The Danish Education SystemPre-school

Age 6, level 0, optional

Primary and lover secondaryAge 7-16, level 1-9 (10), compulsary

Upper secondaryAge 17-19, level 10-12, optional

General education:Gymnasium HF, HHX and HTX

Vocational education and training

Higher Education

Project: ”The Virtual High School”

• 2002-2005• 70 out of 160 Gymnasiums participated with

development (innovation) work• From one teacher in one class to the hole

school• A research group followed the project and

have published 3 reports (only in danish)

What is a Virtual High School??

Answer: A School with Virtual Instruction (”E-learning”)….

• The teacher and the students not nessecary in the same room (distributed) and/or at the same time (asynchronic).

• Use of computer based communication:E-mail, Electronic Conference Systems….

Virtual Instruction: The setting

• Instruction can be organized in:– Class or groups or pairs or individual

• A theme can be taught:– Systematic or thematic or project– Single subject or interdisciplinary

The teachers profession: What’s it’s all about?

• Select the teaching materials

• Plan and decide:– The proces:

How the teaching materials will be used– The organization: e.g. see previous dias

• ”Classroom” work

• Evaluate

The traditional setting

1 lesson = 25-30 students+1 teacher+1 classroom+1 textbook. (Duration: 45 minutes)

A new setting

• Different locations and time• Written communication (Conf. system,E-

mail…)• Different groups working with

interdisciplinary, problem-centred projects

Why teaching this way?Pro

• Independence• Self-discipline• Collaboration skills• Communication skills• Differentiated teaching• Responsibility• Problemsolving• Life long learning• Academic ability• Variety• Reflect society

Contra

•Achivements not improved

•Missing the try out in the classrrom (Measure yourself in the class)

•Increased work load for both students and teachers

Variety!

Mixed Mode

Increased work load

The most valuable ressource: TIME

Increased work load –according to the teachers

• More communication, reading and writing:– E-mail: Q&A Q&A…..– Conferences: Drafts, Agenda, Essays, Logs, Portfolios,

Comments….– Implication of the greater distance to the students:

demands for more specific and detailed (writen) instructions

– If the school establish and introduces electronic communication channels there is a natural expectation that you can use them

• Differentiated teaching takes time• Collaboration and coordination with other teachers

takes time Writing takes time!

Increased work load –An example

1 school-year: 3 projects of 1 week each (1-2 classes)

0100200300400500600700800900

1000

1. proj 2. proj 3. proj Total

Teachers in sharedconfStudents in sharedconfTeachers in groupconfStudents in groupconf

Increased work load –Solutions

Who? When? How? What? Rules?

Develop a school-based concept/procedures to spare the time to think out, negotiations and communication.Makes coordination, progression and continuity possible

Don’t invent things from scratch everytime

Increased work load –Solutions

Integrated informationsystem for schools:Administration, communication, information, documentation,

evaluation, grades, attendance registration,……..

Increased work load –Solutions

Necessary conditions:• In-service teachers training (Staff

development): IT and educational theory• Accessibility to computers, software and

Internet• Support: technical and pedagogical