Abstract:

Finnish primary school teacher education is built on master level studies since the late 70´s. Teachers’ profession and pedagogical skills will grow not only during university studies but also in guided training practicums in Finnish primary schools and special training schools. Never the less, Finnish school system is not problem free – approximately ten percent of new teachers will change their career in the first five teaching years. This is a strong signal about the challenges connected to teacher’s profession nowadays also in Finland despite the great success in international student achievement tests (PISA). In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in supporting and mentoring just graduated teachers during the induction period. Could this be done already during the studies? This paper will focus on the final practicum period in Kokkola University Consortium´s primary school teacher education program. The purpose of this paper is to seek modern ways to guide and support pre-service teachers during their first working months in Finnish primary schools already during the late studies. In this essay we will highlight both student´s and teacher´s experiences concerning on-line quidance and support system in the final practicum period shortly before graduation.

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