Technology & Learning - February 2008 - (Page 24) In November 2007, a delegation from the Consortium for School Networking visited three Scandinavian countries to examine best practices. Following are selected excerpts from their debriefing document. The Mission Much of our interest was motivated by our desire to understand the high achievement levels of students in Finland, Sweden, and Denmark. For several years, students in these countries have been outperforming their U.S. counterparts. Could it be information technology, referred to in Europe as Information and Communications Technologies, or ICT, was being used in new and innovative ways? Could we apply these lessons? Or as one delegate asked, “How can we take what we hear and see, and create a sense of interest and urgency in the U.S.?” Finland, where all teachers have masters degrees, teaching is one of the most venerated professions; only one in eight applicants to teacher education programs is accepted as competition for jobs is tight for the limited number of places. it, “The students understand that the computers here are for learning [and] the filter is in their head.” Asked about the number of transgressions, teachers and administrators told us they could individually deal with any true abuse, but indicated that abuse was not a problem. Autonomy Contrary to the stereotype of European countries with centralized control of their education programs, these Scandinavian countries actually have made an effort to ensure that educational decision-making is as near to the student and teacher as possible. The local administration plays a key role in the daily education operations. Teachers and schools function with a high degree of autonomy. At the school level there is flexibility in providing educational services according to their administrative governance and needs and interests, just as long as the basic policy functions are followed. Student Responsibility During our school visits, students seemed remarkably mature and responsible, and able to handle the autonomy in the school. Perhaps one reason for this behavior is that students start formal schooling at age seven, after extensive earlychildhood/pre-school programs that focus on self-reflection and social behavior, rather than academic content. Concerning Internet use, content filtering policies tend to be based on student responsibility. Putting a filter on a school computer, other than for protection from viruses or spam, is not considered an option. As the school librarian in Copenhagen put Valued Teachers In Scandinavia, the teacher is most often viewed as a mentor, someone who has both knowledge and wisdom to impart and who plays a key role in preparing students for adulthood. Teachers are regarded as wise professionals whose jobs involve high levels of judgment. For example, in 24 | www.techlearning.com Technology and Innovation Though these countries are highly connected, with more than 98 percent of homes having computer and broadband connections, this connectivity does not seem to translate into widespread sophisticated uses http://www.techlearning.com
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