New challenges in school work
Humanity is on the move and the world has shrunk. People moving to and within Europe have a new impact on schooling, as well as changing communities from within. This has brought increased challenges for Icelandic primary schools in developing teaching methods and management to cater for a more diverse student body than before.
A Swedish headteacher visits Iceland
Annelie van Lunteren, a headteacher in Malmö, Sweden, gave a talk to Icelandic school leaders and teachers from primary schools in the capital region last Friday. Annelie's visit to Iceland is a follow-up to a study trip to Sweden by Icelandic primary school teachers last school year, to learn about learning, teaching and the integration of immigrants into the Nordic school systems. The trip was funded by the European Union's Erasmus+ programme. At the time, Annelie was the headteacher of Rosengård School in Malmö, where all the pupils have Swedish as an additional language (Zlatan Ibrahimovic attended the school), but she now works at another primary school in the Malmö municipality. Following the trip to Sweden, it was decided to invite Annelie to Iceland to educate Icelandic school staff about learning and teaching in a multicultural society.
Training for school leaders, teachers and other interested parties
A special training session was held for primary school headteachers in the capital region, where Annelie gave a talk and spoke with the headteachers. In the afternoon, a seminar was held at the University of Iceland for primary school teachers and others interested in learning and teaching in primary schools. There, Annelie also gave a talk, along with three other teachers, on issues related to immigrants and teaching in primary schools.
Increased challenges regarding the development of teaching methods and management
Humanity is on the move and the world has shrunk. Migration to and within Europe has new impacts on school life, as well as societal changes from within. This has brought increased challenges for Icelandic primary schools in developing teaching methods and management to cater for a more diverse student body than before. These are the key considerations for learning and teaching in a multicultural society, where teaching methods and students' adaptation to a new society will become an ever-larger part of school life, not least due to differing language skills and customs. These challenges will only increase in the coming years in the capital region's primary schools. Welcoming Annelie is a collaboration group from the municipalities of the capital region (SSH collaboration), which this term is running various training sessions on multiculturalism and learning in primary schools. The group has been organising training since 2013 and has also sent teachers and teaching advisors to the Nordic countries on study visits and school exchanges, in collaboration with the European Union's Erasmus+ programme through RANNÍS. In the 2018-2019 academic year, 12 primary school teachers from the capital region are on their way to visit Nordic primary schools, where they will stay for two weeks to familiarise themselves with the daily school routine in schools with a strong multicultural focus, in collaboration with RANNÍS.
By inviting Annelie to Iceland, the municipalities of the capital region are highlighting the importance of the forthcoming changes in Icelandic school education (which are, in fact, already well underway) and taking responsibility for them by educating the school community on how it can better meet new challenges. Annelie's visit is part of this project.