
22 March 2023
New focus on preschool teachers with leadership skills
Trained preschool teachers are needed when cities grow and society moves towards a green transition. There is a great need for preschool teachers with solid leadership skills who are also ready to educate children for an increasingly complex world. Luleå University of Technology has chosen to invest extra in its preschool education and develop it to meet today's demand.
The green transition needs technically trained personnel, but it also creates demands in other areas. As the cities and industries grow in the north, the need for people with training in health and learning increases. The need for trained preschool teachers is particularly great.
- Preschool teachers lay the foundation for children's continued learning in life and are one of the most important jobs in today's society. In the pre-school teacher training at Luleå University of Technology, students develop pedagogically with a strong focus on leadership.The training mixes theory, practice and aesthetic elements. Our future preschool teachers learn to work sustainably with a focus on everyone's equal value, regardless of gender or cultural background, so that all children who go to preschool have the same opportunity and conditions in life, says Susanne Westman, educational leader for preschool teacher education at Luleå University of Technology.
The education is developed and improved in close collaboration with the students, with whom the teachers maintain a constant dialogue.
- There is a clear common thread within and between the courses and it is important that our students can master many different ways of working. With us, they learn to work communicatively, explore and use creative creation, says Susanne Westman
- The heart of our program is the process-oriented and exploratory learning that is based on critical thinking, problematization and analysis - and we are proud of that!
Long experience in distance education
The preschool teacher education is making new investments, but the education is already on a solid foundation as we have over twenty years of experience in distance education. As a student, you meet professional teachers and well-developed distance solutions. Since we are a relatively small university, you also get to be close to your teachers, classmates and partners even if the education is given remotely.
There are also meetings on Campus Luleå with three to five consecutive days two to four times per semester. During the so-called campus weeks, examinations, practical exercises are carried out and the students are given the opportunity to dance, paint, construct, experiment but also get to know their class.
- We have a lot of group work, which is good, but many of us have worked better and dared to take up more space when we have seen and met the class in real life. The days have never been boring, on the contrary! When we have campus week, time flies, which is just fun, says Nora, who is studying to become a preschool teacher at Luleå University of Technology.
Contact
Susanne Westman
- Senior Lecturer, Distinguished University Teacher
- 0920-493117
- susanne.westman@ltu.se
- Susanne Westman
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