The objective of the programme
The objective of the B. Ed. programme for primary and lower secondary school teachers is to train teachers for the primary and lower secondary school and to provide a basis for further training
With a view to their professionally oriented function as primary and lower secondary school teachers, the training programme is to
- Provide the students with the necessary academic and educational insight and practical training,
- Contribute to furthering the students’ personal development, and
- Contribute to developing the students’ interest in and ability to participate actively in a democratic society.
Graduates of the teacher-training programme have the right to use the title of Bachelor of Education (B. Ed.). The programme provides a general qualification for teaching in the primary and lower secondary school. The longterm goal is, to an increasing extent, for qualified teachers to teach their main subject(s).
Approximately two-thirds of qualified teachers work in the primary and lower secondary school. The final third are mainly involved in other teaching such as at private schools, vocational colleges, folk high schools, adult education and social institutions. Some teachers are employed at private enterprises.
There are excellent opportunities for inservice training and further training, inter alia through
- Courses and subjects on a level with main subjects in the teacher-training programme,
- Further training as a teaching practice teacher at the teacher-training programmes,
- A number of educational diploma programmes,
- The Master of Education degree,
- Master’s programmes.
Where does the training take place?
From the first of January 2008 teacher training is to take place at one of the 8 university colleges in Denmark. University colleges are non-profit institutions under public administration. University colleges offer professional bachelor programmes that ensure that the region is covered geographically, as well as inservice training and further training in connection with this.
In relation to numbers of students, the educational professional bachelor programmes, the B. Ed. programme and the Bachelor in Social Education programme, respectively, are the two largest medium-cycle higher education programmes.
Duration, structure and content of the programme
The teacher-training programme takes 4 years to complete, corresponding to 240 points in the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS points). A student’s fulltime work for one year corresponds to 60 ECTS points.
The programme consists of the following for all students:
- Educational subjects in the form of general educational theory, psychology and educational science (a total of 33 ECTS points)
- Christian studies/livsoplysning/citizenship (17 ECTS points)
- 2 or 3 main subjects (a total of 144 ECTS points)
- A Bachelor of Education project (10 ECTS points)
- Teaching practice (36 ECTS points)
The students’ oral and written proficiency and international topics are to be incorporated into all subjects to a relevant degree.
Information and communication technology are to be integrated in all subjects to a relevant extent and contribute to developing the areas, concepts and methods of the individual subject.
To the greatest possible extent, the teaching of the programme should include the results of national and international research and experimental and development work relevant to the teaching profession and suited to contributing to the development and application of fresh professional knowledge.
The evaluation, documentation and application of evaluation results in planning and implementing teaching are to be included on an ongoing basis in the students’ work with the different subjects and disciplines in the training programme.
The programme includes a cross-professional element. The cross-professional element is to be so organised that, with a starting point in their identity as teachers, the students achieve insight into other relevant education programmes and an understanding of the interfaces between and the boundaries of their own profession and those of others in performing specific tasks, among other things in working with vulnerable children.
Concerning the educational disciplines
The educational disciplines in the teacher-training programme consist of
- Three independent educational subjects (33 ECTS points),
- One in the main subjects of Danish (age specialised), physics/chemistry, mathematics (age specialised) and a science/technical subjects integrated general educational element (10 ECTS in each main subject) and
- Methodology in the main subjects.
The educational subjects are especially concerned with
- Planning, implementing and evaluating the teaching (in general educational theory),
- Children and young people’s learning, development and social interaction (in psychology), and
- Teaching, formation, education, upbringing and socialisation in a societal context (in educational theory and practice).
In addition to this, the educational subjects are concerned with, among other things, leading classes and topics relating to cooperation between the school and the home. Furthermore, through the educational subjects the students acquire the fundamental social educational competences and basic knowledge about how best to organise, implement and evaluate the teaching of bilingual children.
Concerning the main subjects
All main subjects include deliberations bearing on the potential of the subjects to contribute to the development of children’s oral and written proficiency, including learning to read and reading training.
The students select their main subjects from the among the following:
Main subjects of 36 ECTS points: art, biology, Christian studies/religion, Danish as a second language, French, Geography, German, home economics, material design, music, social studies and special educational theory
Main subjects of 72 ECTS points: Danish (age specialised), English, history, mathematics (age specialised), natural science/technology, physical education and sport, and physics/chemistry.
The first main subject must be Danish (age specialised), or mathematics (age specialised), or natural science/technology, or physics/chemistry.
The age-specialised main subjects are aimed at teaching at either the beginner and intermediate level or the intermediate and final level of the school. If both age specialisations are selected, the overall subject comprises 108 ECTS points. If the student selects both physics/chemistry and natural science/technology, the two subjects together comprise 108 ECTS points.
To ensure a uniformly high standard, admission to the main subjects is conditional on the student having adequate academic qualifications to study the specific subjects. In general it is a requirement that in their relevant upper secondary subjects graded according to the 7-point marking scale, the student has been awarded 7 at B level or 02 at A level. The grade must have been achieved either through an examination or the final term mark or end of year mark in the subject in question. Students who do not meet the formal requirements may nevertheless be admitted to a main subject if, following an assessment of prior learning, the educational institution judges that the student has the necessary academic qualifications to be capable of keeping up with the level of the teaching. The possibility also exists for acquiring sufficient qualifications to follow the level of the main subject by taking supplementary examination courses at upper secondary level after admission to the teacher-training programme.
Concerning teaching practice
The student must have teaching practice in all the main subjects selected and in all four years of study. The goal of teaching practice is to create a link between theory and practice with a view to the student acquiring theoretically based skills in preparing, implementing and evaluating courses of teaching.
During teaching practice, the student teaches children and participates in other teacher tasks at a primary and lower secondary school, a private school (private elementary school), or at a continuation school, under the guidance of one or more teaching practice teachers.
The educational institution coordinates the teaching practice with the other parts of the training programme in accordance with the following key requirements, in particular:
- The teaching practice has a total duration of 24 weeks.
- Educational progression takes place in every teaching practice period.
- The major part of the student’s teaching practice hours are organised in programmes running over whole weeks.
- A coherent teaching practice period - school period - of 7-9 weeks is placed in the third or fourth year of study and is concluded with the students independently being in charge of the teaching.
With the approval of the educational institution the teaching period may take place in schools abroad, typically in connection with a study visit that is organised and approved by the educational institution.
Admission requirements
It is a normal requirement for admission to teacher training that the student has completed upper secondary education in the form of one of the below:
- Upper secondary school leaving examination (stx), higher preparatory examination (hf), higher commercial examination (hhx), or higher technical examination (htx),
- Faeroese upper secondary school leaving examination, Greenland upper secondary education (GU examination), Faeroese higher preparatory examination, Faeroese higher commercial examination, vocational upper secondary education for the higher commercial examination in Greenland, Faeroese higher technical examination, vocational upper secondary education for the higher technical examination in Greenland, and the examination from Duborgskolen,
- Special upper secondary programme for non-Danish speaking pupils (GIF),
4) Danish/French Baccalaureate (DFB), European Baccalaureate (EB), International Baccalaureate (IB), or Option Internationale du Baccalauréat (OIB),
5) A foreign examination etc. that ranks alongside a Danish upper secondary examination or which the institution applied to has assessed as comparable to a Danish upper secondary examination.
The educational institution decides whether the individual applicant can be admitted. The institution can require a certain average mark as a minimum in the entry qualification.
The institution must allow the applicant to seek admission on a basis other than the established admission requirements if after an assessment of prior qualifications the applicant is judged to have academic qualifications that are comparable to the established requirements and assesses that the applicant will be able to complete the training programme. Permission can be made conditional on the applicant passing a qualification test or by means of other individual assessment documenting the necessary qualifications.
Ministry of Education Executive Order on Admission regulates admission to teacher training.
Following admission to the training programme, students must document that they have sufficient prerequisites to gain admission to the individual main subjects in the training programme. For further details cf. under point 3, Concerning main subjects, above.
Information for students
The teaching is covered by the state and is without charge for the students, but the students themselves must acquire the relevant teaching material. The education programme gives the right to receive Danish Education Support (SU) in accordance with the current rules.
Students must participate actively in the training programme. Attendance at the teaching is compulsory during the first year of study and during all teaching practice periods.
At the educational institution the teaching takes place as classroom instruction, group work and individual work. The teaching is organised differently at the individual institutions. As a rule it will alternate, so that in some periods the emphasis is on project orientation and interdisciplinary activity while in other periods the teaching goes into depth with the subjects separately.
In addition to daytime teaching, a number of educational institutions offer flexible teaching in the form of, for example, net/distance teaching and evening teaching.
Tests, examinations and marking
There are tests in all subjects. The tests can be centrally set, internal, external, written, oral, practical or combinations of these. The professional bachelor assignment is assessed at an individual oral examination. Marks are given on a 7-point marking scale, between -3 and 12.
Teaching practice is assessed throughout the training programme as Passed/Failed. Following recommendations from the teaching practice institution and teachers at the educational institution and having considered any comments the student might have, the educational institution decides whether the teaching practice period is to be assessed as Passed or Failed.
A body of external examiners appointed by the Ministry of Education undertakes quality supervision of the tests.
Teachers’ qualifications
The B. Ed. training programme is a professional bachelor programme and it is a typical characteristic that the teaching staff of the programme as a whole must have a level of qualification that is higher than that of the final level of the programme. By level of qualification is meant educational competence and documented theoretical, academic and/or professional competence.
Teachers at the teacher-training programme will typically have either a university education that is relevant for the teaching profession or teacher training supplemented by relevant in-service training.
A teacher at a teacher-training programme is usually appointed as a lecturer. Teachers appointed to positions as lecturer must at the latest after 6 years of employment have acquired the necessary qualifications for transferring to the position of senior lecturer. An academic assessment committee appointed by the Ministry of Education conducts an assessment of the qualifications. Should approval as senior lecturer fail to be granted, the teacher is dismissed.
Management and financing
Concerning regulation of the programme. Each educational institution draws up a curriculum formulating the key requirements of the programme’s content and structure.
The Ministry of Education is obliged to supervise the educational institutions with respect to both the education and training programmes and the institutions’ finances.
Concerning institutional management
From 1 January 2008, the training programme will be carried out at one of the 8 university colleges in Denmark.
The university colleges offer a wide range of professional bachelor degree and diploma programmes which include the teacher-training programme, the social educator training programme, the nurse’s training programme, the medical laboratory technologist’s training programme, and the social worker’s training programme.
The university colleges have a unified management structure with one board, which can have 10 - 15 members. The board must contain persons with experience of and insight into professional bachelor training programmes aimed at private and public occupations and professions and with experience of and insight into the needs of the private and public labour market for the training programmes, including in the regional area. It must also contain persons with extensive experience in strategic management, organisation and finance. The Regional Council and the municipalities in the catchment area of the university college together appoint two members. Two board members are elected by and from among the students at the university college. Two board members are elected by and from among the staff of the university college.
The board lays down the organisation of the university college, and appoints educational committees for each undergraduate programme and associated in-service and further education programme with external representation.
The board shall safeguard the interests of the college as an educational institution and decide on the guidelines for the external work of the college and its long-term development. The board is, furthermore, responsible for the running of the college, including the administration of the budget.
One new element is that the board of each university college enters a development contract with the Minister for Education. The contracts are to contribute to strengthening the strategic focus of the management by defining objectives and result requirements within selected focus area.
The Rector is responsible for the day-to-day running of the college, i.e. the college’s teaching and its finances.
The students at each university college have the right to elect a council: ”The Students’ Council”.
Concerning financing
The teacher-training programme receives the major part of its funding through different taximeters. Taximeter funding of teacher-training programmes covers teaching, buildings, common, teaching practice, reimbursement and completion taximeters. The taximeter funding is disbursed on the basis of the number of examinations that the students pass. The taximeter funding covers expenditures for teaching, materials, buildings, costs incurred in sending the students on teaching practice, etc.
The average taximeter funding per student including the completion taximeter funding will be DKK 60,105 in 2008.
The educational institutions receive in addition institutional and quality development funding, which in 2005 comprised approximately 5 per cent of the total funding for the short- and medium cycle higher education programmes. The institutions have been able to make use of the funding for quality assurance of the programmes and competence development of the teachers.