ELFE Conference Brussels A presentation of the LOSA project Nordland County, Norway ELFE Conference Brussels Presentasjon av oss Jeg: General overview of the project Hilde: Presenting her fields of study in more detalis Me: Summing up.

LOSA ”Local education in cooperation with local working life” Or ”Secondary education in Rural areas”. Originally called District School model when it was started 2001.

The Main Objectives of the Project was: To give young people at the age of 15 to 16 in rural districts the possibility to attend upper secondary education in their local communities To reduce the drop-out percentage among first-year-students from rural districts To enable young people to stay at home as long as possible To strengthen and increase cooperation between working life, local authorities and educational institutions 1) The first point is talking about the facts that young people from remote areas don’t take secondary education at the same rates as young people from towns or more densely populated areas 2) Drop out: 48% of the dropouts in our county are students living in remote areas I will return to this moment later related to the results of our project 3) Its costly for the parents to have their children living in the towns. And often the students are sosially isolated in the bigger towns 4) Companies have problems with employing skilled persons in the remotes areas.

Based on 3 different fields of learning: The field of web-based education: The students work individually with the different subjects. They are taught by their teachers by the use of telephone, e-mail, chat-programs and by active use of web-boards Classrom-based education: The students are supervised by local instructors, by fellow students for the benefit of cross-curricular cooperation. The participation of the local firms is essential in the project. They are offering vocational training to the students to the one they are having in ordinary schools Local firms: which give in-firm training related to the specific aim.

Partners in the LOSA project. 2 main schools: Saltdal Upper Secondary School and Nordland Upper Secondary School of fisheries offer 10 different foundation courses 3 local communities: Træna, Beiarn and Værøy The students are formally administered by the two main schools 4 small cooperating local secondary Schools introduced in 2003 The students are administered by the local schools and recieve ICT-education in the subjects which the local schools can not offer themselves SVS: 7 foundation courses: Arts,Crafts and design, Electrical Trades, Engineering and Mechanical Trades. Woodworking trades, Sale and service Trades and general and Business studies NFS: 4 courses: Health and social care, Hotel and Food processing trades and Agriculture, fishing and Forestry Trades

Saltdal uss and Nordland uss: Main schools : Saltdal uss and Nordland uss: Responsible for the educational organization and providing ICT- teachers 3 local Municipalities : With one local instructor and local companies with skilled vocational instructors 4 small local secondary schools: Lofoten Archipelago – very popular tourist area Distances: 2 hours with speedboat from the mainland to reach this small Island

8 local firms with skilled vocational instructors Saltdal upper secondary school Responsible of administration, curricular organization and teachers Local instructor Seven students representing three fields of study 700 hundred inhabitants mostly living of fisheries The total number of students have increased from 12 when we started in 2001 up to 93 this year. This term we have around 120 local vocational places of work or companies 8 local firms with skilled vocational instructors

Organizing the school year 2 week terms: Weeks of practice: Vocational training in local firms. Week of theory: Working with ICT Every week 2 lessons of physical education, 2 lessons of optional subjects.

Participants in the Art, Craft and Design studies Working on the ELP ”Its Learning” Weeks of theory Weeks of practice in local firms Experiences and reflections

Participants in Art, Craft and Design trades 16 students in.. 6 different municipalities and secondary schools with… 6 local instructors and… About 30 local firms or practical instructors 4 teachers teaching drawing, colour, shape and art history ( located to main schools) 4 teachers in general studies ( located to main schools)

Map over Participants 4 students 1 local instructor 7 local firms 1 student 1 local instructor 2 local firms 2 students 1 local instructor 4 local firms

Its Learning, our digital classroom All theory connected to different subjects Theoretical and practical tasks Communication: - e-mail - chat - forum Participants Links Status for each student

Weeks of theory Students are working on there own using ICT, Its learning, books and other sources. Both theoretical and practical tasks Communication via internet and phone

Weeks of practice in lokal firms and with practical instructors This can be… Florists Photographers Hairdressers Colour shops Craftsmen Doudjier ( lappish craftsmen) Designers Artists People with knowledge to special tecniques and art- materials

Experiences and reflections The subjects distinctive character - a challenge connected to e-learning Working on their own and structuring their own school day - a challenge for the students The triangle of using ICT, ordinary classrooms and local firms New possibilities to young students in rural districts The LOSA project in the future - some reflections…

Evaluation of the ”District school model” - A NETWORK SCHOOL Worked out by Høgskolen in Nesna (teachers’ training college) The main purpose of the evaluation was to find: To which extent the education is qualitative comparable to ordinary upper secondary education (foundation course level) To which extent this educational model can contribute to a general increase in the standard of education in small municipalities

Main Conclusions. - The project has to a high degree attained most of the general objectives. - The cooperation between school and the local working life has been strengthened - The implementation of this model represents something new in Norway and it has been valuable both with regard to a general development of the remote districts and as an educational resource for students in upper secondary school everywhere. Drop-outs: 2002 and 2003 no dropouts Last year 78% of the students moved to towns to attend the second year of sec. school

From project to permanent education In 2003 the Nordland County council made this decision: ”The county council consider the ’district school model’ to be of major importance for the development of a decentralized upper secondary educational organization in Nordland”. The county council has decided to pursue the ’district school model’ in Træna, Værøy, Beiarn and at Andøy, Lødingen and Knut Hamsun upper secondary schools at a permanent basis.