Að hvetja framhaldsskólanemann af stað eftir páskafrí: áskoranir og leiðir fyrir foreldra

Guðrún Ragnarsdóttir, lektor og Súsanna Margrét Gestsdóttir aðjunkt ræddu um áskoranir og leiðir til að hvetja framhaldsskólanemann af stað í náminu eftir páskafrí. Rúmlega 100 þátttakendur hlýddu á erindi þeirra og sendu inn spurningar. Guðrún og Súsanna hafa safnað gögnum undanfarnar vikur sem endurspegla hvað kennarar, foreldrar og nemendur í framhaldsskólum eru að ganga í gegnum á tímum kórónaveirunnar.Óritrýn

Teaching historical thinking and reasoning in upper secondary schools in Iceland: results of an observation study

This study aims to describe the teaching of historical thinking and reasoning in upper secondary education in Iceland and to what extent teachers teach for these higher order thinking skills in their daily practice. We used the observation instrument, Teach-HTR, to rate 54 history lessons. It is now apparent that some form of HTR is present in nearly all of them. Nearly all included teacher’s demonstration of historical thinking and reasoning and teachers also engaged students in individual or group assignments that asked for various HTR activities. However, it does not seem to be built upon in a strategic manner and certain areas are almost completely left out. The vocabulary of HTR is not deliberately used, which indicates that teachers may be drawing more from their education as historians than as history teachers. This study may provide important indicators for professional development that can be of use in teacher training and professionalization. With the help of the instrument Teach-HTR and the literature it should be possible to design a program that helps teachers focus on basic components of historical thinking and reasoning and specific behaviour, discourse and activities that bring it forward

The working environment of upper secondary school teachers during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic

Framhaldsskólastigið fór ekki varhluta af breyttu starfsumhverfi vegna COVID-19-faraldursins. Þegar samkomubann var sett á í mars 2020 fluttist öll staðkennsla yfir í fjarkennslu og hélst það fyrirkomulag fram eftir vorönn 2020. Um haustið tók við tímabil síbreytilegra samkomutakmarkana. Kennt var ýmist á staðnum eða í eins konar blöndu af fjar- og staðnámi en í lok annar fluttist kennsla aftur alfarið yfir í fjarkennslu. Markmið þessarar rannsóknar er að varpa ljósi á starfsumhverfi íslenskra framhaldsskólakennara við síbreytilegar aðstæður árið 2020. Sérstök áhersla er lögð á starfsaðstæður framhaldsskólakennara, starfsskyldur, stuðning og álag en einnig á samskipti kennara við nemendur, foreldra og samstarfsfólk. Auk þess verður kannað hvort kyn og stærð skóla hafi áhrif á fyrrgreinda þætti. Unnið er með gögn úr tveimur könnunum Menntavísindastofnunar Háskóla Íslands sem lagðar voru fyrir starfsfólk framhaldsskóla. Fyrri spurningalistinn var lagður fyrir í lok vorannar 2020 og sá seinni í lok haustannar 2020. Niðurstöður sýna að kennarastarfið tók miklum breytingum á fyrsta ári heimsfaraldurs. Framhaldsskólakennarar fundu fyrir auknu álagi og þeim fannst starf sitt flóknara en áður. Streita jókst frá vormisseri til haustmisseris, þrátt fyrir þá tilfinningu kennara að þeir hefðu betri tök á starfi sínu. Konur vörðu meiri tíma í umönnun barna og þær fundu fyrir meiri streitu en karlar. Samstarf kennara var meira og fundir voru tíðari en kennurunum fannst samstarfið gagnlegt. Samskipti við nemendur og foreldra jukust í heildina, einkum að mati kvenkyns kennara. Kennarar töldu að skólarnir hefðu lagað starfshætti sína að breyttri stöðu nemenda á þessum krefjandi tímum. Niðurstöðurnar vekja áleitnar spurningar um starfsumhverfi kennara og starfsþróun þeirra á tímum heimsfaraldurs og síbreytilegra starfsaðstæðna. Þær eru jafnframt innlegg í samtal um hvernig megi bregðast við komandi kreppum og varpa ljósi á ýmsa veikleika í kerfinu.The working environment in upper secondary schools changed drastically with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. A ban on social gatherings was established in Iceland in March 2020 and all schoolwork shifted to on-line learning almost overnight; this lasted throughout the spring semester and continued with various restrictions in the fall of 2020. Upper secondary school teachers answered a questionnaire in May 2020, aimed at mapping the changes to working conditions during the spring semester and the shift into emergency remote teaching (Barbour et al., 2020). At the end of the fall semester, a follow-up questionnaire was sent. The data used in the current paper derive from these questionnaires. The aim is to investigate how teachers at the upper secondary level performed their duties under the new circumstances in 2020, especially during the first COVID lockdown in spring but also as the pandemic continued. Special emphasis is laid on how they experienced their working conditions, e.g., in terms of their definition of duties, stress, collaboration and administrative obligations, as well as their interaction with students and their parents. The support provided to teachers during the first stages of the pandemic, both technological, pedagogical and social is analyzed. The aim is to add to the gradually emerging knowledge base by shedding light on the work of upper secondary teachers during the first waves of the pandemic. The first results show that the teaching profession underwent radical changes during the first period of the pandemic (Súsanna Margrét Gestsdóttir et al., 2020). Upper secondary teachers felt an increased pressure and stress at work and perceived their work as more complicated than before. The experience of stress increased during the fall semester, even though the teachers reported they had a better handle on the work. The data show an important gender difference, as female teachers seem to have been primary caregivers in the homes and consequently found it more strenuous to attend to their teaching duties as well. More collaboration with colleagues during the pandemic was reported and administrative meetings were more frequent. The collaboration with colleagues proved a crucial factor when coping with the recurring changes of working conditions. This was generally viewed as beneficial to their work by a large majority of teachers. Communication with students and parents increased overall and over time, especially according to female teachers, which may have added to the increased pressure at work. Moreover, most participants believed students experienced more psychological stress during the pandemic, a perception that only heightened over time. However, they also believed that schools had adjusted their work practices to accommodate students during these challenging times. The results evoke important questions concerning teachers’ working conditions. The rapid professional development undertaken by teachers led to the majority of them adopting more varied teaching approaches than before the pandemic. Nevertheless, this was accompanied by a higher level of stress and insecurity. This may carry several implications. Teacher education needs to take these changed circumstances into account and prepare future teachers for the possibilities of hybrid teaching and increased flexibility and differentiation. Both experienced and newly qualified teachers need to have access to professional development that supports them. The time and opportunities that teachers need for collaboration and peer support must be included in their work. Reflecting on the situation in Iceland during the first stages of the pandemic can serve as a basis for comparison with teachers’ working conditions in other countries.Peer reviewe

Upper secondary education in Iceland during the COVID-19 pandemic

Sú heimskreppa sem orðið hefur vegna COVID-19 faraldursins hefur haft gríðarleg áhrif á starf íslenskra framhaldsskóla. Vegna samkomubanns sem stjórnvöld lýstu yfir færðist allt staðnám á því skólastigi yfir í fjarnám (hér eftir fjarkennsla) á einni helgi. Markmið greinarinnar er að skoða hvernig framhaldsskólakennarar tókust á við nýjan raunveruleika meðan á samkomubanninu stóð, hvernig kennsluhættir breyttust og mat þeirra á námsgengi nemenda. Í greiningunni verður litið sérstaklega til áhrifa skólastærðar og fyrri reynslu kennara af fjarkennslu. Niðurstöðurnar eru byggðar á spurningalistagögnum sem Menntavísindastofnun Háskóla Íslands safnaði á vordögum 2020. Alls svöruðu 680 kennarar listanum. Niðurstöðurnar sýna að framhaldsskólakennurum tókst að bregðast hratt við ástandinu og halda úti kennslu í samkomubanni, þó í breyttri mynd væri. Flestir kennarar réðu að mestu sjálfir hvernig þeir höguðu kennslu sinni og töldu sig ekki fá mikinn stuðning í skólum sínum. Kennsla og námsmat varð einsleitara og kröfur til nemenda breyttust nokkuð. Flestir kennarar sýndu aukinn sveigjanleika og höfðu áhyggjur af slakari mætingu nemenda. Á öllum þessum þáttum var þó merkjanlegur munur eftir skólastærð og einnig hafði fyrri reynsla af fjarkennslu sitt að segja. Greinin er mikilvægt innlegg í umræðu um fyrirkomulag fjarkennslu í neyðarástandi (e. emergency remote teaching) (Bozkurt og Sharma, 2020) og þar er bent á atriði sem brýnt er að líta til við áframhaldandi þróun kennslu og kennsluhátta á framhaldsskólastigi. Greinin sýnir einnig hvers megnug kennarastéttin var í COVID-19 ásamt að þar er bent á flókin úrlausnarefni kennara og tækifæri til umbótaAs in other parts of the world, the COVID-19 pandemic had an extensive impact on the Icelandic education system. During the spring semester 2020 all upper secondary school buildings closed and teaching and learning was moved online overnight. This change which can be described as ‘emergency remote teaching’ (Bozkurt & Sharma, 2020) posed significant challenges for schools and teachers, requiring them to instantly adapt their teaching practices and course plans to a digital environment. The aim of the study is to investigate how upper secondary school teachers adapted and changed their teaching practices during the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020, their views on administrative support and impact on students. In May 2020, all upper secondary school staff were sent an electronic questionnaire on different aspects of working and teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic (Háskóli Íslands, n.d.). Here the focus is on the answers of upper secondary teachers to three categories of questions: (1) management and support during the transition to remote teaching; (2) changes made to teaching practices, such as teaching methods and assessment; and (3) impact on students, in terms of demands, participation, and homework. The answers provided are analyzed by school size (less than 250 students, 250–500 students, 501–1000 students, and more than 1000 students) as well as whether the teachers had any prior experience in distance education. Overall, 680 upper secondary school teachers answered the questionnaire (37% males, 57% were in the age bracket 40–59). The sample adequately reflects school population demographic characteristics, and the response rate was 42% of the overall number of upper secondary school teachers registered in The Association of Teachers in Upper Secondary Schools. The results showed that most teachers worked from home and said that they made changes to their teaching practices during the COVID-19 pandemic. Courses were rarely suspended and therefore teachers generally continued their teaching load, but in most cases under drastically changed circumstances. Overall, pedagogical support seems to have been insufficient, particularly in larger schools. About a third of teachers maintained the weekly class schedule, but half could decide whether to do so or not, indicating a lack of coordination within schools in how best to organize classes. Teachers in larger upper secondary schools thought their duties were less clear and said they had received fewer directives from the school leadership in comparison to teachers in smaller schools. The results also show significant influence on teaching practices, especially in larger schools. The challenges included using varied teaching methods, continuing teaching practical or workshop classes, and encouraging student collaboration. Most teachers seem to have Fjarkennsla í faraldri: Nám og kennsla í framhaldsskólum á tímum samkomubanns vegna COVID-19 18 dealt with the challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic by providing more flexibility and adapting their teaching to student needs, and the fact that the majority of them seem to have changed their assessment practices provides evidence of this adaptation. Having experience of distance education seemed to have mitigated negative effects, and teachers with such experience were more likely to say the effects on their teaching were minimal. Finally, the results show that the teachers adjusted their demands on students during the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020. Teachers said student attendance and participation had decreased, and this negative effect was more pronounced at larger schools, whereas teachers at smaller schools were more likely to report no change in student participation. Again, having experience of distance education seems to have mitigated the negative effects reported. Taken together, these results highlight the challenges facing upper secondary teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020, but also demonstrate that teachers worked hard in overcoming these challenges and adapted to new circumstances. The results show that most teachers would have liked more pedagogical support in changing their teaching practices and that there can be a fine line between professional independence and lack of support. During the past decade or so, teaching and assessment in upper secondary schools has gradually become more diverse, in line with new curriculum guidelines. However, the results here show that teachers struggled with using diverse teaching and assessment methods during the COVID-19 pandemic, indicating a relapse in this development. This gives cause for concern, especially if the situation is prolonged. These results highlight the need to include courses in teacher education on distance education and using information technology in teaching, especially since distance education experience was found to mitigate negative effects. Distance education pedagogy is also important to increase student attendance and participation, particularly to counteract the impact on vulnerable students and students in danger of dropping out.Peer reviewe