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Co-teaching is highlighted as an opportunity to develop inclusive practices. This study aimed to investigate how teacher candidates experienced co-teaching during supervised teacher training periods. Data were collected through pair interviews and questionnaires (N = 22). The analysis was conducted through thematic analysis. Results show that the participants experienced both possibilities and challenges. Generally, they experienced planning and communication as time-consuming but as an opportunity to share ideas and knowledge. They experienced shared responsibilities and equal roles, but in some cases, inequalities appeared. Furthermore, they saw co-teaching as a way to meet diverse needs in the class, but some of the participants had some concerns regarding meeting the individual needs of pupils with individual educational plans (IEPs). Despite challenges, the results show that co-teaching is a valuable element of teacher training. Implications for teacher education are discussed.

In 2010, new amendments regarding special education were made to the Finnish Basic Education Act (642/2010), and they were officially adopted in 2011. The three-tiered support system that was introduced can be considered the Finnish approach to moving education toward a more inclusive system since it emphasises all teachers' responsibility to deliver support within the regular educational setting, representing a new feature in the policy documents. This has brought about new expectations for special education teachers' (SETs') roles. Our research aims to contribute to knowledge about the implementation of the three-tiered support system and SETs' roles in Swedish-speaking schools in Finland. The data were collected using a questionnaire (N = 158). The results indicate that the SETs have an important role in the three-tiered support system, both as those with the knowledge and those who share this knowledge. The SETs' role is more evident when it comes to pupils receiving support on the second and third tiers. Although inclusive values are emphasised in the policy documents, the SETs still use most of their time teaching pupils in educational settings that are often relatively segregated (individual or small-group teaching), and for example, co-teaching seems to be a less frequent approach to collaboration.

Co-teaching has been brought forth as an inclusive teaching approach in research and in the Finnish core curriculum. The realisation of co-teaching at the school level puts great demands on teachers, but also on school leaders (SLs) who are expected to lead educational change. The aim of the study was to examine how SLs in Finnish schools were co-teaching has been realised experience their own and co-teachers' roles in leading the realisation of co-teaching as an inclusive approach. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with nine SLs in Finland. Inductive thematic analysis was used and revealed two overarching themes: SLs as facilitators of co-teaching and teachers as driving forces of co-teaching. The need for a more active and goal-oriented SL role focused on involving the whole school community in developing co-teaching rather than delegating the responsibility to single teachers is discussed through the lens of distributed leadership and earlier research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined how Finnish primary school students perceive teachers' roles and responsibilities, their own learning and participation, and the social climate during co-taught lessons. Data were collected through a web-based questionnaire among primary school students (N = 242) from grades four to six from Finnish schools where Swedish is the medium of instruction and co-teaching has been initiated. Students with and without special educational needs participated in the study. Students without special educational needs were more positive to co-teaching the more co-taught lessons they received per week, while students with special educational needs were most positive when they received four to five lessons weekly. Students also perceived that mostly the general education teacher is responsible for lesson planning and instruction but that both teachers contribute to the students' learning. In earlier research, the students' perceptions have seldom been in focus and there is an obvious need for more research on students' perspectives to develop and realise co-teaching as a teaching approach that promotes learning and participation for all students in a general classroom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protochlorophyllide holochrome was prepared from dark-grown wheat seedlings in a saponin containing medium by precipitation with ammonium sulfate and differential centrifugation. During the different steps of purification the spectral properties and the photoconvertibility of protochlorophyllide holochrome were measured concomitantly with its quinone and carotenoid content. Photoconvertible protochlorophyllide holochrome was enriched in quinones but depleted of carotenoids compared with the whole etiolated leaf. The fractions containing long wavelength forms of photoconvertible protochlorophyllide had a constant molar ratio of plastoquinone, phylloquinone and protochlorophyllide of 1: 1: 2. The possibility of the prenylquinones to function as electron or hydrogen carriers between a hydrogen donor and protochlorophyllide is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]