With 80% of the student body with a
minority language background, the school has, in an exceptional way
demonstrated, how innovative ways of organising teaching can
improve the quality of students' learning. The school has been
outstanding in the field of creativity and innovation
Stovner was appointed National School of Demonstration for 2003-2006 by the Norwegian School Authorities.
Need for change
Stovner Videregaaende School is a co-ed school for students aged
15 to 19 years old, situated in Norway's capital city, Oslo. The
school equips students with the equivalent of the English A-level
as well as offering vocational training.
The school has a diverse student body with regards to social,
ethnic and learning backgrounds. A majority had a minority language
background, and the applicants had on average a very low score from
secondary school. A great number of students were not motivated and
had concentration difficulties. The school had a
great number of drop-outs during the year, and few applicants had
Stovner Upper Secondary School as their first choice. Surveys
showed that students found school boring, and that teachers found
the school day exhausting. There was an obvious need for
change.
Goals
The school's leadership concentrated on these four simple and
measurable goals:
- To increase the number of students leaving school with a valid certificate of secondary education, allowing them university entry
- To attract academically stronger students
- To reduce the proportion of students who found school boring
- To provide the teachers with an environment that was both stimulating and supportive
What has been accomplished so far
Each student has their own desk and computer, and by using the
tools on the school's Fronter learning platform, each student is
offered individual tutoring. The collaborative aspect of problem
based learning is facilitated and enhanced by Fronter tools.
Technology was used as an agent for change in both the methods of
teaching and learning. A new class structure was established where
groups of twelve students now work together with their own
tutor.
The schedule is reorganized so that all subjects are taught only once a week and smaller subjects have been compressed into half year courses. Teachers are working in teams on all subjects, while all learning material is distributed through the learning platform.
Pupil sitting at one of Stovner's 500 individual workstations
The Result after 4 Years
- The number of student drop-outs has been reduced by 70%
- The number of students leaving school with a valid certificate of secondary education has increased by 20%
- The number of applicants that had Stovner Upper Secondary School as their first choice has more than tripled
- Surveys show that the number of students that find school boring has been reduced from 30% to 10%
- Now 80% of the teachers find their school day more stimulating and supportive
As a consequence of these outstanding results, Fronter was
chosen as the
online learning platform for the 175 schools, 67 000 students and
11 500
teachers in the city of Oslo. All schools have successfully
implemented the
Fronter learning platform by the end of 2006.