Teachers, Teacher Education, and Professional Development

The Folkeskole Act stipulates that teaching must be organized in a way that focuses on the needs of individual students, a requirement that encourages differentiated instruction.¹⁹ In addition, schools provide special needs education and other social education assistance for students with special needs, including students with general developmental problems who would not receive sufficient support form differentiated instruction alone.²⁰

Teachers’ main teaching objectives comprise achievement goals for the class as a whole. Within the framework of these achievement goals, teachers also determine learning goals for individual students or groups of students. By formulating individual learning goals, teachers fulfill the requirement of the Folkeskole Act for maintaining a focus on individual students.

Becoming a teacher in Denmark requires four years of education in a bachelor of arts program equivalent to 240 European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System credits (ECTS).²¹ An upper secondary level of education (i.e., completion of ISCED level 3A) is a prerequisite for admission to these programs. Applicants are accepted in the first round of admissions (Quota 1) if their grade point average is above 7.0, equivalent to ECTS grade C. If there are additional student places available, then students who do not meet the grade point average requirement may be accepted in a second round of admissions after an interview and on the basis of other relevant educational qualifications (Quota 2).²² In 2015, the number of students accepted to teacher education programs in Denmark was 2,943, compared to 3,710 students in 2011.²³

As part of teacher education, students specialize in three subjects. For their first subject, students choose from among Danish, mathematics, and English. Students select their remaining two subjects from among the following: German, music, biology, physical education, English, history, geography, physics/chemistry, art, science/technology, social studies, craft and design, and religion.²⁴

In August 2014, a school reform came into effect, aiming to improve the Folkeskole and introducing national curriculum standards for goal-oriented teaching. The reform aims to maintain and develop the strengths and academic standards of the Folkeskole by introducing the following goals:²⁵

The Folkeskole must challenge all students to reach their full potential.
The Folkeskole must reduce the significance of social background as an indicator of academic success.
Trust in schools and student well-being must be enhanced by increasing respect for professional knowledge and practice in the Folkeskole.

In order to facilitate progress toward these three goals, the reform establishes three main areas of improvement, mutually supportive of one another, and which might contribute to the improvement of student outcomes:

A longer and more varied school day with more and improved teaching and learning
Enhanced professional development of teachers, pedagogical staff, and school principals
Fewer and clearer objectives and simplification of rules and regulations

Teacher Education Specific to Mathematics and Science

To become a teacher in mathematics, students are required to major in mathematics as their first subject, and to choose between teaching mathematics in Grades 1 to 6 or Grades 4 to 10. Teacher education specific to mathematics comprises four fields of competence:

Mathematical subjects
Mathematical methods and ways of thinking
Mathematical didactics
Mathematics teacher practice²⁶

Science and technology may be taken as second or third subjects in teacher education programs and comprise the following four fields of competence:

Science and technology didactics for the purpose of science and technology instruction
Natural science perspectives in relation to science and technology
Teaching the main subjects of science and technology—(1) Human Interaction with Nature and the Use of Technology and (2) The Near and Distant Environment²⁷

Certain university colleges offer a teacher education program called Advanced Science Teacher Education (ASTE). Students who enroll in the ASTE take mathematics as their first subject, and upon graduation they are qualified to teach in the four science subjects: mathematics, biology, physics/chemistry, and geography.²⁸

Requirements for Ongoing Professional Development

In Denmark, there are no official requirements regarding professional development. Teachers or school principals take the initiative to organize professional development opportunities. There are several opportunities for continuing professional development, particularly at university colleges. University colleges offer education and courses at different levels. For example, teachers in mathematics may enroll in a diploma program (corresponding to 15 ECTS points) focused on planning, implementing, and evaluating pedagogical teaching and activities in mathematics lessons with a view to guiding colleagues and management of the school.²⁹

Universities and university colleges offer master’s degrees in education corresponding to 60 ECTS points. The Master’s in Natural Science Education combines practice and theory based on the latest research.³⁰

In addition to university courses, several short term courses are offered for professional development, covering subjects in the Folkeskole,learning environments, the role of teachers, coaching student teams, the iPad as a learning resource, and evaluating digital learning tools, for example.³¹