Teacher autonomy has been a popular topic of investigation over the past decades. This article contributes to the debate by casting light on Irish and Finnish teachers' perceptions of their professional autonomy, drawing from teacher interviews conducted in both countries. The intersection of newly introduced curriculum reforms, differing education governance models and differing control regimes make Ireland and Finland fertile points of comparison. Teacher autonomy is understood in this article as a multidimensional and context-dependent phenomenon, and the conceptualisation is presented in an analytical matrix applicable to comparative research. Findings indicate that teachers in both countries consider themselves very autonomous in their classroom practice and in their educational decisions overall. However, where much of the school-level decision-making in Finnish schools concerning educational, social and developmental issues tends to be in the hands of teachers (either collegially or as individuals), in Irish schools the senior management, and especially the principal, is reportedly more involved. Possibly the greatest difference is the ways in which teachers' work is controlled, and in how teachers perceive it; Finnish teachers report intensified external control from the civil society, whereas on top of parental pressures Irish teachers report also increasing pressures from the state agencies.

The aim of the present study to evaluate mathematics literacy in Turkey based on the Turkish report of the 2015 PISA test from the perspective of mathematics teacher candidates’ opinions as well as to discuss recommendations for solutions. The study is a special case study, the participants of which are 19 mathematics teacher candidates at Necmettin Erbakan University, Ahmet Keleşoğlu Education Faculty. The teacher candidates’ opinions were elicited by means of sub problems consisting of open-ended questions. With the current study, it was concluded that changes and reforms need to be made in the Turkish education system, that the teachers, who play one of the key roles in the education system, are not adequately qualified and thus need to be open to changes and novelties and participate in professional development activities, and that students’ parents also need to undertake some responsibilities.

This publication includes the full paper presentations presented in the International Symposium on Educational Reform (ISER) 2013 conference. ISER2013 is a symposium for national policy makers, researchers and scholars, superintendents, and principals. The annual symposium was organized by the Institute of Educational Leadership of the Faculty of Education, the University of Jyväskylä in Finland, in collaboration with the University of Kentucky, the University of Pretoria, and East China Normal University. The themes of the symposium this year were Social justice, Future creation, Ethical leadership, The Finnish School system compared to other countries, Lifelong guidance and counselling, Leadership challenges and solutions, and Introducing present school leadership research.

In Italy, music schools managed by private bodies boast a long tradition that directly continues the music education of the past. Adherence to European paradigms, starting from the Lisbon Process (2000), which introduced innovative elements into education systems, also affected these institutes which are a part of the so-called ‘voluntary or community sector’ (Italian Law 206/2016). Based on recent legislative developments, Italian music schools – entrusted in their freedom to the independent planning and administration of their ‘managers’ – represent a substantial component of that ‘reformative network’ identified as a privileged tool in the “Promotion of art and humanistic culture in the school system” (Art. 2 of Italian Legislative Decree 60/2017). As a result, new social and educational functions have been revealed in these organizations that allow us to qualify them as an unshakable tool of shared social growth. The research sets out to illustrate a pedagogical-legislative overview of private music schools in Italy to identify lines of possible development for their activities. The methodology used is of a comparative type, and it draws mainly on a discussion of multiple educational, scholastic and legislative sources (both Italian and European) – the ‘National Guidelines’. Consideration is also given to data that emerged from a report on some accredited research into the issue. Based on a close examination, it underscores an advancement in socio-institutional awareness of the role played by educational organizations not referable to State initiatives. Confirming this evolution are the constant mentions in a wide range of legislative acts to the activities carried out by such bodies, recognizing cultural and educational functions rivalling those carried out by mainstream institutions. Thus, it is possible to allocate private music schools a series of social, cultural and educational functions in competition with those undertaken at various levels by public education systems, letting them correspond with all those involved in the music sector. A renewed springtime.

We are presenting a unique research report dedicated to the use of digital media in education and digital inclusion. It is unique because of the countries which contributed to this monograph showing the common challenges and differences present in the selected regions of Latin America and Europe. The monograph is the result of a systemic document analysis in: Bolivia, Brazil, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Finland, Poland, Turkey and Uruguay. It is the effect of participation of representatives of selected universities in the project “Smart Ecosystem for Learning and Inclusion” - ERANet17/ICT-0076 SELI, the aim of which is to: identify the challenges in the use of ICT as a tool for learning and inclusion; initiate broad stakeholder dialogue and consultation to screen potential educational, technical and business solutions for the challenges; implement knowledge transfer of tested and effective solutions rooted within the media pedagogy paradigm of opportunities and create an education platform with tools to support work with disadvantaged individuals and groups such as migrants, the elderly, the physically challenged, and the deaf and dumb. This book is a milestone for the analyses of the existing documentation, conducted by the representatives of nine academic centres. The results presented herein refer to the results of investigations into the key areas of digitally supported education and activities facilitating social inclusion and its subcategory – digital inclusion. Every chapter presents the general contexts of using the ICTs in education in the perspective of the development of the society saturated with the Internet and digital devices – the new media. Authors of the individual texts try to emphasise the meaning of digital literacy and data reflecting the level of digital gap, as well as the challenges faced by the selected European, Latin American and Caribbean (the Dominican Republic) countries. They also refer to the local, regional and governmental social policies, presenting the contexts – and good practices – in which preparation of teachers to use ICT, the process of reducing the digital divide and improving digital literacy take place. An important element of the work was to outline the issues relating to the educational innovation like: blockchain, digital storytelling, flipped learning, personalised learning or sharing pedagogy. The publication is an overview, however, the texts are the attempts to diagnose and determine the role of the certain actors responsible for the process of successful digital inclusion and implementation of innovative ICT-based solutions into the formal and informal education. The selected chapters also form a catalogue of good practices implemented in the certain countries. Such point of view may prove particularly useful for further research in the field of comparative pedagogy, media in education, adult education or social policies. We hope that this theoretical compilation will provide a valuable perspective for exchanging learning experiences through the transfer of the best solutions and presentation of the challenges faced by the countries participating in the SELI project.

Continuous Professional Development (CPD) plays an important role in ensuring ongoing quality teaching. In Ireland, the majority of teachers engage in CPD voluntarily. Compulsory CPD is offered to Irish schools on an ad hoc basis. In Finland, compulsory CPD (VESO training) must be completed annually. This study examines three forms of CPD available to Finnish primary teachers (compulsory training, voluntary training and informal learning), identifies pros and cons of these CPD approaches and discusses potential contributions to the enhancement of CPD for teachers in Ireland. The results suggested that there is value in the compulsory VESO training, though Finnish teachers were sometimes unhappy with the training’s structure and content. Hence, they choose voluntary courses which were more in keeping with teachers’ individual and school needs. Finnish teachers also recognised the importance of informal learning but expressed dissatisfaction with the frequency of informal learning opportunities. Some recommendations for Irish CPD are suggested by the results, namely; CPD should reflect teachers’ personal and school needs, be collaborative in nature and be run when teachers’ energy levels are at their highest. Additionally, it is suggested that Irish primary teachers be given financial support when engaging in CPD and participate in some compulsory CPD annually. See pages 39-54 of the full text document.

This paper focuses on what a lesson study cycle revealed about students’ understanding of what it is to ‘do mathematics’ within the curriculum content strand of shape and space in both primary and post-primary school settings. The process of lesson study allows teachers augment their mathematical and pedagogical skills for teaching the mathematics curriculum by refining their goals throughout the process and focussing on what and how children learn mathematics. This paper explores changes in geometric task properties as implemented by the students in both a primary and post-primary school. The capacity for building mathematical thinking and reasoning, when focussing on geometric tasks as set up by teachers, is considered. The first part of the paper provides evidence for the rationale behind electing to study the mathematical content strand of shape and space. The second section addresses the task features and cognitive demands as the lesson passed through the lesson cycle from post-primary to primary students. Finally, factors that facilitated or impeded the effectiveness of the task in question and implications of these for future teaching of mathematics across transitions are considered.

This is a collection of over 200 scientific books, publications, newspaper articles and work reports devoted to issues of management in education in Africa, Americas, Asia, Australia and Europe. The collection gives details on new teaching and learning methods. It also brings up many education policy issues affecting global education development. This booklet is intended for the graduate and doctoral students and for the heads of departments in the field of education.