ellen bjerknes. elisabeth syverstad. umeå, november 2007 1 an action research project for...

Ellen Bjerknes. Elisabeth Syverstad. Umeå, november 2007

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An action research projectfor curriculum developement

at Strømmen Upper Secondary school:

: Partners: Teachers and pupils at study track Health

and Social Subjects, year 1 Reasearchers/teacher trainers from

Akershus University College,


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BackgroundProblem i Norwegian Upper Secondary

school, vocational tracks: High rate of drop out Lack of vocational relevanvce Lack of meaningsfulness


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Objectives:The project is part of the school`s strategy for:

strengthen relevance and meaningfulnes develope teacher competance both as individuals and as team develope the school organisation as a learning organisation. to develop the entire educational programme of 4 years, including

both shool -and workbased learning to spread experineces from one part and level of the school`s learning

environment tol the rest.


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Production of learning tasks, and extracts from dialogues with participating teachers and pupils


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The teachers formulated the following principles for curriculum development:

Development from prior practice

Learning tasks shall take occupational areas of the health/social world of work as a point of departure

Adapted learning - each pupil shall experience a learning process adapted to their learning abilities and interests

Each pupil shall experience relevances and meaningful learning processes

The education shall be holistic and coherent

The shool organisation must be charcterized by flexibilty, as to for example timeschedule.organising of teachers work etc


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Methodological approach

•Dialogue•Work-shops and reflection sessions together with the •participating teachers for

•analyzing, discussion and intepretation of curricula•planning, implementing and reflection over teaching and learning sesssions.

1.The teachers plan, execute and evaluate their pupils learning activities. They also reflect upon their own teaching.

2: 1.The researchers facilitate and support the teachers`learning process. Included is presentations and discussions around central themes as differentiation, evaluation, new challenges for the teacher role, and principles for producton of learning tasks.


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•FOKUS:

•Endring fra tidligere praksis

•Synliggjøring av yrker innen utdanningsprogrammet i oppgaveteksten

•Tilpasset opplæring

•Relevans og mening

Example of a learning task taking the world of work as a point of depa\rture. Developed autumn 2006


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Eksempel på oppgave utarbeidet av lærere på Strømmen videregående skole, tidlig høst 2006


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Feed back from teachers in a working session, october 2006:

”We talk a lot more about the different occupations this education qualify for.”

When we have been working with communication, we try to relate this to communication in different occupations.

When we are working with hygiene, we link this to what is nessecary in the different occupations regarding clothes, hair and skin

In the years before this reform, we did nothing of the kind. Now thisis embedded in our daily activities.


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Main points from an evaluation dialogue with pupils spring 2007:

They experienced a successful integration of practice and theory

Teaching sessions and learning tasks were geared towards future occopations

They learned a lot when they were allowed to cooperate and to give oral presentations

They experienced improved reflection competence and that the different parts of the content were related.

They learned ”best” when they were ” in practice”, but they also experienced that the subjects learned at school were useful when they were out in practice.

They experienced and apprciated to be part of decision making


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Feed back from teachers to the way we work spring 2007

”It feels good to have time to reflect upon what we are doing and to receive feed back that we are on the track.”

”Dialogues like this provide new energy”