The Swedish comprehensive school—lost in transition?

The Swedish comprehensive school system was developed from 1950 to 1971. In the 1990s the system was radically restructured. Developments were based on consensus between different political parties up until the 1980s, however after this date the debate has become more polarised. In 2006 an alliance of four parties was elected to government and began to realise a ‘new educational policies’. As in many other countries, the results of PISA and other international comparative tests are used to ‘scandalise’ the existing educational system in order to accelerate the introduction of change. However, it is not the under-achieving restructured school which is scandalised but the ideas and ideals of the previous, not under-achieving, comprehensive school system. In this article the development of the Swedish school model, as well as its changes during the 1990s and thereafter, are described—against the background of the Swedish welfare model and alterations to it.     

The art of teaching children the arts: music,dance and poetry with children aged 2–8 years old

In this article, the theoretical framework of developmental pedagogy is presented as a tool in studying and developing children’s knowing within the arts. The domains of art focused on are music, poetry and dance/aesthetic movement. Through empirical examples from a large‐scale research project, we illustrate the tools of developmental pedagogy and show how this perspective contributes to our understanding of children’s learning of music, dance and poetry. More specifically, we will analyse: (a) the important role of the teacher in children’s learning within the arts; (b) the importance of conversing when learning the arts; (c) what constitutes the knowledge, what we refer to as ‘learning objects’, to be appropriated within the three domains of art focused on; and (d) how to conceive of progression in children’s knowing within the arts.     

The impact evaluation process,part 1: Building a case for demonstrating the worth of performance improvement interventions

Evaluation results and consequences are only as strong as the plan and the partnerships that provide guidance for the evaluation process. This article, the first of a two‐part series on evaluation, is a pragmatic guide for conducting useful evaluations that produce action‐based recommendations for measurably improving performance. The next installment focuses on planning a responsive evaluation by establishing solid partnerships with stakeholders.     

Teacher Education for the New Century in Sweden

The future of teacher education (TE) is currently under discussion in Sweden and a reform proposal has been presented. Future TE provides one single examination for all types of teachers. It also provides a flexible choice of alternative courses, a mandatory course in inclusive education and a range of optional specialisations. After many post-war years of reform in the Swedish school system, the education of comprehensive schoolteachers was itself eventually reformed in 1988. Since then, major changes in schools have occurred: legislation has been liberalised and economic constraints have accelerated. A shortage of teachers in certain subjects and certain parts of the country is a cause for concern. In this article, the new TE proposal is presented and discussed, and the possible future of the Swedish school and TE are outlined. It is argued that implementation of certain parts of the reform proposal will cause problems. L'avenir de la formation des enseignants est un sujet discuté actuellement en Suède et une proposition de réforme vient d'être présentée. La prochaine formation des enseignants stipule un examen unique pour tous les types d'enseignants, ainsi qu'un choix flexible de cours alternatifs, un cours obligatoire en éducation spécialisée et une partie de spécialisation optionnelle. Après plusieurs années d'après-guerre de réformes du système scolaire suédois, la formation des professeurs d'écoles a été finalement réformée en 1988. Depuis lors, des changements majeurs sont intervenus: la législation a été libéralisée et les contraintes économiques se sont accrues. Le manque d'enseignants dans certaines disciplines et dans certaines régions du pays est une préoccupation. Dans l'article, la proposition de formation des enseignants est présentée et discutée, et l'avenir probable de l'école suédoise ainsi que celui de la formation des enseignants y sont esquissés. Il y est aussi démontré que l'application de certaines parties des propositions de réforme causera quelques problèmes. El futuro de la formación de profesores se estádiscutiendo actualmente en Suecia y una propuesta de reforma ha sido presentada hace poco. La futura formación implica un solo examen para todas las categorías de profesores. Asimismo implica una mayor flexibilidad en la elección de cursos alternativos, un curso obligatorio en educación especial y una variedad de cursos de especialización opcionales. Después de varios años de reforma del sistema educativo en Suecia en el período de posguerra, una reforma de la formación del profesorado de secundaria se llevóa cabo en 1988. Desde entonces, se han evidenciado varios cambios: la legislación se liberalizó y los recortes económicos se incrementaron. La falta de profesores para ciertas asignaturas y en ciertos lugares del país constituye un problema cada vez más grande. En el artículo se presenta y se discute la propuesta del nuevo currículo asícomo el posible futuro de la educación en Suecia. Se argumenta que será difícil llevar a cabo ciertas partes de la propuesta de la reforma. Die Zukunft der Lehrerausbildung (LA) wird gegenwärtig in Schweden diskutiert, und ein Reformvorschlag ist vorgestellt worden. Die künftige LA sieht einen einzigen Abschluß für alle Lehrerkategorien vor. Sie bietet auch eine flexible Auswahl an alternativen Kursen, einen obligatorischen Kurs in Sonderpädagogik und einen Vertiefungsteil nach Wahl an. Nach vielen Reformen des schwedischen Schulsystems in der Nachkriegszeit wurde schließlich im Jahr 1988 die Ausbildung für Lehrer der Klassen 1-9 reformiert. Seitdem haben große Veränderungen stattgefunden: die Gesetzgebung ist liberalisiert worden, und die wirtschaftlichen Hindernisse haben sich zunehmend vermehrt. Ein Lehrermangel in gewissen Fächern und in gewissen Regionen des Landes schafft Probleme. In dem vorliegenden Artikel wird der Vorschlag der neuen LA vorgestellt und diskutiert, und die mögliche Zukunft der schwedischen Schule und Lehrerausbildung wird skizziert. Es wird für die These argumentiert, daß die Verwirklichung gewisser Teile des Reformvorschlags Probleme verursachen wird.     

The origin of the child's idea of learning through practice

To discover qualitatively different ways in which children think of their own learning 149 children aged 3–8 years were interviewed in a pre-school context. One of the most interesting findings concerns the child's increasing awareness of his or her own role in the learning process. It was found that the stage at which children see learning as a result of practice was immediately preceded by one at which they see learning as a result of an incidental activity.