Browsing by Subject "käytännön ja teorian yhdistäminen"

Aims. This study focuses on graduated class teachers’ experiences on their teacher education’s last teaching practice. The final teaching practice is mandatory and a part of the advanced studies in the class teacher education. It is recommended to do right before graduating because then it will best prepare students for the working life. Previous studies have shown that teaching practices are usually respected among teacher students and they seem to stick in one’s mind as meaningful experiences. The purpose of this study is to find out graduated class teachers’ experiences on their final teaching practice’s aims and guidance and also how they were able to connect theory and practice. The purpose is to give a retrospective analyse on what kind of meanings the teachers give to their final teacher practice experiences. Methods. The research data was collected by interviewing seven class teachers who had graduated from University of Helsinki during years 2017-2019. They had done their final teaching practice under the same degree recruitments. The research data consisted of individual interviews and the analysis was based on content analysis. Results and conclusions. This study showed that teachers value their final teaching practice. One of the main reasons was because it is arranged in a normal comprehensive school instead of training school. The more practical aims were more likely to be fulfilled during the practice. Practical guidance was highly appreciated. Teachers felt that connecting practice and theory was done during the final practice, but it depended a lot more on themselves than the practice’s basis. Teaching is still found as a practice-based profession and the final teaching practice will prepare students for that. Connecting practice and theory and its importance is acknowledged among the teachers. However, the methods trying to achieve it during teaching practices vary.