Denmark

Teachers, Teacher Education, and Professional Development

Teacher Education Specific to Reading

Danish teacher education is characterized by the broadness of the curriculum, the in-depth nature of study, and the integration of theory and practice in pedagogy, didactics, school subjects, and teaching practice.³⁶ University colleges throughout the country offer a professional bachelor’s degree program in education requiring four years of study (equivalent to 240 European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System, or ECTS, credits, with 30 ECTS credits from student teaching). The admission requirements for these institutions are comparable to those of Danish universities (e.g., completion of UNESCOʼs ISCED level 3A and, as of 2013, a minimum grade point average of a C on the ECTS scale).³⁷ Applicants also can enter via the so-called Quota 2 program by meeting certain requirements (e.g., completion of upper secondary education with a grade point average of at least 7 or equivalent experience), and be considered qualified by the institution following an admission interview.³⁸ In 2016, about 46 percent of teacher education students entered university colleges through Quota 2.³⁹

Teacher education was reformed as part of the Folkeskole reform passed in 2013 (taking effect in 2014), with the aim of strengthening professional standards in order to equip teachers with improved specialized knowledge within their subject area of expertise.⁴⁰ The teaching subjects are divided by form level (grade group). The comprehensive part is maintained and strengthened by the introduction of Basic Professional Competency (grundfaglighed) as a mandatory subject for all student teachers to strengthen teachersʼ ability to promote student development, learning, and well-being in all subject areas.⁴¹ Student teachers are trained in both pedagogical and social competencies including classroom management, inclusion, identification of social problems, relational competence, and education of second language students. They additionally are trained to promote humanistic values in courses such as Christianity Studies, Life Education, and Citizenship.⁴²

Since 2013, one out of three teaching subjects must be Danish or Mathematics, and some university colleges include English. Danish is divided into two age specialized courses. Student teachers who choose Danish as a teaching subject complete one or both of the specializations in Danish (i.e., Danish for Grades 1 to 6 and/or Danish for Grades 4 to 10). They no longer have to start with the General Danish course, aimed at Form Level 4 to 6, which was mandatory before the reform. This division of the teaching subjects follows the Folkeskoleʼs division of form levels into teams. A teacher specialized in Danish for Grades 1 to 6 can thereby teach students in the preparatory stage (Form Level 1 to 3) and the intermediate stage (Form Level 4 to 6). Teachers specialized in Danish for Grades 4 to 10 teach students in the intermediate stage and the final years of schooling (Grades 7 to 10). Students in fourth grade can receive instruction by teachers with either specialization.⁴³

The competency objectives for student teachers differ for the courses Danish for Grades 1 to 6 and Danish for Grades 4 to 10.⁴⁴ For the former, the student teacher must support the children’s reading development by several means: planning and executing activities; differentiating teaching; integrating digital technologies; applying results gained from tests and other evaluations; and organizing the teaching to support second language studentsʼ acquisition of reading abilities. Furthermore, the student teacher must acquire knowledge about reading strategies, be able to evaluate critically the learning resources used in the teaching, and produce additional learning material. For Danish for Grades 4 to 10, the student teacher is expected to apply theories on literacy, and evaluate and instruct students in their reading comprehension development. The student teacher should be able to apply research-based knowledge about challenges and potential for reading development. The student teacher also must implement results from tests and other methods of assessment to support the studentʼs development in Danish. The relative emphasis on theories of reading acquisition and teaching methods varies from college to college.⁴⁵

Requirements for Ongoing Professional Development in Reading for Teachers

A number of university colleges, which offer teacher education programs, also provide professional development for teachers, which can range from standalone courses in specific subject areas to continuing education diploma programs.⁴⁶ Usually, the school or the teacher pays for this type of professional development.

As part of the Folkeskole reform taking effect in 2014, the municipalities and the state agreed to require continuing education for teachers, primarily because about 20 percent of all public school teachers at the time lacked formal teaching competency in the subject they taught.⁴⁷ In 2014, a national fund for continuing education was initiated to enable the municipalities to provide mandatory ongoing professional development training for teachers.⁴⁸