Description
The Tröllaskagi Upper-Secondary School, located in Ólafsfjörður, Iceland, began operating in the autumn of 2010. It functions under Iceland's newest legislation for education and provides more flexibility in study options. The school offers an ambitious program with diverse teaching methods that focus on student performance and independence. Teachers from Slovenia would like to learn first-hand about the organisational form of teaching and learning which is unknown in the Slovenian system and will be of use at Gimnazija Franca Miklošiča Ljutomer in Slovenia. Through the project we will gather the information and knowledge about this type of learning and teaching that is needed to assess which ideas might be applicable at our institution and thus prepare the programme for the future student exchanges. The project will be beneficial for both teachers and students from both schools and both local communities.
Summary of project results
The MTR school Iceland offers an ambitious program with diverse teaching methods that focus on student performance and independence. The school's objective is to prepare students for university study. This is accomplished by having them complete their work through an efficient schedule that focuses on their needs in three major areas: learning under teacher supervision, self-study with access to learning materials, and distance learning.The project was needed to modernise teaching methods at our school. We will implement the results into the curriculum.The objective of the project was to get to know a different organisational form of highschool education and the flexibility of study options in Iceland, which means further education for the three visiting teachers from Slovenia and to learn the new ways of teaching different school subjects and also to learn about how to organise long distance learning. The school in Iceland has special “working hours” compulsory for teachers and students. We have implemented this good practice in our school already in this school year and we are planning to develop and use it in the following ones. The main benefit was to get to know flexibility in study options in Icelandic school and use it in the school. The participating teachers presented Slovenia and its school system to Iceandic teachers and students; they were comparing the different approaches to learning in and out of the classroom, they were observing new organisational approaches to learning, guidance counceling, the work with students with special needs. We have already implemented the good practice of “working hours” in our school already in this school year and we are planning to develop and use it in the following ones. With Slovenian visiting teachers Icelandic teachers and students experienced Slovenian culture.
Summary of bilateral results
The MTR Olafsfjordur school offered Slovenian teachers the possibility to learn about: technical equipment in MTR school, organisation of lessons, long distance learning, Moodle, flexibility of the curriculum. We have implemented good practice of “working hours“ in Gimnazija Franca Miklošiča Ljutomer already. The geography teacher can now teach Icelandic geography, history and sociology from her first hand experience. Through the project we have become friends and it will be much easier to develop further cooperation and probably exchanges in new projects and situations. The continuance of this project was the study visit of two Icelandic teachers at Gimnazija Franca Miklošiča Ljutomer, cooperation with the local enterprise in Slovenia (Fabrika) and the application for the new mutual project.