Back to the future: The Finnish ‘lab school’ and its role in research-based teacher education
Written by: Jennifer Chung
8 min read
Dr Jennifer Chung, University College London, UK
Introduction
Education in Finland has received worldwide attention since the release of the first Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) scores in 2001. Research into the reasons behind Finland’s high outcomes in PISA has uncovered the high quality of teachers and rigorous teacher education in the country. Despite the decline in Finland’s PISA scores in recent years, Finnish teacher education provides a model of research-based teacher education for English policymakers. All qualified teachers in Finland earn a master’s degree, and teacher education in the country is research- and theory-based, grounded in the study of educational science (Chung, 2022). Most practice periods for student teachers take place within a normaalikoulu, or a lab school, each affiliated with a university. The research basis of Finnish teacher education encourages teachers to apply research in practice, through pedagogical thinking and criti
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