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New Possibilities

Haugaland upper secondary school 2012/13

The Study Centre Helen Preston

What is

«New Possibilities»?

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•  Government initiated project, 2010-2013 •  Run by the Ministry of Education and Research •  Cooperation between all levels of administration,

nationally, regionally and locally •  Aim to increase successful completion in Upper

Secondary Education and Training, from 70 to 75 % within a three year period

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Why

New Possibilities ? •  Surveys and reports about drop-out rate •  Important to avoid social exclusion and unemployment •  Good investment in Norway`s “economy” •  Connection between achievement in secondary

education and drop out rate in upper secondary education

•  The need of skilled workers on all levels •  Personal dignity, success

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Core content of New Possibilities

•  Literacy (Basic skills- reading and writing) •  Numeracy (Basic skills) •  Assessment for learning •  Learning environment, values

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The main ideas behind New Possibilities?

•  A pedagogical foundation •  A pedagogical practice

Pedagogical foundation (Core curriculum):

•  The learner`s role: The spiritual human being, the creative human being, the working human being, the liberally educated human being, the social human being, the environmentally aware human being, the integrated human being

•  The teacher`s role: The aim of education is to furnish children, young people and adults with the tools they need to face the tasks of life and surmount its challenges together with others. Education should provide learners with the capability to take charge of themselves and their lives, as well as with the vigour and will to stand by others.

•  The aim of education: To expand the individual`s capacity to perceive and to participate, to experience, to empathize and to excel.

Big words for big occasions. In real life:

LK06 – main intension:

•  To make pupils/students/apprentices able to face and solve complex tasks and challenges in

-their further education -at work -in society -at a personal level

Are teachers on all levels focused on this on a daily basis?

All pupils/students/apprentices need:

•  To know that they can achieve something •  To move on •  To participate •  To be challenged, that somebody expects

something of them •  To be believed in

Is the teacher the coach or the referee?

With this background, “New Possibilities” means:

•  If learner`s are to experience achievement and development - all good forces need to cooperate. This is a task for the home, society in itself and school.

•  Education needs teachers who actively choose to be COACHES rather than referees.

•  This challenges our entire practise when it comes to teaching, not just the New Possibilities program.

What buttons do we choose to press?

New Possibilities at Haugaland

•  National, regional and local training •  Spread the «good news» to colleagues •  Summer course •  Study centre

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The study centre:

•  Groups of 5-6 students, 1 teacher, basic skills English and numeracy (Students chosen after testing) Whole year

•  Training, basic skills, reading and writing (literacy) Short periods

•  Language teaching for minority students •  Seminars and individual guidance to all New Possibilities

students •  Resource centre for the rest of the school (ideas and “tools” in

daily education)

Who are the «New Possibilities» students:

•  50 students, labelled from our district's Secondary schools

•  Another 54 enrolled after testing •  5 have dropped out, only 2 of the “labelled” ones •  All in all, first year: 99 students (numeracy, literacy,

English)

•  Second year students: 27 (English only)

New Possibilities plan for Haugaland: When What Performed by In charge Early May Counsellor's meeting: Local

secondary schools + Haugaland Social counsillors Head of

department

Mid August Summer course Language and mathematics teachers

Head of department

All year Small groups, study centre, training English, mathematics, reading and writing

Language and mathematics teachers, belonging to the study centre

Head of department, coordinator study centre

Start, mid term and Easter

Motivation sessions Coordinator study centre Head of department

November Parent meeting New Possibilities Students + parents, teachers from the study centre

Head of department, coordinator study centre

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New Possibilities plan for Haugaland:

When What Performed by In charge All year

Systematic student development, / the mentor`s role: give a close tuition to each student, with special focus on absenteeism

Mentors (form teachers) and other teachers

Head of department

All year, particularly after mid term

Close tuition on results (marks, absenteeism etc.)

Heads of departments, group of councillors

Head of department

Once a month

Mentor meets head of department, go through lists of absence

Heads of departements and mentors

Head of department

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Examples of good practice:

•  Workshop (language and mathematics teachers teach inside the workshop, in cooperation with the workshop teachers)

•  Concretes (tools from workshop in classroom, items to show mathematics in classroom (how much is one square metre?), various games (board games)

•  Teaching “How do we learn?” (strategy, multiple intelligence)

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