show that some of these concepts are difficult to see at the same time from the given mathematical symbol. The concept of ratio is particularly difficult for prospective class teachers to interpret. Pictorial presentation supported the interpretations. Mathematics learning materials and teacher education should develop in accordance with the results of the study.

Tangible technologies provide interactive links between the physical and digital worlds, thereby merging the benefits of physical and virtual manipulatives. To explore the potentials of tangible technologies for learning linear equations, a tangible manipulative (TM) was designed and developed. A prototype of the initial TM was implemented and evaluated using mixed methods (i.e., classroom interventions, paper-based tests, thinking aloud sessions, questionnaires, and interviews) in real classroom settings. Six teachers, 24 primary school students, and 65 lower secondary school students participated in the exploratory study. The quantitative and qualitative analysis revealed that the initial TM supported student learning at various levels and had a positive impact on their learning achievement. Moreover, its overall usability was also accepted. Some minor improvements with regard to its pedagogy and usability could be implemented. These findings indicate that the initial TM is likely to be beneficial for linear equation learning in pre-primary to lower secondary schools and be usable in mathematics classrooms. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

D. (Education), Lic. Phil. (Biology), M. Sc. (Biology), University of Oulu. Eila Jeronen is adjunct professor of environmental education at University of Oulu, adjunct professor of sustainable development education at University of Helsinki, and adjunct professor of biology education at University of Lapland. Her research interests are teacher education and teaching and learning, especially in the area of natural sciences, environmental education, sustainable development education, and health education. She has published in several international journals and guided doctoral students. She has also served as a university lecturer at the Faculty of Education in the University of Oulu, Finland, and worked on international projects in several countries.