Vocational Special Needs Teacher Education

Extent of the studies: 60 ECTS
Application period: January 2014

The Vocational Special Needs (SEN) Teacher Education of JAMK's Teacher Education College is a post-graduate programme aimed at teachers wishing to specialise in the broad field of special education. It is designed for teachers and trainers who already work within special education or who are intending to move to this field. Upon completion of this programme, you will be qualified to work as a special needs teacher within vocational and training organisations.

This education programme can be completed in English. Although lectures are given in Finnish, it is possible to undertake all assignments in English.

How to apply?

The next application period is on January 2014. The national online application for teacher education programmes will be available in Finnish at www.opekorkeahaku.fi during the application period.

Implementation of the studies

• Studying on a part-time basis, the programme will last for 1.5 years and consist of contact sessions 2 days/month in Jyväskylä, online courses, small group- and independent studies.
• Studies can be completed either in the study group in Jyväskylä (in Finnish or English) or in Southern Lapland (in Finnish). (Study groups in 2013)
  
• The studies will begin during the spring 2013 with an orientation contact session in Jyväskylä
  

Content of the studies

The programme intends to build a comprehensive and inclusive understanding of the individual needs of diverse learners and outline the myriad aspects of special needs education.

• Basics of Vocational Special Needs Education
• Dynamic working environments
• Diversity of learners
• Regional network and cooperation
• Teaching practice
• Development project work

All the elements of special needs teacher education are interlinked with regard to content and time, and are completed with summarising assignments. The various stages of the education may be very individual and include a personal focus, because students’ backgrounds, competences, and expectations vary considerably.

Our renewed Vocational Special Needs Teacher Education programme includes a more comprehensive interpretation of the large-scale expertise of vocational special needs teachers. It also seeks to develop each student’s work and operating environment on a practical level. This implies the aim of becoming deeply aware of one’s own philosophy of special needs teaching. These objectives are reached through thematic entities. The content and proceeding of the themes are based on students’ growth into the profession through research on their own work.

Further information

Katariina Jouhiaho, Study Advisor, +358 40 752 5358, firstname.lastname@jamk.fi
JAMK University of Applied Sciences

Teacher Education College in Finnish

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