Teacher training
Social educators
Primary and Lower Secondary School
teachers
Upper Secondary School teachers
Vocational Education and Training (VET)
teachers
Higher Education
teachers
Social educators
Training of social educators for nurseries, kindergartens and the pre-school class (pædagoger) is provided in the form of a unified training system. The course takes 3 ½ years and is provided at University Colleges.
The programme of education lasts 3½ years, amounting to 210 ECTS credits, and consists of formal teaching at the educational institution as well as practical training at relevant institutions. There are three periods of practical training during the programme. The total amount of time of the education programme spent on practical training amounts to 1 year and 3 months.
The programme of education consists of the following subjects and academic elements:
- Educational theory and practice
- Danish, culture and communication
- Individual, institution and society
- One of the following main subjects according to the student’s own choice: a) Health, the body and exercise, b) Expression, music and drama, c) Arts and crafts, science and technology
- Practical training
- Specialisation within one of the following occupational or functional fields: a) Children and young people, b) People with reduced functionality, c) People with social problems.
At the conclusion of the education programme each student must complete a bachelor project.
See also:
Before 1992
The social educator programme was established in 1992, replacing three programmes: social pedagogy, kindergarten pedagogy and leisure-time pedagogy.
Social pedagogy: Students followed a 3-year course (30 months). The course included 20 months of theoretical training and 10 months of practical experience and the writing of an extended essay in the final year. The programme prepared for employment in nurseries as well as in various institutions or schemes, e.g. for handicapped people.
Kindergarten and leisure-time pedagogy: Students followed a 3-year
course (119 weeks). In addition to theoretical training, the course
included three placements lasting a total of 27 weeks and the writing
of an extended essay (nominal duration: 8 weeks) in the final year. The
kindergarten pedagogy programme prepared for employment in
kindergartens and pre-school classes. The leisure-time pedagogy
programme prepared for work with school-age children and
adolescents.
Primary and Lower
Secondary School teachers
Training of teachers for the Folkeskole is provided in the form of a unified training system at the University Colleges. The programme is of 4 years' duration (240 ECTS credits) including teaching practice at a school for a total of 24 weeks.
The programme consists of the following for all students:
1. Educational subjects in the form of general educational theory, psychology and educational science (a total of 33 ECTS points)
2. Christian studies/"life enlightment"/citizenship (17 ECTS points)
3. 2 or 3 main subjects (linjefag) (a total of 144 ECTS points)
4. A Bachelor of Education project (10 ECTS points)
5. Teaching practice (36 ECTS points).
The students’ oral and written proficiency and international topics are to be incorporated into all subjects to a relevant degree.
Information and communication technology are to be integrated in all subjects to a relevant extent and contribute to developing the areas, concepts and methods of the individual subject.
To the greatest possible extent, the teaching of the programme should include the results of national and international research and experimental and development work relevant to the teaching profession and suited to contributing to the development and application of fresh professional knowledge.
The evaluation, documentation and application of evaluation results in planning and implementing teaching are to be included on an ongoing basis in the students’ work with the different subjects and disciplines in the training programme.
The programme includes a cross-professional element. The cross-professional element is to be so organised that, with a starting point in their identity as teachers, the students achieve insight into other relevant education programmes and an understanding of the interfaces between and the boundaries of their own profession and those of others in performing specific tasks, among other things in working with vulnerable children.
See also:
Before 1998
Before 1998, the teacher training programme was divided into two parts, each one of 2 years' duration.
Part 1 included the following subjects: Theory of education, psychology, Danish, rhetoric, arithmetic/mathematics, religious studies and the subject areas natural sciences and history/social studies. Furthermore, students chose two of the subjects music, sports and arts.
In Part 2, students specialised in two main subjects (linjefag). In addition they studied general didactics.
Approximately 20 weeks of teaching practice included in the course
and students were required to submit a pedagogical thesis.
Upper Secondary School teachers
In order to obtain permanent appointment, teachers in upper secondary education are required to have a Candidatus (Master's) degree, normally in two subjects (major/minor) and to have completed a 2-year supplementary course (pædagogikum) which includes further studies in the minor of the two university subjects, educational theory and in-service teaching practice.
Teaching specialised subjects in the HHX and HTX programmes is possible without holding a Candidatus degree if the teacher has completed at least 3½ years of higher education at an engineering college, a business school or a university followed by professionally qualifying employment and/or further education. In each subject, the HHX/HTX teacher must have a professional level at least corresponding to 90 ECTS credits of university education.
Vocational Education and Training (VET) teachers
Teachers who are to teach general subjects, must have a level of education at least comparable to a Folkeskole teaching qualification or a bachelor's degree.
Teachers who are to teach specialised subjects must have completed a VET programme in the relevant vocational field and, normally, further education in the same field, such as a short-cycle higher education technician's qualification. Furthermore, they must have a minimum of 5 years' relevant work experience.
All VET teachers are required to have at least 2 years of relevant work experience. If they have not already taken a teacher training course, they must also complete a special pædagogikum course for vocational college teachers. This is a sandwich-type course of a duration corresponding to 18 weeks of full-time studies: 14 weeks of theory and 4 weeks of practice.
In addition, they must have (or acquire within 3 years of employment) qualifications at vocational upper secondary level including two subjects at the highest level from among the subject areas Danish, foreign languages, natural sciences, social sciences, business economics, marketing and information technology.
Higher Education teachers
Teachers in higher education institutions are required to have a degree at least equivalent to the level at which they are to teach. In addition, they must have qualifications for teaching the subjects in question, which may be earned, for example, through research work, professional experience or foreign study periods.
Teachers at a college of education, i.e. the teacher training part of a University College, may have three different kinds of qualifications:
- A university degree (Master's level) in humanities or in natural sciences subjects.
- An academic degree (Master's level) from the Royal Danish School of Educational Studies/The Danish University of Education.
- A Folkeskole teacher qualification supplemented with in-service training (mostly in non-academic subjects such as textile design, wood/metalwork etc.).
See also:
- "Det Nødvendige Seminarium" – Factsheet about the teacher training programme offered at the Necessary Teacher Training College, Tvind.
