Elos school manual Norway

Elos school manual
Norway
Elos- CFEC & national educational priorities 2010-4168/051-001
Project acronym: Elos
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author,
and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
Elos school manual
1. National Section: Norway
Welcome to Norway ELOS Network.
There are currently 12 Norwegian Secondary Schools in the ELOS network. These schools
are located all over the country. There follows a list of schools in Norway with the name of
the school’s international co-ordinator(s) and e-mail-addresses:
Thora Storm vid. skole (avd. Adolf Øien)
(Trondheim)
Jan-Terje Sundli
jan.terje.sundli@stfk.no
Ann-Jorid Grønli
ann-jorid.gronli@stfk.no
Arendal videregående skole
Hanne Holvin
Hanne.Holvin@arendal.vgs.no
Askim videregående skole
Trond Vågmo
trovag@ostfoldfk.no
Bergens Handelsgymnasium
Ewa Siarkiewicz-Bivand
ewabiv@hfk.no
Svein Heggheim
Svein.Heggheim@post.hfk.no
Fræna videregående skole
Arne Tjelle
Arne.Tjelle@mrfylke.no
Høyanger videregående skole
Iris Kopperud
Iris.helene.kopperud@sfj.no
Kristin Sagerøy Rasberg
Kristin.Sageroy.Rasberg@sfj.no
Malakoff videregående skole
Moss (Østfold)
Sølve Marie Tegnér Stenmark
solste@ostfoldfk.no
Gerd-Louise Molvig
germol@ostfoldfk.no
Nesbru videregående skole
Sheila Hansen
sheila.elaine.hansen@nesbru.vgs.no
Nøtterøy videregående skole
Agneta Berg
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agnetab@vfk.no
St.Svithun videregående skole
(Stavanger)
Julie Eliassen
julie.eliassen@rogfk.no
Ski videregående skole
Margo Koene
Margo.Koene@ski.vgs.no
Ås videregående skole
Harald Storengen
Harald.storengen@aas.vgs.no
Trond Vågmo at Askim videregående skole is the national co-ordinator for ELOS in Norway.
Address: Askim videregående skole, Postboks G, 1801 Askim
Telephone number: 004769816302
Fax: 004769816390
Mail: trovag@ostfoldfk.no
2. Becoming an ELOS School: How to apply
You are invited to first read the ELOS documents online at www.eloseducation.info
You may contact the national coordinator and get the documents and/or more information.
Familiarize yourself with the ELOS Common European Framework of Competence (CFEC)
and the requirements of the ELOS School Standard (CFEC is downloadable at
www.eloseducation.info)
Send a letter of commitment to the national co-ordinator:
 The letter should indicate the school’s current position in relation to the ELOS school
standard:
o Include a survey of the school’s international policy (exchanges, international
cooperation)
o Outline the school’s areas of development for ELOS that will be the focus over
the next 2 to 3 years
In 2011 the ELOS International Association was established. This Association promotes
ELOS as a recognised standard for European and Internationally Oriented [EIO] schools and
offers an ELOS certification process for schools and students.
Information about the ELOS International Association may be found at
www.eloseducation.info
3. Co-ordination of ELOS at school level
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Schools are advised to consider the most appropriate form of co-ordination to match their
institution’s ways of working. Internationally, many schools have found it useful to form
an ELOS team. Other schools have found it very useful to appoint a leading co-ordinator
with a small team.
In making decisions about the introduction and leadership of ELOS in a school it is also
helpful to consider the following issues:
 The time allocation required
 The level of responsibility allocated to the team or the co-ordinator
 The associated costs
 The necessary level of support and linkage to the school’s leadership and
management
 The way to market ELOS to pupils, colleagues, parents, local community and to other
schools
4. The school’s official policy
ELOS-schools should have an international policy profile. An international plan of its
own or an inclusion in the school’s complete development plan will be useful and should
mention ELOS give the necessary mentioning of ELOS. The school should consider itself
as an international school and use this as a method (and a possibilityX) to market ELOS to
others. The international work should affect as many teachers as possible. As many
students as possible should have the opportunity to participate in the international work,
for instance in international programmes (see below) in co-operation with SiU (The
national agency). And finally - the leadership of the school should support these activities.
5. The Curriculum – subjects involved
ELOS schools are international. All of them have exchanges, study-visits and other ways
to cooperate with students, teachers and schools abroad. Many of them are involved in
international programs like Comenius, Leonardo, Vennskap Nord-Sør, Nordplus etc. Very
often the schools try to incorporate the ELOS standards and international aspects into the
curriculum of different subjects. Even if there are national standards, there is still a range
of local variations, especially in subjects where there is a local oral examination when
finishing the subject.
As mentioned subjects involved will in many cases be connected in co-operation with an
international partner in a particular project, e.g. a Comenius project. This may be a project
in one particular subject. Examples are projects within Physics, Biology,
Entrepreneurship, Sociology, etc. Another possibility is to base the project on several
common subjects, e.g. Norwegian, English, Social Studies, Geography and Natural
science. A consequence of this will be that the teachers of different subjects co-operate.
Some schools have introduced international classes in which the pupils are engaged in
international activities and exchanges with partner-schools, thus fulfilling the ELOSstandards. Schools with such international classes within the national ELOS-network are
Askim videregående skole, Malakoff videregående skole and Ås videregående skole. The
normal way to organize these international classes is to establish a partnership with
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several subjects and to incorporate the international dimension into the curriculum of
these subjects.
An example:
At Askim videregående skole there are 3 international classes with 72 students (schoolyear 2011-12). The following subjects are involved in the international multilateral work:
Social studies, English, Norwegian, Natural science, Athletics, Geography and Spanish.
Furthermore the same school has several bilateral projects with partners abroad, for
instance one with car-mechanics in Germany and one within Entrepreneurship with a
school in the Czech Republic. Thus the curriculum in these subjects will also be
influenced.
6. Student Activities
The competences of the communication domain (EI0 - 2) from the CFEC may be
integrated into student activities and to national demands and goals. The existing system
of teaching in Norway, “Læreplanverket for Kunnskapsløftet “ with general rules and with
specific core curriculum for each subject has an own survey with the basic duties for the
school, called “Læringsplakaten” (Poster of teaching). The obligations concerning the
pupils are as follows:
1. Give all pupils and apprentices the same opportunities to develop their individual
abilities and talents and in co-operation with others
2. Stimulate the need to learn, ability to persevere and to be curious
3. Stimulate the pupils and apprentices to develop their own learning strategies and
the ability to think critically
4. Stimulate the pupils and the apprentices in their own personal development and in
the strengthening of their identity, in developing ethical, social and cultural
competences and in the ability to understand democracy and to participate in a
democracy
5. Prepare for the possibilities that the pupils can be partners in learning and that they
may make conscious choices of values
The chart, with examples, below shows that several points in the CFEC correspond to this
and that certain goals set by the government may be fulfilled by the ELOS competences:
ELOS Competences
Independent and collaborative skills mentioned in
”Læringsplakaten”
EIO – 3
EIO – 3.3.2
I know how to
negotiate and act
according to a Code of
Conduct during
exchanges with partner
students abroad or
online.
Give all pupils and apprentices the same conditions to
develop abilities and talent individually and in cooperation with others.
Stimulate the pupils and the apprentices in their own
personal development and in strengthening of identity, in
developing ethical, social and cultural competences and
in the ability to understand democracy and to participate
in a democracy
5
EIO – 3.5.2
I can participate
actively in planning
and running a new
project with
groups/teams of
students and teachers
from other countries
EIO – 3.6.2
I can contribute
actively to the project
management and
administration of
international activities
in an educational
setting
EIO - 3.1.3
I show interest and
respect for others in
Europe and the wider
world
EIO – 3.2.3
I am aware that how
persons from another
culture act, might arise
from different norms
and values than my
own
EIO – 3.4.3
I can cope with
problems arising in
collaboration with
students and teachers
from other countries
Stimulate need to learn, ability to persevere and to be
curious
Stimulate the pupils and apprentices to develop their own
learning strategies and the ability to think critically
Give all pupils and apprentices the same conditions to
develop their abilities and talents both individually and
in co-operation with others
Stimulate need to learn, ability to persevere and be
curious
Stimulate the pupils and the apprentices in their own
personal development and in strengthening of identity, in
developing ethical, social and cultural competences and
in the ability to understand democracy and to participate
in a democracy
Prepare for the possibilities that the pupils can be
partners in learning and that they may take conscious
choices of values
Stimulate the pupils and the apprentices in their own
personal development and in strengthening of identity, in
developing ethical, social and cultural competences and
in the ability to understand democracy and to participate
in a democracy
Give all pupils and apprentices the same conditions to
develop abilities and talent individually and in cooperation with others
Prepare for the possibilities that the pupils can be
partners in learning and that they may make conscious
choices of values
7. National priorities
In Norway there is not one single document showing national priorities. National
priorities are defined and given in different documents and in different ways:
a. In the national curriculum of each subject
b. In a general curriculum (generelle læreplan) it’s mentioned what kind of
human beings should be the result of upbringing and education:
i. The human being seeking meaning
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c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
ii. The creative human being
iii. The working human being
iv. The human being with general knowledge
v. The co-operative human being
vi. The human being conscious about the environment
vii. The integrated human being
In messages from Parliament (stortingsmeldinger) concerning important issues
i. Entrepreneurship (nr 7)
ii. Internationalization (nr 14)
In “Læringsplakaten” (the poster with the main duties for schools), see 5
In letters from department/directorate to the counties about important issues
In articles from departement/directorate dealing with important questions
By starting campaigns and actions in the schools to deal with a challenge or a
problem
By studying these different sources, documents and actions it’s possible to say that these
matters are among those which may be considered as national priorities:
1. Avoid school drop-outs
2. Secure testimonies for all students after 2 or 3 years in school
3. Increase the use of entrepreneurship in education
4. Encourage internationalization in schools
5. Increase the level of learning
6. Make lifelong education possible
7. Increase computer literacy
8. Give all pupils the best and equal opportunities
9. Equity in education
10. Social inclusion for all pupils
A more detailed list of the duties for each pupil is as already mentioned in part 5.
As stated earlier and as exemplified here, very many of the EIO-domains fit in with this.
By introducing ELOS and the CFEC-survey the schools may contribute to fulfilling a lot
many of the goals set by government and directorate.
An example
The general plan of study and Læringsplakaten (among other abilities) encourage these:
1. Critical thinking and enquiry
2. Advocacy and representation
3. Taking informed and responsible action
Connection to CFEC (domains + levels):
Domain EIO – 1
I am an informed European citizen who can access, process and evaluate knowledge
relevant to Europe and the wider world and act upon it.
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Domain EIO - 2
I can communicate effectively and cope in everyday life in a European/international
setting.
EIO – 2.3.1
EIO – 2.3.2
EIO - 2.3.3
Domain EIO – 3
I can collaborate constructively with peers from other countries on a common thematic
task or project.
EIO – 3.3.3
8. Linking the ELOS programme to national priorities in Norway
and to different documents
ELOS Partners
Common educational
priorities
1. Social inclusion /
inclusive education
2. Improving quality
of learning and
teaching
3. Entrepreneurship
How these link to Norwegian priorities/documents
Læringsplakaten (poster of teaching /duties)
http://www.udir.no/Lareplaner/Prinsipp-foropplaringa/?p=2
Generelle del av læreplanen (general part of curriculum)
http://www.udir.no/Lareplaner/Generell-del-avlareplanen/
Good environment for teaching. Utdanningsdirektoratet
http://www.udir.no/Laringsmiljo/
Utdanningsdirektoratet: Measures against mobbing
http://www.udir.no/Laringsmiljo/Arbeid-mot-mobbing/
Kunnskapsløftet (curriculum and principles of teaching)
http://www.udir.no/Lareplaner/Grep/
Ny Giv (measures to improve the quality of teaching and
to prevent that students drop out or school failure)
http://www.regjeringen.no/nb/dep/kd/tema/grunnopplari
ng/videregaende-opplaring/nyheter-videregaende--redaksjonelle-art/ny-giv-tiltak-for-bedre-gjennomforingi-.html?id=612780
Stortingsmelding nr. 7 (2008-09)
http://www.regjeringen.no/nb/dep/nhd/dok/regpubl/stmel
d/2008-2009/stmeld-nr-7-2008-2009-.html
Trade Union for teachers (Utdanningsforbundet)
http://www.utdanningsforbundet.no/upload/Publikasjone
r/Rapporter/Rapport%20fra%20unders%C3%B8kelse_2
011
Kunnskapsdepartementet: Entrepreneurship in schools
http://www.regjeringen.no/nb/dep/kd/dok/regpubl/stmeld
8
/2010-2011/meld-st-22-2010--2011/4/9.html?id=641288
Besides this entrepreneurship is mentioned in the
separate curricula in many subjects and it’s a separate
subject in the upper secondary school
http://www.udir.no/Lareplaner/
4. Life long learning
This principle is declared as one of the most important in
Norwegian education policy (Kunnskapsdepartementet)
http://www.regjeringen.no/nb/dep/kd/tema/livslanglaring.html?id=592615
5. Intercultural
dialogue / cultural
awareness
Kunnskapsdepartementet: Multicultural school
http://www.regjeringen.no/nb/dep/kd/dok/nouer/1995/no
u-1995-12/5/7.html?id=427516
6. Innovation
(creativity, new
technologies and
sciences)
Kunnskapsdepartementet: New technology and
innovation in schools:
http://www.regjeringen.no/nb/dep/kd/dok/regpubl/stmeld
/2010-2011/meld-st-22-2010-2011/4/8/1.html?id=641287
ELOS fits well with the following national priorities and main issues for the upper
secondary schools:
Priority
to improve basic standards in literacy
and maths
To avoid drop-outs (by making
schools more interesting)
To stimulate the pupils in
development, competences etc
To make the school international and
increase social and cultural tolerance
and understanding
Education for Employment,
work-related learning
to give teachers some freedom over
the school curriculum
Linking to CFEC
Domain EOI-1,2,3 and 4
Domain EOI-1,2,3 and 4
Domain EOI-1,2,3
Domain EOI-1,2,3 and 4
Domain EOI-4
Domain EOI-1,2,3 and 4
9. National system of learning
In Norway the last school reform, Kunnskapsløftet, was launched in 2006 and it gradually
became the national standard in the upper secondary education over a three years period.
In Norway there is:
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A partially prescribed curriculum, with some freedom for schools and teachers, depending
a little on the subject
Examinations in Norway are:
Partly centralized, partly non-centralized. Most of the written exams are national and
standard for the whole country, some written exams and all oral exams are local.
School structure in Norway:
Primary schools and lower secondary schools are run by municipalities under the control
of government. Curriculum, subjects etc are – with some freedom – the same all over the
country.
The upper secondary schools are run by the counties. There are 19 counties in the country.
Some subjects may vary from one school to another, but the most popular and usual
subjects are the same all over the country. The curriculum is decided by central
authorities, but as mentioned earlier with some local freedom in some subjects
Authorities
There is a special department, “Kunnskapsdepartmentet” responsible for education and for
the school system as a whole. Furthermore the department has delegated all details,
curriculum and all special rules and regulations to a directorate, Utdanningsdirektoratet.
The county is responsible for running the upper secondary schools, but each school has a
certain freedom. In every county there’s an office, Fylkesmannen, which is the link with
the national authorities and which has a degree of control with the upper secondary
schools to see that the teaching given by the school and the school’s system are in
accordance with national laws and regulations.
ELOS as a part of the national system in Norway:
ELOS fits very effectively with the programme(s) of learning in many aspects. As
mentioned there is some freedom for the teacher and for each school. As international
work is widely accepted and as many schools are engaged in Comenius and/or other
international programmes, there is a basic platform for ELOS in Norway.
10. Quality Review and validation process
The ELOS Quality Review procedure takes place on the basis of the ELOS International
School Standard and the CFEC. The Quality Review procedure is centred on the
educational aspects which are specific to ELOS.
The ELOS Quality Review procedure has two functions
i. As a guarantee, in order to quality assure the ELOS learning experience
ii. It acts as a stimulus, adding value to the school’s own quality assurance and ELOS
development work
The Quality Review Guidelines are available at www.ELOSeducation.info
The national quality review procedure has yet to be agreed with the Board of the ELOS
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International Association
In Norway schools give reports to the national coordinator. There is a yearly meeting
when quality questions are discussed. Because of geography and long distances visits and
inspections are difficult. Instead the yearly meetings and reports from all school may
function as an important substitute.
It is anticipated that the Quality Review process will result in a school achieving the
ELOS International School Standard. This validation lasts for 3 years. At the end of this
period a ELOS school may contact the national co-ordinator for a renewal. The school
then has to give a short written report about its activities.
11. How to get started







Study the ELOS-documents
Discuss with interested and motivated teachers at your school
Discuss with the pupils/pupils’ board
Discuss ELOS with your administration
Contact the national co-ordinator
Visit national co-ordinator or arrange a visit by him/her
Follow instructions in chapter 1 (how to apply)
12. Advantages by being an ELOS-school






Your school belongs to a national network
You AS ABOVE belong to a European network
You As the Elos contact you may get help and information if you seek new
partners and new projects
AS ABOVE You will be invited to national conferences
AS ABOVE You can attend ELOS partner-seeking-conferences and other
conferences
Your school will be recognized as an ELOS-school
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