Sami Lehesvuori’s doctoral dissertation from the University of Jyväskylä emphasizes the importance of student-centered interaction in STEM education.
The University of Jyväskylä prizes a long tradition in teacher education. The first teacher education institute, the “Jyväskylä Seminar” was established in 1863. At its time the seminar was a beacon of educational progress. Early steps in gender equality were also taken, as women were allowed to engage in training. In fact becoming a teacher was one of the very few professions that were seen as suitable for young ladies at the time.
Today, the Faculty of Education at the University of Jyväskylä continues the Seminar’s footsteps in teacher training and education research.
Physics teacher and researcher Sami Lehesvuori defended his doctoral thesis on STEM education development in May 2013. In his dissertation “Towards dialogic teaching in science: Challenging classroom realities through teacher education” he studied how teacher training can be used to develop STEM education practices towards a more student-centered approach.
Lehesvuori’s study underlines the importance of effective and versatile communication skills in adopting dialogic teaching practices. Different types and modes of communication are essential in moving beyond the traditional authoritative teaching method in STEM subjects.
The research supports a role for teacher education in changing stagnant teaching practices and in challenging traditional classroom realities. According to Lehesvuori the results provide new knowledge on the current state of science teaching and practical information about novel approaches for teachers to use in their classes. “We have positive results from teacher trainings suggesting that planning can enrich dialogic interaction,” Lehesvuori said.
During his time as a physics teacher Lehesvuori noticed the students’ generally reluctant attitude towards the study of STEM subjects. According to him, “one reason for discouragement might be the limited unidirectional communication from teacher to student. The students’ opinions and ideas are not included enough in teaching.”
Lehesvuori’s suggests practical advice on how to develop dialogic teaching skills: “Teachers should think how they could encourage students to express their thoughts without any fear of being “wrong”. The most concrete way to do this is in the classroom to ask more open, thought-provoking questions and to give students enough answering time and positive feedback.”
Sami Lehesvuori’s doctoral dissertation Towards dialogic teaching in science: Challenging classroom realities through teacher education is available via the electronic archives of the University of Jyväskylä.
Text: Maija Pollari. Photo: Veikko Somerpuro.
