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Session Information
23 SES 08 C, Education Policies and Development (Part 2)
Paper Session continued from 23 SES 07 C
Contribution
The main aims of this research project were to provide an overview of the compulsory school practices in Iceland at the beginning of the 21st century, focusing on the trend towards individualised learning, and to reveal if and how official policies were reflected in school practices.
The focus on individualised learning has been prominent in national curricula and other policy documents in recent decades in Iceland (Ministry of Education, 1999, 2006), even though its meaning is far from clear. This concept has been defined in a number of ways using different terms, such as individualised learning, personalized learning, student-centred instruction or differentiated instruction (teaching / learning) (Keefe and Jenkins, 2000; Sigurðardóttir, 2007; Sigurgeirsson, 2005; Tomlinson, 2014).
This view of individualised learning has in Iceland, as elsewhere in Europe for example, implied a focus on adapting teaching and learning to different individual needs, increasing students’ responsibility for their learning and their active participation in the classroom and the school (Hargreaves, 2004, 2006; Tomlinson, 2014).The term has also been related to concepts such as student empowerment and student voices (Fielding, 2006; Harvey & Burrows, 1992; Hargreaves, 2004; Rudduck, 2003) and democratic education (Dewey, 2016/2014). Learning is viewed as a social process based on student co-operation (Hannafin, Land & Oliver, 2012; Roseth, Johnson and Johnson, 2008), co-construction (Hargreaves, 2006) and team-teaching (Buckley, 2000).
The research project was organised within a framework based on an evaluation tool for schools´ progress towards individualised and cooperative learning, published by the Reykjavík Department of Education in 2005 (Reykjavíkurborg, 2005; Óskarsdóttir, 2014a), and consisted of six strands:
- Internal structures: school-based planning and management
- Learning environment: buildings, classrooms and general equipment
- Attitudes: views of students, teachers, administrators and parents towards teaching and learning
- Teaching strategies and classroom practices
- Students’ activities and responsibilities
- Parental involvement and school community relations
Two additional components where added, one focusing on the development of information technology and the other on the status of teaching and learning in the art and crafts subjects, as well as physical education.
The research questions addressed in this paper are the following:
- What are teaching and learning practices like in Icelandic compulsory schools at the beginning of the 21st century? That is, how do they reflect attitudes, the learning environment, internal structures, teaching methods, students’ activities and responsibilities, and parental involvement?
- How are the policies of state and local authorities reflected in school practices, and to what extent have predictions made in recent decades regarding school development materialised?
Method
Expected Outcomes
References
Buckley, S. J. (2000). Team teaching: What, why and how. London. Sage Publications. Dewey, J. (1916/2004). Democracy and education. New York: Dover Publications. Fielding, M. (2006). Leadership, radical student engagement and the necessity of person-centered education. International Journal of Leadership in Education, 9(4), 299–313. Hargreaves, D. H. (2004). Personalising learning – 2: Student voice and assessment for learning. London: Specialist Schools Trust. Hargreaves, D. H. (2006). A new shape for schooling? London: Specialist Schools and Academic Trust. Harvey, L. & Burrows, A. (1992). Empowering students. The New Academic, 1(3), 1–3. Keefe, J. W. & Jenkins, J. M. (2000). Personalized Instruction: Changing Classroom Practice. Larchmont, N.Y.: Eye on Education. Land, S., Hannafin, M. J., & Oliver, K. (2012). Student-centered learning environments: Foundations, assumptions and design. In D. Jonasson, & S. Land (Eds.), Theoretical foundations of learning environments (2nd edition, pp. 3–25). New York and London: Routledge. Menntamálaráðuneytið [Minstry of Education]. (1999). Aðalnámskrá grunnskóla. Almennur hluti [National Curriculum Guidelines. Introduction]. Reykjavík: Menntamálaráðuneytið. Menntamálaráðuneytið [Minstry of Education]. (2006). Aðalnámskrá grunnskóla. Almennur hluti [National Curriculum Guidelines. Introduction]. Reykjavík: Menntamálaráðuneytið. Óskarsdóttir, G.G. (Ed). (2014). Starfshættir í grunnskóla við upphaf 21. aldar [Teaching and learning in Icelandic schools at the beginning of 21st century]. Reykavík: Háskólaútgáfan. Reykjavik City Department of Education. (2005). Measurement tool on individualized and cooperative learning. Reykjavik: Reykjavik City Department of Education. Retrieved from: http://www.rvk.is/Portaldata/1/Resources/skjol/svid/menntasvid/pdf_skjol/skyrslur/einstaklingsmidad-nam_enska.pdf Roseth, C. J., Johnson, D. W., & Johnson, R. T. (2008). Promoting early adolescents’ achievement and peer relationships: The effects of cooperative, competitive, and individualistic goal structures. Psychological Bulletin, 134(2), 223–246. Rudduck, J. (2003). Pupil voice and citizenship education: A report for the QCA Citizenship and PSHE team. Cambridge: University of Cambridge. Sigurðardóttir, A. K. (2007). Þróun einstaklingsmiðaðs náms í grunnskólum Reykjavíkur. [The development of individualised learning in compulsory schools in Reykjavík.] Netla – Veftímarit um uppeldi og menntun. Retrieved from: http://netla.khi.is/greinar/2007/012/index.htm Sigurgeirsson, I. (2005). Um einstaklingsmiðað nám, opinn skóla og enn fleiri hugtök … [About individualised learning, open school and other concepts … Uppeldi og menntun, 14(5), 9–32. Tomlinson, C. A. (2014). The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners (2nd edition). Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Programme by Networks, ECER 2021
00. Central Events (Keynotes, EERA-Panel, EERJ Round Table, Invited Sessions)
Network 1. Continuing Professional Development: Learning for Individuals, Leaders, and Organisations
Network 2. Vocational Education and Training (VETNET)
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Network 5. Children and Youth at Risk and Urban Education
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Network 28. Sociologies of Education
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