Ash, A; Burgess, L; (2008) Transition and Translation: increasing teacher mobility and extending the European dimension in Education. In: Hudson, B and Zgaga, P, (eds.) Teacher Education Policy in Europe: A voice of Higher Education Institutions. (pp. 85-109). University of Umeå & University of Ljubljana: Ljubljana, Slovenia.

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Abstract

This paper draws together the experience of tutors and students who took part in an inter-institutional pilot project between the secondary initial teacher education (ITE) course at the Institute of Education (IoE), University of London, England and the Faculty of Education, University of Turku, Finland. The project set out to examine critically the pedagogic approaches of the two institutions, share reflections, and identify possible implications for future practice. Finland was selected because of its excellent educational achievement in comparison with other European countries; namely, the fact that it continues to excel in the PISA ratings (OECD, 2001; OECD, 2004; OECD, 2007). IoE participants were keen to identify both the pedagogic and cultural reasons for this success and consider how this could both challenge and inform Beginning Teachers‟i (BTs) developing pedagogic practice. Turku has a higher proportion of ethnic minority pupils in its school population than any other city in Finland and this number is set to increase. Therefore ITE tutors (IT) at Turku University are keen to understand how they can enable student teachers to develop their pedagogic practice in response to this changing cultural context. They believe that what happens in Turku will inform future policies and practices in other parts of the country where immigration continues to increase but at a slower pace. It is their perception that IoE student teachers working in London‟s multi-ethnic schools are developing a more secure understanding of interculturalism and could help their Finnish counterparts identify relevant pedagogic strategies in response to their changing school population - a transition in their practice. This paper reflects critically on the first part of this pilot project namely the– observations of learning and teaching in Turku „Normal‟ School by IoE students and tutors. These initial observation is informed by a comparative study carried out by IoE students highlighting their developing understanding of the relationship between pedagogy and political/social/economic „drivers‟ in the development of educational policies and practices - a translation of different experiences.

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