Practical Teacher Training

Information

The practical teacher training in an educational institute course comprises 10 credits. The primary objective of the teaching practice is to equip student teachers with the necessary skills to plan, execute and evaluate teaching methods, as well as assess student competency and its progression. Additionally, student teachers gain insight into the foundational principles of vocational teaching and learn to navigate within vocational training environments.

Documents for Practical Teacher Training

• Practical Training Agreement (doc)
• Practical Training Plan (doc)
• Practical Training Evaluation Form (doc)

The practical teacher training commences during the autumn semester, with students familiarising themselves with the teaching practices at the educational institution. This period also involves familiarising the regulations governing vocational training and funding sources. The student teacher should also observe other teachers’ work at least five times at the training institute, with the duration of these observations varying from a few hours to a full teaching day.

As part of the practical teacher training, students plan and implement a study package worth approximately three study credits or competence points for a vocational student group. This includes teaching sessions, guidance in learning, providing feedback and evaluating student progress within various professional learning settings. Typically the practical teacher training occurs during the spring semester, including providing feedback and student evaluation.

The duration of the practical teacher training is determined by the entity being taught. It may be as short as two weeks, with training sessions conducted multiple days a week, or span over a longer period, such as two months, with sessions held two to three hours per week. Face-to-face teaching hours may vary across educational institutions, and training may also include remote supervision, evaluation of presentations, collaboration with industry partners and supervision of vocational practical training organised at workplaces.

The practical teacher training should take place within vocational training organisations, such as vocational educational institutions, vocational adult education centres or universities of applied sciences. Teaching practice should primarily focus on education leading to a degree or qualification. It is also possible to conduct practical teacher training period abroad. If you are wondering whether some institutions are suitable for practical teacher training, see the attachment regarding the eligibility of different institutions (doc).

A contractual agreement for practical teacher training is established with the educational institution where the training shall take place, which also designates the supervising teacher. A written plan is drafted for the teaching practice. Practical teacher training is supervised by the student’s tutor teacher (from the school of professional teacher education) and a supervising teacher (from the educational institution where the training takes place). A joint review meeting will be held with the supervising teacher at the end of the practical teacher training. After completing the assessment, the supervising teacher can invoice a fee for their supervisory services.

The supervision fee is invoiced from HAMK via electronic invoice service (available only in Finnish) or paper invoice. The invoicing instructions are sent to the supervising teacher by e-mail after the practical teacher training has been completed.

Agreement and assessment documentation must be sent electronically to: [email protected]