STEP (Subject Teacher Education Programme in English)

Again another STEP year is almost over - this time our 15th year! 🎉✨️ This also marks the end of the programme as a one-year full-time programme. In the fall STEP will continue as a part-time programme over two years.

We had our traditional Final Get-together last week. About half of the students made it there (but we didn't manage to get them all in one photo!) and we had a nice time enjoying the potluck picnic and reflecting on the past year. 🧀🍰🥂 It has been really nice to work with you! 😍

It is a stressful time to look for jobs and send applications. Remember that most teachers in Finland start out in fixed-term positions or in substitute positions. We want to congratulate all our graduates and wish you all the best in your future endeavours and in finding your own place in teaching! 🤩🍎 But first -- good luck with finishing your research papers! 📄

Would you like to become a subject teacher?

The application period to STEP (teachers’ pedagogical studies) is open from 23 February to 6 March, 2026 (3 pm). You can apply as a non-degree student with a previous master's degree or if you are completing your Master's degree at the University of Helsinki this spring.

Click on the image to read more about the 2-year part-time programme and how to apply! You can also join a live info session today at 3 pm! You can find the Zoom link through the page below.

Pedagogical studies arranged in English (STEP Programme) | Faculty of Educational Sciences | University of Helsinki The Subject Teacher Education Programme (STEP) contains the Pedagogical Studies for Teachers arranged in English. The Programme helps the future teacher to develop into a professional in the planning, implementation, evaluation, and development of teaching.

A couple of weeks ago we had our traditional co-teaching session with the Swedish language subject teacher education programme, Pedagogik vid Helsingfors universitet. It was a nice opportunity for the small ÄLU language group to mingle with the much larger STEP group. The STEP students, too - of course - enjoyed meeting new students. We started the session with a game where the students had to organize themselves alphabetically from A to Ö (in Finnish alphabet, after A-Z we have Å, Ä and Ö, and some other European languages have one or more of these letters, too). This was the first time ever that in both first names and last names there were indeed students with A’s and Ö’s! Although the game seems simple, it always takes a bit of thinking, talking and laughing before the right order is found. 😅🥳

The themes for the session were co-teaching and designing a multidisciplinary lesson that also incorporated the development of two transversal competences. The students were divided into mixed groups to help them bring in different perspectives into their tasks. The students worked diligently within the limited time frame that they were given. At the end, they gave splendid 2-minute presentations of their creations! 👏🏻👏🏻

The 15th year of STEP has started! We have come far in these years, educating about 250 subject teachers from well over 30 nationalities in this time. This year the STEP group is the largest it has been in several years – we have a full group of 25 students!

There will be some changes in the STEP programme for next year. Until now the programme has been designed to be completed in one year. Starting from 2026, the intake will be every two years and the programme is divided to be completed in two years. One reason for this is that most of our students work on the side and it is of course difficult for many to combine full-time studies with work. We will have more information about the way STEP will be organized later this fall.

Last Friday we met for our outing in a new place, in Tervasaari. It’s a beautiful, small island close to the faculty. Our original plans for the day were disrupted by rain but we started the morning outdoors. We got group photos taken, did speed dating to get to know each other better, and the students were divided into small groups to write poems about studying to be teachers (had to keep the tradition of the poem still going!). We continued our day indoors to stay dry and warm. You can definitely see quite a bit of grey in the photos but the students’ spirits were high and the day was fun!

We are happy to welcome this year’s group that is large, loud (in a positive way!), energetic and so ready to work with us to learn about teaching and education in Finland. Right now, the students are doing school visits in different schools. We would like to thank our partner schools for the valuable collaboration with us and for opening their doors to our students: Espoo International School, Etelä-Tapiolan lukio IB, Ressu IB World School, and The English School.

Here is one of the poems created by students:

Truly teaching is a rewarding profession, they say.
Language is an important tool for effective communication, they yearn.
But yet they undermine the energy of being an effective teacher.
They forget how unpredictable it can be to handle future generations,
just like how you might be planning for a sunny day but get a rainy day.
But when there is a will, there is way,
That why we have great teachers out there.
Always ready to equip themselves with necessary tools.

Nothing to restrain our determination to board on the train
We are aspiring English teachers,
who hope to help every creature.
We hope to inspire and light a fire.
Maybe there is a pain,
Maybe there is a drain.
In the end, there is also a gain.

(Yanhua, Aishat and Emma)

We had this year’s final picnic and get-together with the STEP group in Tervasaari at the beginning of this week. Not everyone made it to the picnic, but we had a good time in the sunny but windy weather. The students had brought such goodies and savory treats for all of us to enjoy! ☀

The year is now completed except for the students’ last research report. Soon the STEP graduates can wait for their certificates to arrive in the mail. Congratulations to each and everyone on your hard work throughout this year and for earning your teaching qualifications! 😍🌹🎉

The international and English-medium STEP is an important steppingstone to our international students in their efforts to integrate into the Finnish society. Many will devote time and attention to studying Finnish or Swedish after the STEP year is over in order to improve their employment opportunities in Finland. After all, there are only a few international schools. Furthermore, one of the goals of STEP is to increase the diversity of the teaching staff in our schools. So, we hope they will find future jobs in Finnish or Swedish language schools. However, STEP is also open for Finnish natives, and we welcome both Finnish and international students.

As always, the students formed a nice community among themselves and supported each other throughout the courses and practicums. It was nice to observe how well they worked together and formed friendships that will hopefully last a lifetime. The practice period was an opportunity for some to make better connections to the Finnish side students, too, which was valuable.

Thank you for all your contributions during the year, it was a pleasure to get to know you and work with you! Good luck with job searching and all the best for all your future endeavours! 🤩

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There’s also a beautiful birthday cake in the photos so must mention that the students surprised Kaisa with a cake, card and a bouquet of flowers. Another testament to what a kind and thoughtful group these STEP students are! Thank you again! ❤

Would you like to become a subject teacher?

The application period to STEP (teachers’ pedagogical studies) started yesterday and it is open until 7 March 2025 (3 pm). You can apply either as a degree student or as a non-degree student after completing your master's degree.

Click on the image to read more about the programme and how to apply!

Pedagogical studies arranged in English (STEP Programme) | Faculty of Educational Sciences | University of Helsinki The Subject Teacher Education Programme (STEP) contains the Pedagogical Studies for Teachers arranged in English. The Programme helps the future teacher to develop into a professional in the planning, implementation, evaluation, and development of teaching.

Are you interested in knowing more about subject teacher education in Finland? Here's a link to a video that first gives a bit of background to the languages spoken in Finland and then explains foreign language education in the Finnish school system. Finally, the video guides you through the one year of teachers' pedagogical studies that is one of the components required in teacher qualifications in Finland (the others being a Master's degree and sufficient subject studies). Although the video explains the pedagogical studies from the perspective of a language teacher student, the structure of the studies is the same to those studying to become other subject teachers.

STEP educates future teachers in languages (English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, and Swedish) and Science subjects (Chemistry, Mathematics, and Physics). The application period will be open from 20 February to 7 March 2025. Link to Studyinfo is provided in the comments. We welcome applications from both international and Finnish students!

Here's a poem by one group of STEP students at the beginning of the academic year:

Teaching, teaching – Languages
English, français, español!
What a lovely spectrum of languages
In learning, learning – Lay so many advantages
Communication, Expression, Integration!
Skillful, skillful – Teachers
Let us all take the STEP forward together
Thank you – Merci – Gracias!

(Amin, Loubna, Patricia)

https://www.helsinki.fi/fi/unitube/video/5f8885f1-f0b5-467a-b9b7-7c07da5d8e2e?fbclid=IwY2xjawIEPDRleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHXzGU0rA91g--7sbGUH0BQ1uD7iHGQCAbX5IKN1391wuFNMtZ0GISKgK9A_aem_nX2ICkX6CwvAaKeK29_EPQ

This week we had a co-teaching session with Kirsi's language students from the Swedish language teacher education programme (Pedagogik vid Helsingfors universitet) and Kaisa's students from the STEP programme. After a warm-up game, the teachers gave short introductions of the theories behind co-teaching and multilingualism in school. Then students in mixed groups created lesson plans for a co-teaching session that dealt with a phenomenon of their choice and at least two transversal competences.

The students found this active session interesting and interactive, not least because of the mixing of students!

Here's some feedback from the students:

“Cool to meet international students and do some group work with them. More international work!”
“Getting to know the teacher and students from the Swedish programme was amazing.”
“Overall a successful experience with such limited time and five different people. We were able to all pitch in and come up with a coherent plan together.”
“When this lecture started, it was a bit scary, lots of information, thoughts about how to gather them together. But when we started to work in our groups, I was involved in the activity and curious.”

STEP year 2024-2025 has started! The day was sunny, warm, and gorgeous when we walked along the duckboards to Lammassaari on Friday to spend time getting to know each other and each other’s names, talk a bit about outdoor education and field trips and, of course, give time for students to create and perform a traditional poem about their upcoming STEP year.

This year’s group brings along a wealth of experience from different educational systems, many also having worked as teachers in different countries. The students might have taken circuitous routes through many countries before ending up in the STEP programme. They originate from around the world: for example, Greece, India, Iran, Morocco, Mexico, Spain, Sri Lanka, Ukraine, and Finland. Some of our students (not all pictured) have a previous teaching qualification and they will complete only a part of the STEP year to be fully qualified teachers in Finland.

We look forward to working with all our new students this year! Welcome to Kasvatustieteellinen tiedekunta!

Here's one of Friday’s poems, with references to the students’ subjects of English and Physics:

Three souls converge, from lands far apart
At Lammassaari where paths entwine
A day unfolds, a metaphor divine…

Steps we take, uncertain yet brave
Like particles in a quantum wave
Random walks filled with emotions
Doubt creeps in, a shadow’s cast
yet forward we move
step by step

Cool moments pass, hot ones arise
Therman equilibrium, our lives comprise
Though endings unclear, beginnings are bright
Step by step
Together we strive

(Navo, Ira, Ville)

This STEP year started in rainy weather but ended today in gorgeous sunshine. 🌼☀️🏵 We had the final picnic and get-together in Tervasaari, just a few blocks from Siltavuorenpenger. Some students are yet to turn in their last research report (with a deadline a couple of days away) but soon all work is done for good and the STEP graduates can wait for their certificates to arrive in the mail in a few weeks. Congratulations to each and everyone (also those who didn't make it to the picnic!) on your hard work throughout this year and for earning your teaching qualifications! 🌹🎉🤩

It was another productive year where the "STEP magic" happened again! The students formed a close-knit group that supported each other throughout the courses and practicums, even (or especially) during the times that were busier or tougher. Thank you for all your contributions during the year, it was a pleasure to work with you! 🤗 Good luck with job searching, and congratulations again to those who have already secured a job for the fall! 👏