«The Network Nordmøre» –a Rich Source of Inspiration!
A Scandinavian Initiative with Potential Global Impact
Jørn Skovsgaard (former leader of Education 2030 at the OECD)
The history of compulsory public education is relatively short and strongly related to economic and social changes. A few generations ago, we had a slowly developing society in which most people lived and died within a short distance from their birthplace. Young people could adapt to their parents’ way of life with little change. Today, this makes no sense. Everything is on the move, so must people be, and education is an important guide to the journey of life.
The Scandinavian countries were among the first nations to introduce compulsory education for all children – Denmark in 1814, Norway in 1827, and Sweden in 1842. The Danish king and his government were pioneers and inspired the other Scandinavian jurisdictions. They had two reasons to take this initiative. Firstly, they acted with a progressive economic perspective by paving the way for an effective and sustainable agricultural sector – simply to feed the population. Secondly, they were concerned about the prospects of social unrest and rebellions that haunted many European countries in those days. Thus, they also had a conservative political perspective aimed at maintaining full control of the social order. Remarks on the Danish school act of 1814 state that the purpose was to maintain a population of useful and subservient subjects.
Later modifications of the school legislation can also be understood in this double perspective. By the end of the 19th century, the booming industry in the
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cities demanded skilled and disciplined workers1, and to maintain social and political stability, this should go hand in hand with a balanced regime based on rights and duties.
By the middle of the 20th century urbanization and the enrollment of women in the labor force undermined traditional family functions and paved the way for the welfare state values. Now, the school should enable the students to develop as «motivated and self-reliant citizens» and to live in «harmony and happiness»2
It is important to note that economic and social circumstances vary from cities to rural villages and from one part of the country to another. To enable the school to act in accordance with highly different local needs, all the Scandinavian countries have allocated the schools to the municipalities in a decentralized structure of ownership and governance.
The Scandinavian countries are often considered to be very similar. However, a closer look will reveal significant differences – first and foremost in the number of municipalities and their demographic composition:
• Denmark: 98 municipalities with an average population of 57,200 – the smallest about 1,800 inhabitants and the municipality of Copenhagen about 660,000.
• Norway: 356 municipalities with an average population of 15,200 – the smallest about 200 and the municipality of Oslo 700,000.
• Sweden: 290 municipalities with an average population of 35,900 – the smallest about 2,400 and Stockholm municipality is close to 1 million.
In Scandinavia, municipalities have similar responsibilities. However, Sweden has established a powerful central unit to monitor and oversee local school administration. «Skolverket» works on behalf of the government and has the authority to issue instructions to the municipalities. This centralism in school administration is not present in the other Scandinavian countries.
1 In the school act of 1937, the purpose is phrased as «Strengthen their Character and give them useful Skills».
2 Teaching Guide for the Folkeskole – the so called «Blue Policy Paper», 1960.
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The number of municipalities in Sweden is growing, as some Swedish municipalities split into smaller units to pave the way for a stronger impact of local interests. In Denmark, the latest municipal reform reduced the number of municipalities from 275 to 98, and this is considered by many people in smaller villages as paving the way for a centralized mode of governance.
Norway stands out among the Scandinavian countries with the most consistent modality of decentralization yet struggling with the challenge of having many very small units. Smaller neighboring municipalities join in clusters and networks to cooperate in the provision of services, which is a challenge for a small unit. This is the rationale behind the launch of «Network Nordmøre». And that is why it is unlikely to see anything similar in Denmark or Sweden in the foreseeable future.
So, we are different even though we share basic values and perspectives. And now we face the same global challenges that call for the same level of ambitious reform as when the systems changed from agricultural to industrial societies and later framing the welfare state. In this respect, inspiration from Nordmøre will prove to be helpful. We all must deal with:
• The Why
• The What
• The How
Why – For young people to flourish as individuals as well as members of society, education systems need to convey a complex of competences integrating knowledge, skills, and attitudes to underpin their lifelong learning, engagement, and creativity.
Schools can prepare children for jobs that have not yet been created, for technologies that have not yet been invented, to solve problems that have not yet been anticipated. It will be a shared responsibility to seize opportunities and find solutions.
Andreas Schleicher, director for education, OECD Pre-ample for The Future for Education and Skills – Education 2030, OECD 2018.
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Challenge no. 1: Equity
We have a globally enhanced production of wealth. But this is unequally distributed between and within nations. This has developed to become a driver for dissatisfaction, tension, and protectionism.
The next generation should be encouraged to see opportunities rather than constraints and to discuss social matters in terms of fairness and shared responsibilities.
Challenge no. 2: Ethics
Modern information technology has given people access to and a chance to respond to an unlimited amount of information. This can be seen as a source for a strengthened democratic discourse. But the multitude of sources of information and platforms have eliminated a shared frame of reference leaving the space open for cynical propaganda, fake news, and wild theories of conspiracy.
The next generation must develop a high level of critical thinking and operationalize principles for verification and justification of statements.
Challenge no. 3: Skills gap
Many jobs disappear and many new jobs are created in both blue- and whitecollar sectors. The closing down of hard manual as well as routine cognitive job slots can be seen as a step towards a cleaner, safer, and more inspiring working environment. But the new job opportunities demand relevant competences. Employers have a high demand for skilled workers at the same time as youth unemployment3 and reallocation of redundant staff remain serious issues.
The next generation must be prepared to actively cope with a pattern of changing opportunities – i.e., be equipped as lifelong learners.
Challenge no. 4: Taking care of the planet
Climate change calls for responsible action at all levels of society.
3 Some branches of tertiary education provide limited job opportunities and young people can go directly from graduation to social security.
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The next generation must be involved in a discourse on what is the right thing to do, who should be doing it, who should pay, and what are the consequences of doing nothing. They must be resilient, have trust in their own abilities, and avoid disillusionment and anxiety. During their education, children must acquire relevant knowledge combined with imaginative power and the ability to share vision and action with others to feel empowered and resilient.
What – Realizing this change requires a new take on the learning content children engage with during their schooling experience, with clear priorities for choosing and curating this content.
During the past decades, the OECD has moved away from viewing education only as a tool for economic policy. Now education has supreme priority in a new mandate under the label of «Better Policies for Better Lives».
Within this wider scope for education policy, the OECD has reached out to the professional community, stakeholders, and non-member states to foster a dialogue that can make the participants come to terms with the changes needed for education to fulfill its multifaceted purpose. The Learning Compass has emerged as a part of this effort.
The OECD Learning Compass 2030 sets out a «learning framework» and not an «assessment framework». The framework offers a broad vision of the types of competencies students need. These competencies are not necessarily measurable.
The OECD Learning Compass 2030 acknowledges the importance of non-formal and informal learning that happens in parallel to learning framed by formal curricula. It is increasingly important to take a point of departure in the multiple layers and spheres of children’s learning, including at school, at home, and in their communities. Thus, the notions of «student agency» and «co-agency» form vital components.
«The Network Nordmøre» has been aware of and involved in the process of the OECD Learning Compass. However, you will not find any copy-paste exercises from that in the following text. Fully in line with the intentions of the Learning Compass, «The Network Nordmøre» has outlined its own narrative based on the shared understanding that has emerged in the process that they have kept going for several years.
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How – Perhaps more importantly, we need to consider the pedagogies, learning environments, and activities that support children to grow as lifelong, creative, and engaged learners.
Making changes in programs, statements, and policy papers is one thing – making this materialize in the classroom and in the interaction between schools and stakeholders is an entirely different and far more difficult matter. In my experience, education systems work with a strong innate desire to justify what they are doing and to survive as they are – change is a threat.
In this defensive approach, education institutions tend to isolate themselves from their surroundings and form silos with a primary focus on what they need from the surroundings rather than being concerned about the students’ social destiny – how they can identify what is needed from them and how they can deliver.
We will have to break down silos and make schools act in a dynamic and open interface with the surroundings. First and foremost, listen to the students – find out where they are going when they leave school and listen to the expectations of those who will later employ them or enroll them in ongoing education – but also have parents and policymakers on board. In an uncertain, volatile, and unpredictable world, dialogue is the only way to ensure relevance.
This is where the tougher part of the work begins, and this is where I find that a closer look at the strategies that «The Network Nordmøre» has implemented over the years can be helpful. I strongly believe that in this aspect of our change agenda, «The Network Nordmøre» can provide its most significant influence and potentially stand out as a blueprint for the implementation of educational changes as we move ahead.
«The Network Nordmøre» has, in an impressive and clear manner, illuminated how the difficult notions of student agency and co-agency can materialize in the classroom as well as in the overarching governance of the schools.
The people behind «The Network Nordmøre» have managed to gain and sustain trust from all participants, including municipal policymakers, and at the same time make the leaders and professionals feel safe. From this favorable point of departure, they have joined the professionals in the school organizations, the
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students, the parents, the local business and industry, the local culture and sports facilitators, and the municipal policymakers in a shared narrative on what future they want and what role the schools will have as they embark on this journey. It has been a time- and energy-consuming process and at the same time demanding the highest level of professional and ethical integrity. To have delivered at this level over so many years has been extremely demanding, and it deserves our deepest respect and recognition.
Enjoy reading the following pages – I am sure you will.
Jørn Skovsgaard
Counter Current Consult
Bjergsted Bakker – 21 August 2023 joernskovsgaard@outlook.dk
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i NN le DN i N g PÅ V ei MOT FR e MT i D e N 15 Det skal en landsby til for å oppdra et barn 16 Behov for samarbeid 19 Hvorfor skape kapasitet og kompetanse for fremtiden? 20 Bokas oppbygning 22 ka P i TT el 1 D e N P e Dag O gi S ke V e RD ik J e D e N – FR a PO li T i S ke i NT e NSJON e R T il B a RN O g UN ge S OPP le V el S e R 27 Pedagogiske vekslinger og kjedereaksjoner 29 Barns læring og utvikling 29 Personalets praksis 30 Barnehagens og skolens ledelse 31 Kommunal politikk, styring og ledelse 31 Oppsummering 31 ka P i TT el 2 i NVO lV e R i N g , S a MS ka P i N g O g e N ga SJ e M e NT 33 Hva samskaping er, og hvorfor det er viktig 34 Bred involvering 35 Ledelse av samskapende prosesser 36 Samskapt læring som gir forbedring 37 Læringspunkter for samskapte fremtidsbilder 38 Læringspunkt 1: Forankring gjennom involvering og bred deltakelse 41 Læringspunkt 2: Drøm og utvid forestillingsevnen, tenk langsiktig 42 Læringspunkt 3: Hør barnets stemme 44 Læringspunkt 4: Skap fremtidsbilder regionalt, kommunalt og i enhetene 47 Oppsummering 49 ka P i TT el 3 N e TTV e R k ka N HÅNDT e R e kOMP lek S i T e T 50 Hvorfor er nettverk viktig? 51 Aksjonslæring og translasjonsledelse 52 Samskaping i «Neste praksis-nettverket» 53
Innhold
• 11 • • innhold • Læringspunkter i nettverksarbeid – «Mind the gap» 54 Læringspunkt 1: Led gjennom aksjonslæring og oversettelse i praksis 56 Læringspunkt 2: Bygg sammenhengende infrastruktur 58 Læringspunkt 3: Etabler partnerskap med eksterne fagmiljøer 65 Læringspunkt 4: Samskap mål og felles verdigrunnlag 66 Læringspunkt 5: Adresser reelle behov 68 Oppsummering 69 ka P i TT el 4 kOMMUN al PO li T ikk , STYR i N g O g le D el S e 71 Aktører, ansvar og roller 72 Det kommunale ansvaret og oppvekstsjefens rolle 73 Læringspunkter for samarbeid for kapasitet og kompetanse 75 Læringspunkt 1: Lytt til barn og unges stemme 78 Læringspunkt 2: Bruk involverende prosesser 79 Læringspunkt 3: Gjør politikerne gode 81 Læringspunkt 4: Slipp til barnehage- og skoleledere 82 Læringspunkt 5: Bygg partnerskap med de tillitsvalgte 83 Læringspunkt 6: Følg opp resultatene fra samskapingen 84 Oppsummering 87 ka P i TT el 5 SPOR aV e NDR i N g –kONS ek V e NS e R FOR R egi ON O g kOMMUN e 89 Læringspunkt 1: Sporleting i fokusgruppeintervju 91 Læringspunkt 2: Sporleting i relasjonsbygging 92 Læringspunkt 3: Spor av lokal endring som gir ringvirkninger 93 Læringspunkt 4: Spor av positive forventninger når kontroll blir erstattet av tillit 100 Læringspunkt 5: Spor av relevante internasjonale stemmer, aktører og kontekster 103 Oppsummering 105 ka P i TT el 6 e NDR e T le D e RPR ak S i S i B a RN e H age R O g S kO le R 107 Regional oppvekstlederutvikling (ROLU) 108 Lederoppdrag 109 Mot en digital praksis 111 Læringspunkter for endret lederpraksis i barnehager og skoler 111 Læringspunkt 1: Skap et utvidet perspektiv på ledelse 112 Læringspunkt 2: Distribuer ledelsesoppgaver 114 Læringspunkt 3: Led forbedring gjennom samskaping 115 Læringspunkt 4: Vær lyttende og utforskende som leder 118 Læringspunkt 5: Oversett, og skap relevans for din praksis 119 Oppsummering 124
• 12 • • innhold • ka P i TT el 7 NÅR V e RD ie R OMS e TT e S T il H a ND li N ge R i B a RN e H age R O g S kO le R 125 Læringspunkt 1: Forsterk god praksis 130 Læringspunkt 2: Led ansattes læring 131 Læringspunkt 3: Skap sammenheng i overganger 134 Læringspunkt 4: Bevisstgjør handlinger gjennom faglige samtaler 135 Læringspunkt 5: Lær gjennom medvirkning 137 Elevmedvirkning 138 Lærende praksis 141 Oppsummering 141 ka P i TT el 8 FR e MT i D e N kOMM e R 143 Læringspunkt 1: Involver, involver, involver 146 Læringspunkt 2: Videreutvikle samskaping 148 Læringspunkt 3: Skap nye nettverk ved behov 149 Læringspunkt 4: Skap kontinuitet i lederskap 151 Læringspunkt 5: Fortsett å bygge felles kultur 153 Språklige grep 153 Visuelle grep 154 Handlinger for å skape felles kultur 155 Læringspunkt 6: Fortsett å skape sammenhenger 156 Oppsummering 158 ka P i TT el 9 M e TOD e R O g V e R k TØY 160 Fremtidsbildeskaping 160 Karusell 162 Venndiagram 163 Gjort – lært – lurt 164 Mentimeter 165 Gavepakkemetoden 166 IGP-metoden 167 World Café 168 Dialogspill 170 Heissamtale 171 Kahoot! 172 Urskiven 173 Gallerivandring 174 Dialogkafé 175 To ønsker og en stjerne 176 Fishbowl-metoden 176 Padlet 178
• innhold • • 13 • Skrivestafett 178 Microsoft White Board 179 Forms 180 OneNote 181 Teams 181 V e D legg 183 Et nett av nettverk 183 Politisk og strategisk ledelse 183 Ledelse av nettverkene 184 Profesjonsutvikling 186 Kapasitetsøkning 187 Nordmøre 189 Ordliste 192 OM FORFaTT e RN e 198 R e F e R a NS e R 200
