Ingvar Sigurgeirsson professor School of Education, University of Iceland:

1. RETAIN – Retention in Education and Training conference 22-23 October 2009 Hotel 11, Göteborg (Gothenburg), Sweden Ingvar Sigurgeirsson professor School of Education, University of Iceland: A Flexible Learning Environment: A Personalized Program. Lessons from a Case Study of a small Icelandic Secondary School

2. Laugar Comprehensive • A small upper secondary school in the North of Iceland, 120 students, 12 teachers • Four tracks: Social science, Natural science, Sports, and General studies (Special education) • Relatively many students with learning problems

3. The Icelandic School System

4. A Flexible Learning Environment: A Personalized Program (2006-) • Teach less! – Students learn more! • More active learning • Build stronger student–teacher relations • Students take more responsibility for their learning

5. The Icelandic dropout problem • Over 90% of students at the age of 16 proceed to upper secondary school (which is optional) • Around 40% of students at the age of 24 have not finished upper seconary school (About 20% finish upper secondary school after the age of 24)

6. Why is this dropout prevalent? • Secondary school takes too many years to complete (four years)! • Too much flexibility!? • Pressure on students to choose academic rather than vocational programs • Work opportunities (may be changing) • The “throw out” problem • Overloaded and often irrelevant curriculum • Passive, monotone teaching methods

7. The workshops School should resemble a good workplace!

8. Working closer with students and listening to their voices • Mixed-age mentor groups • Weekly meetings • Weekly house-conferences • Regular assessment meetings (focus groups) • Surveys (in various forms) • Formal end of term assessment / evaluation

9. Students´ comments • The teachers here help you much more than teachers in other schools where I have been and they know your work much better… The teachers also show good understanding of your weaknesses and they don’t use them against you. • The teachers know every single student quite well and what is unique about each person. • The teachers are very good and they do not approach me as an object, but as a person.

10. Improving the curriculum • Projects • Creative assigments • Individualizing the curriculum • Breaking up routines • Problem-based learning

12. Progress • Dropout from school has diminished • Less dropout from courses • Completion of assignments in courses has greatly improved • Last autumn the school set a record in the number of applications • Grades have gone up or from 6,3 to 7,4 on a scale were the highest grade is 10,0 • Positive attitudes: Students, parents, staff

13. Main obstacles • Some teacher feel uncomfortable in the new role • Some students have not adapted • Teachers’ contracts do not support alternative arrangements • Overloaded, centralized, national curriculum

14. Why was the project successful? • Staff collaboration and committment • Understanding of complexities • Continous evaluation measures • Listening to students’ voices and respecting their attitudes

15. Thank you!