Towards inclusive and practice-oriented teacher education

Towards
Inclusive and Practice-Oriented Teacher Education - TIPOTE

The overall aim of the TIPOTE
project (2024-2026) is to improve the quality and relevance of teacher education
programmes in two Mozambican Higher Education Institutions, UP-Maputo and
ISET-One World. The project focuses on inclusive education and emphasises practical solutions.  

The project
builds on a broad understanding of inclusive education based on the universal human right to education, ensuring that all children - regardless their gender, remoteness, wealth,
disability, ethnicity, language, or any other characteristic or situation - have access to school and learning. It
aims at full and effective participation, accessibility, attendance, and
achievement of all students, especially those excluded or at risk of being
marginalized. This requires building inclusive learning communities where all
are welcome and respected as equal and contributing members.

The project consists of two complementary
approaches: 

First, it aims to strengthen the human and technological capacity of
the two Southern HEIs to improve the inclusive quality of their teaching
(Outcome 1). This includes activities such as Training of Trainers, study
visits, staff exchange and hands-on training on digital pedagogy. Technological
capacity means upgrading hardware and software needed for improved digital learning. 

Second, that new capacity is taken into practice by innovating, piloting,
and developing pedagogical practices in the Southern HEIs (Outcome 2). This
includes using the Living Lab approach, piloting new approaches and methods,
and building inclusive learning communities. A particular focus is put on
STEM education to co-create new environmentally and economically sustainable
methods for more context-relevant and practice-oriented learning that
encourages diverse learners, including girls.

In practice, these approaches are integrated so
that the innovation and piloting activities in Outcome 2 form a central
part of the learning process and thus contribute to human capacity building in
Outcome 1. 

TIPOTE is based on a partnership between four Higher Education Institutions that all provide teacher education: The Pedagogical University of Maputo (UP-Maputo), ISET One World, Jamk University of Applied Sciences and the University of Lapland. These four HEIs have experience of collaboration from the earlier Theory-Practice Balance in Teacher Education Project (TEPATE) 2020-2024.

The project is funded by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, Higher Education Partnership (HEP) Program.

Key results to be achieved:

1. Increased capacity of selected teacher educators and administrative
staff in learner-centered inclusive education

2.  Increased capacity to use
digital pedagogy and digital technologies in pre- and in-service teacher
education

3. Practical pedagogical solutions for more inclusive education are innovated, piloted and shared

4. Pedagogical methods for STEM education created for improved
inclusivity and increased practice- orientation

More information:

Project manager: Hanna Laitinen, [email protected]

Key experts: Irmeli Maunonen-Eskelinen, Kaija Peuna-Korpioja, Tuulia Kiilavuori, Jari Järvinen