Self-directed learning in teacher education: Lessons from Finland

Abstract

Peer review declarationThe publisher (AOSIS) endorses the South African 'National Scholarly Book Publishers Forum Best Practice for Peer Review of Scholarly Books'. The manuscript was subjected to a rigorous twostep peer review process prior to publication, with the identities of the reviewers not revealed to the author(s). The reviewers were independent of the publisher and/or authors in question. The reviewers commented positively on the scholarly merits of the manuscript and recommended that the manuscript should be published. Where the reviewers recommended revision and/or improvements to the manuscript, the authors responded adequately to such recommendations. Research justificationThis book disseminates original research on learning in and from practice in pre-service teacher education. Authors such as Lederman and Lederman (2015:670) have described the student teaching practicum or work-integrated learning (WIL), which is an essential component of pre-service teacher education, as the 'elephant in the room'. These authors noted that '… the capstone experience in any teacher education programme is the student teaching practicum … (a)fter all, this is where the rubber hits the road' (Lederman & Lederman 2015:670). However, many teacher educators will agree that this WIL component is sometimes very insufficient in assisting the student teacher to develop an own footing and voice as a teacher. This is the 'gap' that this research book addresses.Most of the chapters in the book report empirical data, with the exception of two chapters, that can be categorised as systematic reviews. Work-integrated learning is addressed from various angles in the chapters. Chapter 6 focusses on research related to what makes Finnish teacher education so effective, and in Chapter 4, researchers of the University of Johannesburg disseminate their findings on establishing a teaching school (based on Finnish insights) in Johannesburg. Chapter 3 highlights the challenges faced in open learning and distance learning teacher education contexts. Several of the chapters disseminate research findings on alternative interventions to classic WIL, namely, where 'safe spaces' or laboratories are created for student teachers to learn and grow professionally. These could either be simulations, such as software programs and avatars in the intervention described in Chapter 2, student excursions, as portrayed in the findings in Chapter 5, Chapter 7 and Chapter 10, or alternative approaches to WIL (e.g. Ch. 11 and Ch. 12).The book is devoted to scholarship in the field of pre-service teacher education. The target audience of this book comprises scholars working in the fields of pre-service teacher education, WIL and self-directed learning.The book makes a unique contribution in terms of firstly its extensive use of cultural-historical activity theory as a research lens, and secondly in drawing on various theoretical frameworks. Both quantitative and qualitative research informed the findings of the book.In accordance with the requirements of the De...

Distance Collaborative Learning Model as a Solution for Developing 4.0 Literacy Competencies in The Post-Pandemic Era

“…While the ratio of correct responses in statements (19, 20, 21 ,22) belonging to the domain (target orientation and long-life learning) was clearly low; This indicates the low level of science teachers' awareness of the right meaning and a misunderstanding of how each is activated in the educational process and the importance of this in achieving the goals of teaching science education, and the misunderstanding of the majority of science teachers' in viewing the goal of effective teaching as a transfer of knowledge from one knowing person to another ignorant rather than providing students with experience in the process of building knowledge. Mentz et al (2019) explained that goals orientation is the level to which a learner takes responsibility for learning and the ability to self-management. The definition is consistent with the assumptions of constructive theory of the importance of determining the purpose, interests and needs of learning; An individual must pursue certain objectives that contribute to solving a problem, answering confusing questions or satisfying an internal tendency towards learning a subject to meet his or her needs and concerns (Zaytoon, 2007).…”