Teachers, Teacher Education, and Professional Development
One of two main directions of the teacher education program may be taken, depending on which grades the teacher is going to teach. The Teacher Education Programme for Primary School takes four years to complete with the option to become a teacher in preschool, Grades 1 to 3, or Grades 4 to 6. For teaching in higher grades, the program takes five years to complete. Teacher education programs consist of three parts:7
- Subject studies and subject didactics—Students are educated in areas of knowledge related to subjects and specific school types and levels
- Educational science—Students are educated in areas of knowledge central to the teaching profession and to schools as a social, pedagogical, and didactic environment for students and teachers
- Placement—Students participate in the everyday workings of a school and are trained in planning lectures and teaching, classroom management, and student relations
Teacher Education Specific to Reading
Because reading is integrated in the subject of Swedish, there is no teacher education specific to reading. Apart from the educational sciences, all teachers for Grades 4 to 6 study one semester of Swedish, mathematics, and English. They additionally study one semester of science or technology, social sciences, or one or two practical or aesthetical subjects.8
After completing their education, teachers and preschool teachers can apply for a diploma of certification. As of 2011, teachers are required to hold this certification to issue student grades.9 The Swedish National Agency for Education makes decisions on the certification of teachers and preschool teachers.
Requirements for Ongoing Professional Development in Reading for Teachers
The Swedish National Agency for Education coordinates the Teacher Lift, a training program in which certified teachers who are teaching a subject in which they are not certified have the opportunity to take part in university courses. Also offered to leisure time pedagogues and teachers of students with special needs, the program was created to raise the competence and increase the accreditation of qualified practicing teachers in subjects they already teach.10 The program will be available until the end of 2018.