TEACHER TRAINING

In the Nineties the teacher training programme was reformed gradually and in 2001 a new programme was introduced. The teacher training programme of 2001 includes all categories of teachers in a single programme with individual possibilities to specialise in subjects, age groups or other aspects of education, i.e. Special Needs Education.

The aim is to move away from categories such as subjects and age levels and focus more on the general concept of learning and, more importantly, on the social aspects of school activities. More focus will be placed on Special Needs Education for all teachers.
Ideas such as the teacher as a counsellor and individually planned education are also important in the construction of the new teacher training programme. Information on the teacher training programme of Stockholm is available in English at http://www.lhs.se/english/programmes.html

During the last ten years, the role of specialist teachers has changed. There are still specialist teachers who work with individual pupils or groups of pupils, but more and more the role of the specialist teacher has changed into a consulting function towards other teachers who work with pupils in need of special support in their groups.

In the teacher training programmes introduced in 2001, all teachers have some training in Special Needs Education. There are possibilities to specialise in Special Needs Education within the basic teacher training programme.

There will also be programmes of Special Needs Education that train specialists to work as consultants to teachers. The new specialists will also be trained to work in co-operation with the school boards to ensure good educational environments and the support necessary for an equal education. See http://www.hsv.se

Links to universities offering teacher training programmes can be found at the Contacts section of this website. Most universities have general information in English, but lack English versions of specific information on teacher training and Special Needs Education.