Speakers and Panellists

Keynote speaker

Minna Kyttälä

Dr Minna Kyttälä, Docent in Special Education, serves as Professor of Special Education at the University of Turku, within the Department of Education. She is responsible for the discipline of special education, including the training of special education teachers. Her primary research interests focus on the development of teachers’ professional competence, as well as on learning, its underlying factors, and associated challenges. Through these themes, her work aims to enhance the conditions for addressing learner diversity and for implementing appropriate support within inclusive educational settings.

At present, Professor Kyttälä leads the OPEMO project, “How Can Teachers Cope in an Increasingly Diverse School Environment? Research-Based Practices to Support Teacher Wellbeing in Teaching and Leadership”, funded by the Finnish Work Environment Fund.

In her keynote, Professor Kyttälä will explore what an increasingly diverse and inclusive school means in terms of teachers’ work, competencies, and professional wellbeing. She will reflect on the opportunities and challenges involved in aligning the demands and realities of teaching with the needs of learners and the implementation of support measures within a school system designed for all.

Commentary speakers

Kati Kaplin-Sainio

Kati Kaplin-Sainio serves as a Senior Education Advisor at the Finnish National Agency for Education, with responsibility for matters related to support in early childhood and pre-primary education. She holds a Master’s degree in Education and is qualified as a Special Education Teacher in Early Childhood Education. Kaplin-Sainio has previously worked in a variety of special education roles, as well as in expert positions within the municipal sector.

In her view, recognising the diverse needs of learners and responding to those needs within group settings is a fundamental principle in the implementation of support in accordance with the national core curricula.

Minna Salminen

Minna Salminen serves as a consulting special education teacher in early childhood education for the City of Rauma. She is Chair of the Rauma local branch of the Trade Union of Education in Finland (OAJ) and Vice-Chair of the OAJ’s Satakunta regional association. In addition, Salminen is an active member of the Council of the Early Childhood Education Teachers’ Union (VOL) and of the OAJ’s Representative Assembly. She also serves as a deputy member of the VOL Executive Board.

Vilhelmiina Saharinen

Vilhelmiina Saharinen is a Master’s-level student of primary teacher education at the University of Turku. She is currently undertaking a traineeship as part of the planning group for the Teacher Education Days. In her commentary, she reflects on the increasingly diverse and evolving nature of schools from the perspective of a future teacher. Saharinen raises the question of how teacher education can prepare graduates for a school environment whose future is inherently unpredictable. She also highlights the significant potential of co-teaching as a supportive practice, particularly for early-career teachers.

Panelists

Jukka Vetoniemi

Dr Jukka Vetoniemi holds a Doctorate in Education (EdD) and works as a Senior Counsellor of Education at the Finnish National Agency for Education. His expertise and research focus on inclusion, social participation, school leadership, and the development of inclusive learning environments. His current responsibilities include matters related to learning support, communal student welfare, and educational guidance.

Taina Suvikas

Taina Suvikas is the Pedagogical Principal of a primary school and also serves as Headteacher of a special education secondary school in the City of Rauma. With 35 years of experience working with learners of diverse needs, Suvikas is particularly committed to fostering pupil participation in their own growth and development in an age-appropriate manner. She emphasises student-centred approaches and the creation of a safe learning environment for every pupil. In both schools, she also leads initiatives in communal student welfare.

Mea Nordberg

Mea Nordberg, M.Ed., is a special education teacher at a lower secondary school in Rauma. Her educational background includes qualifications in early childhood education, primary education, and both general and special needs teaching. She has extensive experience across early childhood education and both lower and upper levels of basic education.

Nordberg has a strong history of involvement in the OAJ and currently serves as Chair of the Satakunta regional branch of the organisation. She is a firm advocate for the view that the cornerstone of Finnish education is a highly educated and pedagogically competent teaching workforce.

Juha Viitala

Juha Viitala is a Member of Parliament representing Rauma. Prior to his parliamentary career, he worked in the industrial sector as an occupational safety representative. In the Finnish Parliament, he serves as a member of both the Committee for Economic Affairs and the Legal Affairs Committee. He also chairs the Parliamentary Maritime Group.

Viitala has served as a member of Rauma City Council since 2017. He is committed to acting as a liaison between the Satakunta region and the national legislature.

Panel Chair: Marianna Hoikkala

Marianna Hoikkala is a University Teacher in Speech Communication and a Doctoral Researcher at the University of Turku. Her research interests focus on the role of interpersonal communication in fostering and sustaining a sense of community and well-being among students and teachers. In her doctoral dissertation, she specifically explores university lecturers’ experiences of communication related to belonging and the formation of collegial community within academic work environments.

Banner photo: Suvi Harvisalo / Turun yliopiston viestintä