THE TEACHING PROFESSION AROUND THE WORLD

Spring 2016

AT103

Instructor: Pasi Sahlberg pasi_sahlberg@gse.harvard.edu

Twitter: @Pasi_Sahlberg
Office Hours: in Gutman 412
Tue 4:15 – 5:30pm
Thu 10:00am – 12:00pm
(email Wendy to schedule appointments)

Bryan Mascio
bdm177@mail.harvard.edu
Twitter: @Bryan_Mascio
Office Hours: in Gutman after the class
(Email Bryan to schedule appointments)

Faculty Assistant Wendy Angus wendy_angus@gse.harvard

Time Wednesday 1 – 4pm Location: Larsen G06

Canvas site:

COURSE DESCRIPTION

In recent years international organizations have shown an increased interest in questions related to
teachers, teacher education, and teacher policy. Most influential of these institutions are the Organisation
for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) with its two global initiatives, Programme for
International Student Assessment (PISA) and Teaching and Learning in School (TALIS); the European
Commission’s support to an enhanced teaching profession in Europe within its Education and Training
2020 strategy; McKinsey & Company’s reviews of world school systems and teachers; and the
International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP). International research on successful school
systems has frequently concluded that teacher policies and especially how teachers are educated are the
key factors explaining overall high educational performance.

There are two main reasons for this increasing interest in the teaching profession around the world. First,
many countries are facing severe teacher shortages due to relatively large numbers of teachers leaving the
teaching profession, and a simultaneously declining interest among young people in filling these vacant
jobs. Indeed, an important issue facing many educational policies is that of tackling the replacement of a
large proportion of schoolteachers. Second, a shifting emphasis on more complex knowledge and skills as
a result of schooling is demanding enhanced teacher quality in many countries. In contexts that suffer
from lower-than-expected educational performance relative to international comparisons, teacher quality
has risen to the top of the list for strategic policy changes.

International interest in the teaching profession has a two-fold consequence. It has strengthened
international efforts to address the importance of teachers and their profession in national policymaking.

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This shift, in turn, has led to a call for more and better research on teachers and teacher education within
the academic community.

OBJECTIVES AND ORGANIZATION

There are two parts in this course that have both analytical and practical dimensions. The first part of the
course explores concepts of the teaching profession from an international perspective, including teaching
as a profession, and teacher education, professional development, teacher leadership, teacher evaluation,
and labor policies. Following is an analysis of the teacher policies in well-performing education systems,
such as Canada, Finland, Singapore, Australia and South Korea, as well as practical lessons for those
hoping to enhance teachers and teaching. Students will study some classical texts about teachers and the
profession combined with contemporary international studies on the teaching profession. This course will
also help students to use international student assessments and other global data for advocacy and
development of teacher policies and practices in their own work.

The second part of the course takes a closer look at some distinct teacher education and policy systems
that are under review and further improvement at the moment. These include Chile, Ireland, Sweden, and
Canada and Australia (parts of them). Students will work cooperatively in small groups to explore various
aspects of these systems and to gain clearer ideas and enhanced skills to communicate possible
improvement ideas and solutions from other education systems in order to enhance teacher quality and
policies in other situations. These case studies will be linked to real policy development and change in
these countries through national authorities and education experts. This second part of the course also
discusses current myths and research about the teaching profession as presented in international policy
texts and professional literature. Students will learn to understand the complexity of teacher policies,
avoid uninformed solutions, and test their ideas using diverse forms of media.

More specifically, students will:

1. Explore the characteristics of the teaching profession and compare and contrast the differences
between teachers and teacher education systems around the world, including the current well-
performing education systems (Finland, Canada, Singapore, The Netherlands, Japan);
2. Learn to think independently, write effectively, and communicate powerfully about the central
issues related to teachers and the teaching profession in the global context;
3. Understand the implications of global educational reform movement on the teaching profession,
and distinguish facts from myths in international discourse on teachers and the teaching
profession;
4. Develop professional leadership regarding the teaching profession and how to apply it in their
own work.

This course will help students to understand the teaching profession by taking a closer look at what we
know about attracting, preparing, and empowering teachers around the world. This course also aims to
broaden the understanding of the basic international questions of teaching professionalism, including:
What it is to be a teacher in different parts of the world? What is teacher professionalism in an
international perspective? How do the most successful education systems recruit, educate, and retain their
teachers? How do the latest OECD’s PISA and TALIS results affect teacher policies around the world?
How can systems make teaching an attractive career choice for more young people?

METHODS OF STUDY

This course will combine different methods of study depending on the learning objectives and topics
covered. In addition to individual and group reading, in-class discussions, and team activities, students

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will engage in writing short texts to advocate their opinions in one or more educational policy settings.
The cross cutting method of teaching in this course consists of various models of cooperative learning that
are employed in this course.

Students will have the opportunity to share their own experiences from their work as teachers; and other
teacher voices (including class visitors and through social media) will enhance our understanding of what
it is to work as a teacher or with teachers today.

The main pedagogical assumption in this course is that each student must become an owner of her or his
own learning process. There will be no detailed rubrics and performance standards, we expect students to
set their own goals and also set criteria for their own success. The teaching team will work with and coach
students to the point that these goals have been met. We strongly encourage students to set their learning
goals without focusing on assessments or grades.

Successful performance in this course will be based on active participation in every class, courageous
engagement in discussions, and originality of and risk-taking in various writing tasks. The readings will
be selected for their relevance and diverse nature to the theme of the course ranging from typical
scientific writings and analytical papers to more practice focused policy assessments, op-eds, blogs, and
analytical documents. Active participation requires thorough and critical reading of assigned texts. We
will not necessarily discuss each reading assignment in detail in every class but choose one of them for a
detailed conversation. Students should have access to the readings in print or electronically during each
class. Small group learning methods will be the common model of work in this course, especially during
the case study exercise. Movies, guest speakers, and social media, especially Twitter, are essential
learning tools during this course. Furthermore, a reflection paper in the end of the course where students
present synthesis of the course (this can include suggestions or policy recommendations to a real case
such as your own jurisdiction) is an integral part of this course.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND ASSESSMENT

This course requires that students:

1. Attend and participate in class meetings and planned activities.

2. Complete weekly readings and other assignments to be properly prepared for each class.
3. Complete four assignments:
a. Written five-minute dinner speech about the current issues related to the teaching
profession that you feel strongly about;
b. Op-ed or blog post on teachers in your own country/state/district with an
international perspective;
c. Case study on teaching profession in a selected country (Sweden, Ireland, Norway,
Alberta, New South Wales, Malta). (Case study reports should be limited to about
3000 words written in a team of students);
d. Final Paper is a reflective summary of the learning process during the semester.
More detailed instruction for this assignment will be given during the course (1500-
2000 words).

Students are expected to use social media, especially Twitter, to participate in class.

Course assessment is based on the following:

1. Assignments a and b (25% of grade) Due: a: Jan 27; b: Feb 24

2. Case Study (30% of grade) Due: Apr13

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 3. Final Paper (25 % of grade) Due: May 3
4. Class participation (20% of grade)

REQUIRED LEARNING RESOURCES

Required Books:

Darling-Hammond, L. & Lieberman, A. (eds.) (2012). Teacher Education around the World: Changing
policies and practices. New York: Routledge.

Hargreaves, A. & Fullan, M. (2012). Professional Capital. Transforming teaching in every school. New
York: Teachers College Press.

Rodriguez, V. & Fitzpatrick, M. (2014). The Teaching Brain. An Evolutionary Trait at the Heart of
Education. New York: The New Press.

Optional:

Sarason, S. (1999). Teaching as a Performing Art. New York: Teachers College Press.

Articles found in HOLLIS+ as well as book chapters on the iPa© page

SCHEDULE

PART 1: TEACHERS AND THEIR WORK

Week 1 – January 27

International Perspective to Teaching Profession

The class will be introduced to the major themes of the course – the emergence of dominant
themes around teachers and the teaching profession, their prevalence, and cross national
comparisons of main issues, challenges, and trends – and engage in critical reflections about their
own experiences of teaching and teachers. Students will choose their Case Study Teams.

Focus Questions
1) What do we know about the teaching profession around the world?
2) What are the main issues in international debate on teachers and teaching?

Darling-Hammond, L. & Lieberman, A. (eds.) (2012). Teacher Education around the World:
Changing policies and practices. New York: Routledge. (Chapter 9) (RT)

Hargreaves, A. & Fullan, M. (2012). Professional Capital. Transforming teaching in every

school. New York: Teachers College Press. (Chapter 2) (RT)

Sahlberg, P. 2013. Teachers as Leaders in Finland. Educational Leadership, October, 2013, 36-
40. (HOLLIS+)

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Supportive:

Rodriguez, V. & Fitzpatrick, M. (2014). The Teaching Brain. An Evolutionary Trait at the Heart
of Education. New York: The New Press. (Chapter 1) (RT)

Week 2 – February 3

The Role of Teacher Associations Around the World

The class will take a closer look at how teacher unions, professional associations and their
international alliance organizations operate as part of the teaching profession. We will compare
different models of professional organization and learn about global trends in the teaching
profession from the international perspective.

Guest: TBD

Focus Questions
1) How are teachers unionized around the world?
2) How are teacher associations similar or different around the world?

Bascia, N. & Osmond, P. (2012). Teacher Unions and Educational Reform. Washington, DC:
National Education Association.
https://feaweb.org/_data/files/ED_Reform/Teacher_Unions_and_Educational_Reform.pdf

Hanushek, E. & Rivkin, S. (2012). The Distribution of Teacher Quality and Implications for
Policy. Annual Review of Economics, 4, pp. 131-157. (HOLLIS+)

Supportive:

OECD (2011). Building a High Quality Teaching Profession: Lesson from around the world.
Paris: OECD. (Chapter 1 and 2).

Week 3 – February 10

The Teaching Brain

The class will be led to explore the concept of teaching from two perspectives. First, as a form of
labor by offering a historical perspective on teachers and teaching and map some of the
international trends that have evolved within the teaching profession. Second, teaching as a
dynamic interaction and an evolutionary cognitive skill that develops from birth to adulthood.

Guest: Vanessa Rodriguez, Harvard University

Focus Questions
1) How to understand teaching?
2) Can brain research change the ways we view teaching and teachers?
3) What are the keys to good writing?

Sarason, S. (1999). Teaching as a Performing Art. New York: Teachers College Press. (Chapter
5) (iPa©)

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 OR

Lortie, D. (1975). Schoolteacher. A sociological study. Chicago: Chicago University Press.

(Chapters 1 and 2). (iPa©)

AND

Hargreaves, A. & Fullan, M. (2012). Professional Capital. Transforming teaching in every

school. New York: Teachers College Press. (Chapter 3) (RT)

AND

Rodriguez, V. & Fitzpatrick, M. (2014). The Teaching Brain. An Evolutionary Trait at the Heart
of Education. New York: The New Press. (RT) (Chapters TBD)

Week 4 – February 17

Global Educational Reform Movement and its Impact on Teaching Profession

The class will introduce a set of global trends in global educational change. We will explore
alternative international policies within this global education agenda that have appeared to be
controversial in terms of research evidence and practical implications. These include fast-track
teacher preparation models, merit-based teacher compensation policies, and school choice.

Focus Questions
1) What is the global educational reform movement and how does it affect teaching?
2) How do OECD policies influence teaching profession around the world?

Sahlberg, P. (2016). Global Educational Reform Movement and its Impact on Teaching.
Manuscript for the International Handbook of Global Policymaking in Education. (iPa©,
on A317 website)

Breakspear, S. (2015). How Does PISA Shape Education Policy Making? Seminar Series 240.
Melbourne: Centre for Strategic Education. (Available as PDF on Canvas)

Supportive:

OECD (2014). Equity, Excellence and Inclusiveness in Education. Policy lessons from around the
world. Paris: OECD. (Chapter 1 and 2)

Week 5 – February 24

Myths and Facts about the Teaching Profession

In this class we will identify myths related to teachers and the teaching profession by studying
international policy documents. We will then discuss possible implications of these myths and use
research knowledge to challenge them.

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 Focus Questions
1) What is professional capital in teaching?
2) What are the most common fallacies related to teachers and teaching profession?
3) Is there an easy way to become an expert teacher?

Guests: Andy Hargreaves, professor, Boston College (in class); and David Berliner, professor,
Arizona State University (via skype)

Berliner, D. & Glass, G. (2014). 50 Myths and Lies That Threaten America’s Public Schools: The
Real Crisis in Education. New York: Teachers College Press. (Section III, pp. 49-86).
(iPa©)

Hargreaves, A. & Fullan, M. (2012). Professional Capital. Transforming teaching in every

school. New York: Teachers College Press. (Chapter 5) (RT)

Sahlberg, P. (2015). Q: What Makes Finnish Teachers so Special? A: It’s not Brains. The
Guardian, March 31. http://www.theguardian.com/education/2015/mar/31/finnish-
teachers-special-train-teach

Rodriguez, V. & Fitzpatrick, M. (2014). The Teaching Brain. An Evolutionary Trait at the Heart
of Education. New York: The New Press. (Chapter 6) (RT)

o o o

PART 2: INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE TO TEACHERS AND TEACHING

Week 6 – March 2

Research-based Teacher Education in Finland

The class will be given an introduction to a research-based teacher education system in Finland.
Several aspects of teachers and the teaching profession in Finland will be discussed in order to
better understand the structure and function of initial teacher education in Finland.

Focus Questions
1) What is research-based teacher education?
2) How much does teacher education and professional development explain Finland’s educational
performance?

Film: Finland Phenomenon (available in YouTube)

FNBE (2012). Teachers in Finland – trusted professionals. Helsinki: Finnish National Board of
Education. http://www.oph.fi/download/148960_Teachers_in_Finland.pdf

Sahlberg, P. (2015). Finnish Lessons 2.0: What can the world learn from educational change in
Finland. New York: Teachers College Press. (Chapter 3, pp. 98-138) (iPa©)

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Week 7 – March 9

Teacher Professionalism in Singapore

The class will be introduced to the structure and the key principles of the teacher education
system in Singapore. We will also explore the basic ideas of Singapore’s school system, why it
has been successful in recent international comparisons, and how much the teaching profession
might have an impact on that success.

Focus Questions
1) What is behind Singapore’s educational success?
2) How teachers and school principals are educated in Singapore?

Guest: Singaporean HGSE student (TBD)

Video: OECD (2011). Strong Performers and Successful reformers – Singapore.

http://www.pearsonfoundation.org/oecd/singapore.html

Goodwin, A.L. (2012). Quality teachers, Singapore style. In: Darling-Hammond, L. &
Lieberman, A. (eds.) Teacher Education around the World: Changing policies and
practices. New York: Routledge. (Chapter 2, pp. 22 - 43) (RT)

National Institute of Education (2009). TE21. A teacher education model for the 21st century.
Singapore: NIE. http://www.nie.edu.sg/files/TE21%20online%20version%20-
%20updated.pdf

Week 8 – March 23

Teacher Policies in Australia and Canada

In this class we will learn about teacher education policies and practices in Australia and Canada.
We will compare teacher policies and teacher education systems in some parts of these two
countries. Particular attention will be paid to potential lessons from these teacher education
systems for others as they continue to play a role in the international field of teacher education.

Focus Questions
1) How are teachers educated in Australia and Canada?
2) Are there differences in teacher education requirements and methods across the provinces and
regions in these two countries?

Guest: Carol Campbell, University of Toronto (TBD)

Mayer, D., Pecheone, R., & Merino, N. (2012). Rethinking Teacher Education in Australia. In:
Darling-Hammond, L. & Lieberman, A. (eds.) Teacher Education around the World:
Changing policies and Practices. New York: Routledge. (Chapter 7, pp. 110 - 129) (RT)

Thomas, L. (2013) (Ed.) What is Canadian about Teacher Education in Canada? Multiple
Perspectives on Canadian Teacher Education in the Twenty-First Century. Toronto:

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 Canadian Association for Teacher Educators /Association. (Chapter 1, pp. 10 - 36)
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BwVGDOGBDzJdOVdJYmNFRl9KYm8/edit?pli=1.

Week 9 – March 30
The Future of the Teaching Profession

In the quest to improve educational performance many countries are now looking for new ways to
educate their teachers. A common wish is to have ‘a world-class’ teacher education system that
would be inspired by those countries with more successful overall educational outcomes. In this
class we will construct a teacher education system for a selected state/jurisdiction based on
proven good practices around the world.

Focus Questions
1) What is mindful teaching?
2) What are the possible futures of teachers and teaching?

Guest: Professor Dennis Shirley, Boston College

MacDonald, E. & Shirley, D. (2009). The mindful teacher. New York: Teachers College Press.
(Chapter 2) (iPa©)

Hargreaves, A. & Fullan, M. (2012). Professional Capital. Transforming teaching in every

school. New York: Teachers College Press. (Chapter 7) (RT)

Istance, D. & Mackay, A. (2014). The future of the teaching profession: A new scenario set. Occasional
Paper 138. Melbourne: Centre for Strategic Education.

Supportive:

British Educational Research Association (2014). Research and the Teaching Profession.
Building the capacity for a self-improving education system. London: BERA/RSA.
http://www.bera.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/BERA-RSA-Research-Teaching-
Profession-FULL-REPORT-for-web.pdf

OECD (2014). Equity, Excellence and Inclusiveness in Education. Policy lessons from around the
world. Paris: OECD. (Chapter 5)

Week 10 – April 6

Teachers and their Work in the United States

The class will be given an introduction to teacher education in the United States. Given the
diverse nature of teacher education in the U.S. we will think of possible ways forward here to
enhance teacher quality and teacher education in the U.S. by looking at best practices around the
world.

Guest: Rocky Killion, Superintendent of Schools, The West Lafayette Community School
Corporation, killionr@wl.k12.in.us

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 Focus Questions
1) What are the determinants of the teaching profession in the U.S.?
2) What are the pros and cons of teacher education in the U.S. in international perspective?

Film: Rise Above the Mark (2014, DVD will be given to students in advance)

Darling-Hammond, L. (2012). Teacher Preparation and Development in the United States: A

changing policy landscape. In: Darling-Hammond, L. & Lieberman, A. (eds.) Teacher
Education around the World: Changing policies and practices. New York: Routledge.
(Chapter 8, pp. 130 - 150) (RT)

Moore Johnson, S. (2012). Having It Both Ways: Building the Capacity of Individual Teachers
and Their Schools. Harvard Educational Review, 82(1), 107-122. (HOLLIS+)

Ingersoll, R., Merrill, L., & Stuckey, D. (2014). Seven Trends: The Transformation of the
Teaching Force, updated April 2014. CPRE Report (#RR-80). Philadelphia: Consortium
for Policy Research in Education, University of Pennsylvania.
http://www.cpre.org/sites/default/files/workingpapers/1506_7trendsapril2014.pdf

Supportive:

Vasquez Heiling, J. & Jez, S.J. (2014). Teach for America. A return to the evidence. Boulder, CO:
National Education Policy Center. http://nepc.colorado.edu/files/tfa-return_0.pdf

Week 11 – April 13

Case Study Preparation Workshop

We will spend this class for final preparations of the Case Studies.

Guest: Professor Linda Darling-Hammond, Stanford University (TBD)

Week 12 – April 22 (this class will be on Friday from noon to 6pm)

Teacher Policy Symposium

In this seminar teams will present their case studies and discuss them with the extended audience.
Each team has 30 minutes to share their work including questions and answers. This seminar will
be open to guest and friends.

Week 13 – April 27

Conclusions: What Did We Learn?

In this last class we will wrap up the course and reflect on what we have learned. During this
class we will also hear from students’ own experiences as teachers based on what they learned in
this course. This class will also provide an opportunity to rehearse reflection on personal
understanding of teachers and teaching profession.

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Additional resources

Biesta, G. (2016). The Beautiful Risk of Education. New York: Routledge.

Cochran-Smith, M., Feiman-Nemser, S., McIntyre, D.J., & Demers, K. (Eds.) (2006). Handbook of
Research on Teacher Education. Enduring questions in changing context. (3rd edition). New York:
Routledge.

Jensen, B., Hunter, J., Sonnemann, J. & Cooper, S. (2014). Making time for great teaching. Melbourne:
Grattan Institute. http://grattan.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/808-making-time-for-great-
teaching.pdf

Lortie, D. (1975). Schoolteacher. A sociological study. Chicago: Chicago University Press.

MacBeath, J. (2012). Future of Teaching Profession. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University/Education

International. (http://download.ei-
ie.org/Docs/WebDepot/EI%20Study%20on%20the%20Future%20of%20Teaching%20Profession.
pdf)

OECD (2006). Teachers Matter. Attracting, developing and retaining effective teachers. Paris: OECD.
(Overview: http://www.oecd.org/education/school/34990905.pdf)

OECD (2011). Building a High Quality Teaching Profession: Lesson from around the world. Paris:
OECD. Read here: http://www.keepeek.com/Digital-Asset-Management/oecd/education/building-
a-high-quality-teaching-profession_9789264113046-en#page1

OECD (2012). Preparing Teachers and Developing School Leaders for the 21st Century. Lessons from
around the world. Paris: OECD. http://www.oecd.org/site/eduistp2012/49850576.pdf

OECD (2013). Teachers for the 21st Century. Using evaluation to improve teaching. Paris: OECD.
http://www.oecd.org/site/eduistp13/TS2013%20Background%20Report.pdf

OECD (2015). Education Policy Outlook 2015. Making reforms happen. Paris: OECD.
http://www.oecd.org/publications/education-policy-outlook-2015-9789264225442-en.htm

Ravitch, D. (2013). Reign of Error. The hoax of the privatization movement and the danger to America’s
public schools. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

Sahlberg, P. (2015). Finnish Lessons 2.0: What can the world learn from educational change in Finland.
New York: Teachers College Press.

World Bank (2014). Great Teachers. How to raise student learning in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Washington, DC: World Bank.
http://www.worldbank.org/content/dam/Worldbank/document/LAC/Great_Teachers-
How_to_Raise_Student_Learning-Barbara-Bruns-Advance%20Edition.pdf

McKinsey (2010). Closing the Talent Gap: Attracting and retaining top third graduates to a career in
teaching. London: McKinsey. (pp. 16-21)
http://mckinseyonsociety.com/downloads/reports/Education/Closing_the_talent_gap.pdf

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