Teachers’ International Professional Development - TIPD

Hertfordshire LEA co-ordinated Study Visit

Local Education Authority / Hertfordshire
LEA Adviser
E mail address / Stephen Lavender

Reference and title of visit / Teachers’ Professional development and Teachers’ Learning
Ref: SV 381
Provider / The British Council
Country/region visited / Denmark/Copenhagen
Types of schools visited / Folkeskole (ages 6 – 16), Gymnasium (ages 16-19), College of Education (teacher training) and centre for Higher Education (centre for teachers CPD)
Age of students observed / 6 – 19 + teacher training students
Language used / English
Key Educational Purpose of the visit / To look at the ways in which teachers in another country learn and develop over the early years of their teaching career

INTRODUCTION

Intended aims of the visit:

  • to investigate and compare the most effective ways in which teachers learn their craft in their training and induction years
  • to look at the impact of teachers' continuing professional development and learning on teacher recruitment and retention in the profession
  • to review the ways in which the range of teaching strategies affect student achievment and motivation and to review the optimum ways in which teachers' practice can be developed and changed
  • to investigate and compare the use of ICT in developing teacher competence in a range of teaching approaches and management skills

Expected outcomes of the visit:

  • new practical and effective ways of training teachers can be applied to participants' schools and broadly across the LEA
  • lessons learned about CPD may help inform participants about which types of CPD help improve teacher motivation and retention thereby cutting staff turnover in schools
  • the opportunity to compare and contrast at first hand facilitates clearer thinking about how the professional development of teachers and their capacity to learn can have an impact on pupil achievement

How were these to be identified and recorded?

  • identified before the trip and on arrival in Copenhagen by discussions within the group, with the heads and teachers we met and with the Danish Cultural Institute representatives
  • all teachers took notes each day but the group leader made two teachers each day responsible for logging the visits and asking key questions, which were discussed by the group as a whole on the preceding evening. Photographs were taken on all visits which are to be shared within the group

REPORT OF THE EXPERIENCE

Background information from the trip:

“Learning how to learn and valuing what is important” College of Education Lecturer

“Getting away from the tyranny of the ones: one teacher, one class, one room, one subject” Head of a Folkeskole

The education system in Denmark is remarkably different from that in the UK. Children only begin formal schooling at age 6 in the Folkeskole, organised by local councils with a high degree of decentralisation. Teachers can stay with their class in almost all subjects right through their Folkeskole. It is the degree of decentralisation, the trust and the autonomy of teachers that is a major feature of this school system. However things are changing and even at this time there are plans to introduce elements of centralisation which teachers do not welcome including greater specialisation so that in future the teacher who welcomes a child at 6 may not be the one to wave them goodbye at 16! Co-operation between parents and schools and between children and adults and the trust, which emanates through the system, is clear. Teachers in these schools have to train for 4 years in a College of Education and they have a common core curriculum with specialisms in Danish or maths and a further 4 subjects representing various broad areas. In service education is mainly organised by a County Resources centre or a Centre for Higher Education which are run as quasi-private businesses. With the average age of teachers now approaching 50 in Denmark there is a need to invest in technology and the in-service needs of teachers.

At 16 children choose one of three routes: Gymnasium, Commercial School or Technical School. Where children go is generally according to ability during the final year of Folkeskole and their interests and aptitude. 35% of a given year choose the Gymnasium of which 60% are girls. This was the major focus of our trip in addition to the Folkeskole. Here they study for 3 years a core and some optional subjects. The philosophy of the Danish education system becomes even more apparent in the Gymnasium with a high degree of autonomy for teachers including what they teach but also for the students in that there is an expectation of maturity and independence of thought and idea. The main difference with the organisation of the Gymnasium is that they are run centrally and its teachers are university educated generally in two subjects to Masters Degree level with little formal teacher training. This is carried out whilst teaching over a two year period.

investigate and compare the most effective ways in which teachers learn their craft in their training and induction years

The training of teachers for the Folkeskole is very similar to the format of the BEd degrees in England, which are fast disappearing. The one major difference is that the students and their lecturers work together to train and learn from one another the craft of teaching. The college arranges its own criteria and each assesses whether they think an individual has reached the required standard. There are no national standards for teaching. The approach is very much on building a reflective practitioner using peer reviews as a focus and on teacher learning rather than teacher training. New staff in the Folkeskole have a mentor for 12 months with protected time each week; teachers work in teams so professional development is ongoing. Gymnasium teachers have a two year introduction to teaching whilst in their first post.

the impact of teachers' continuing professional development and learning on teacher recruitment and retention in the profession

Denmark is beginning to experience teacher shortage but no where near the scale in England. CPD in the Folkeskoles is to a large extent pursued in house as teachers work in teams developing and sharing and reflecting on their own practice. The CVU is a centre for CPD providing specialist long courses generally subject based but including an element of school-based research in each course. Heads have to approve courses and money is generally not used to cover absent staff, as the course attendance would be built into the timetable for the forthcoming year. Staff would generally attend one of these long courses once every 3 years.

the ways in which the range of teaching strategies affect student achievment and motivation and to review the optimum ways in which teachers' practice can be developed and changed

Student attainment in Reading at KS2 in Denmark is marginally behind that of many OECD countries; this lack of attainment was not apparent in the Gymnasium 16 – 19 age range however. Danes generally do not feel too concerned with that as other aspects of their educational system produce higher levels of achievement in such areas as: trust, respect for others, knowing right from wrong, independence of thought, ability to think and learn for oneself etc. Thus teaching strategies in Denmark are based on pupil responsibility, teacher facilitation combined with excellent resourcing and mutual respect and trust between teachers and pupils and between pupils and their peers. Formal written examinations are so rare that they do not get in the way of this approach. However most examinations are partly oral and allow students to demonstrate both academic and other skills.

the use of ICT in developing teacher competence in a range of teaching approaces and management skills

Teacher competence in ICT was variable in Denmark on the whole. There is now a recognition from Government of its importance and many initiatives are now forthcoming. Training is varied in quality and most staff now recognised the need to use ICT. Resources were varied, as was access for pupils which was not that good overall except in the College of Education for teacher training. Some very good practice was seen in the Gymnasium and especially in a Folkeskole which had a project on School Information Management System via a secure internet connection for parents to help improve communication but also to reduce teacher workload.

EVALUATION

Summary of the key educational outcomes

  • teacher workload is far less than in the UK and this is a large factor in teacher retention in Denmark. The number of teachers in schools is approx. twice that of a school in the UK
  • teachers are trusted not controlled. They have autonomy over what they teach and how to teach it. The strong sense of team working especially in the Folkeskole is both supportive of new teachers but also acts as a check and balance on teacher performance without need for excessive external or internal monitoring or inspection
  • the strong emphasis on social education, citizenship and environmental studies is integrated into school life from the kindergarten years
  • very efficient information management systems can be used to reduce teacher workload and improve communication between home and school

How can the findings be applied to the UK context?

  • ICT: the possibility of an Information Management System trial should be investigated and more links with international ICT projects should be explored
  • Denmark bases its educational system on principles of trust, mutual respect and pride in ones institution: are there some profitable links to be made here with Citizenship Education?
  • with increased flexibility in the curriculum especially at primary level being mooted in England, are there aspects of the team based approach to curriculum development which could be applied in the UK?
  • advisers in Denmark all have to have a regular teaching commitment; this approach in the UK could help improve the effectiveness of advisers in the UK
  • CPD in the UK should be organised more along Danish lines with an entitlement to longer courses every 3 years built into the timetable of teachers well in advance and revolving around action based research in participants own schools

How do you intend to disseminate the findings of your visit?

  • Staff meetings and SMT meetings at participating schools and report to Governors
  • Informal networking with colleagues at a variety of meetings
  • Report of visit to go on Hertfordshire Grid for Learning and participating schools websites
  • Report to Principal Adviser for CPD of the Schools Inspection and Advisory Service
  • Teachers who have taken action as a result of visit to write up brief impact studies for the LEA

Proposals for future developments and continuing links?

  • Many of the participating teachers were keen to set up links with schools in Denmark
  • One primary school is to organise a Denmark day in school
  • Exchange of e mails has already occurred with some of the teachers and lecturers we met in Denmark
  • Some schools are considering a bid for a TIPD Strand 4: School Determined Programme

General advice for other visitors to the country/region:

  • Take plenty of money!!
  • Take very warm clothes in February
  • Watch out for bicycles in Copenhagen!
  • Try to ensure that the programme allows sufficient time to talk with teachers and go into lessons rather than be talked at by heads of schools

Stephen Lavender

TIPD Group Leader