Eskilstuna invests in modern education for all upper secondary school students

Digitalisation is an integral part of the school’s development

In Eskilstuna, there are three large municipal upper secondary schools with approximately 3,600 students in theoretical and vocational preparation programs. The digitalisation of administration and teaching has been a central part of the local quality and development work since the spring of 2016, says Mart Saamel, who is an upper secondary school strategist in the city of Eskilstuna. One year later, the National Agency for Education presented its proposal for a national strategy for the school’s digitalisation, and it was the start of a purposeful and systematic initiative.

- The education administration in the city of Eskilstuna has a digital strategy with a holistic approach from preschool to upper secondary school. Digitalisation is not a parallel track, but an integral part of the school’s organisational development. In upper secondary school, it is easier to work with digitalisation, as these are three large units. There it is possible to build an effective organisation that can reach out quickly.

The three units must develop concurrently

In Eskilstuna, there is a digitalisation council for the upper secondary school that conducts practical development. Mart Saamel is the convener, and besides him, there is a school leader and a lead teacher with digitalisation assignments from each of the three units.

- The digitalisation council has a mandate from the three units to form structures that facilitates their work. Together, we have interpreted the national digital strategy based on Eskilstuna’s needs and conditions. We have then developed a plan for how we will work so that the three units can develop concurrently.

The units’ digitalisation plans include the planned goals, and they are all being parts of the general quality work. All school leaders and teachers must thus work with the focus areas specified in the plan. A self-assessment of the development of the school’s digitalisation will be carried out each academic year. It will provide a basis for planning the efforts required to achieve the goals.

- The three upper secondary schools use the same learning platform, and it has gradually become a natural part of everyday life at school. All communication takes place there, and it is being used in the teachers’ planning work and the formative part of the teaching-learning process. We have invested heavily in skills development in how the learning platform works and how it can be used in daily teaching to get all staff on the track.

The collaboration with RISE can boost school development

Eskilstuna’s municipal upper secondary schools look forward to getting started with the collaboration with RISE and the other school organisers. There is great hope that this can give a real boost to the development work, says Mart Saamel.

- When we recently joined the collaboration, we made a needs inventory, which shows how RISE can help in various ways. An important area is about developing and strengthening teachers’ competence in using ICT and digital media in teaching. RISE offers a masterclass in digital creation, and this is an opportunity to take proper steps forward. Their ongoing work with competitive intelligence also interests us.

The networking and exchange of experience with the other school principals are precious, Mart Saamel points out. Everyone faces similar challenges, and together with RISE’s extensive network of contacts, the school organisers can help each other find new ways forward.

All students need a modern education

- We must speed up the digitalisation of vocational programs. Too often, there is only talk of general digital competence, and then the theoretical programs usually come into focus. Of course, this is also vital, but all students, regardless of program, must receive an education that is modern and reflects the development in society. Rapid digitalisation is taking place in all industries, from building and construction to health and care. Here, vocational programs must be able to keep up.

It is also essential to keep in mind that 23% of the students at the municipal upper secondary schools in Eskilstuna attend one of the five introductory programs, Mart Saamel adds. Nowadays, a completed upper secondary education is the lowest level of education required in society. Therefore, it is, of course, crucial that this group of students can get the help and support they need. It provides excellent individual benefits for themselves, but of course, also for society.

- Digitalisation makes it possible for us to offer individual solutions for those students who have significant problems. Digital aids that make it easier for students with reading and writing difficulties are part of this. Another aspect is about giving school refusers support, so they will be able to come back to school. RISE’s work with social robotics, where a connected robot in the classroom makes it possible for a student to take part in teaching from home, can probably be very helpful in this respect.

Digitalisation should become a natural part of everyday life at school

All upper secondary school students, including those who attend the introductory programs, each have a computer, and the entire digital infrastructure is in place. Now it is instead a matter of ensuring that digitalisation can become a natural part of teaching and everyday life at school. The competence development of teachers and school leaders is the central part of that work.

- There are digital competence development groups at each upper secondary school unit, led by lead teachers with digitalisation assignments. In every work team, there is a digital pilot who acts as a resource and mentor for their colleagues. For school leaders, several of the National Agency for Education’s modules have been beneficial, not least the one about leading digitalisation. They need to be aware of what is to be done and how they can do it in practice.

An overall picture of hard and soft values provides a basis for further work

The lead teacher reform in 2013 makes it possible for school principals to give special assignments to teachers besides their regular work. One of the lead teachers at Rinmangymnasiet in Eskilstuna is analysing data from the three units to support the continued quality work. The aim is to get an overall picture that includes the teachers’ achievements, the students’ results and soft values such as participation, security and study peace.

The school’s task is both to develop students’ knowledge and to build functioning citizens, states Mart Saamel. We must not forget the compensatory assignment, he adds. By starting from the overall picture of what it looks like, it becomes possible to create greater equality for the students.

- These analyses show strengths and weaknesses in teaching in schools. They also point to challenges that we must deal with constructively. We must not forget the teaching profession and the soft values it rests upon. It is a fundamental precondition for raising the quality of education and for driving development in the right direction.