UOC
Mats Ekholm, Professor and Head of the Research Group on Development and Socialisation in Schools at the University of Karlstad
Former Director General of Education for the Swedish Ministry of Education
Main idea
The Swedish education system is based on the concept of inclusive schooling (a single school for everyone), where each student follows a personal education plan. At the organisational level, it is a decentralised system in terms of both management and curricular content. Schools have considerable autonomy; however, they must meet certain objectives. To this end, different evaluations are carried out, the results of which are then published and used as the basis for improvement. Significant emphasis is also placed on training for teachers and school leaders.
The emergence of a new concept of education
Some 100 years ago, in Sweden, consideration was given to the need to change the classic concept of education, wherein a teacher teaches and students learn. Under the new concept of education, schools are no longer places to teach, but rather places to learn. Today’s schools revolve not around the teacher, but the student. Students have gone from being passive subjects who listen, learn and repeat to being individuals who think, opine and question.
The function of the teacher is to guide this learning.
Continue reading : http://www.debats.cat/eng/2009/ekholm/index.html
