Vocational training: Integrating ICT in a bathroom building project
Norway
NO011 Oscarsborg Upper Secondary School
A. Meso-level context of the Innovation
A1. School Background
Oscarsborg Upper Secondary School has 330 students and 70 teachers. The school is situated in northern Norway in Narvik, a medium-sized town where unemployment was rising at the end of the 1980s. The mining industry has dominated the local economy for many years. Seeking to broaden its economic basis in the 1990s, the town made an effort to promote technology businesses. At the same time the community saw the need to help the schools produce graduates with the necessary competencies needed by the labour market. This resulted in efforts to forge links between business and industry and the education system.
There are three upper secondary level schools in this town, two vocational and one academic.
One effort to link industry and the schools was a project called “Electronic Satchel,” which started in 1997. Three classes, one at each school, received laptop computers that were given to the students and teachers. At present this project is not working due to lack of funding. Oscarsborg has tried to continue the strategies that were developed in this project within its own budget. The Innovation we focus on is an example of how some teachers and students try to take advantage of the opportunities afforded by ICT in vocational training.
The Innovation involves a “Bathroom Project” carried out through the Building and Construction Trades curriculum. The objective of the project is to create and build an authentic bathroom. There are seven boys and one girl in this class and three teachers.
The school is old, though it has gone through several renovations. The town, Narvik, is relatively small. It is far to other towns, so most of the students go to school here. Heavy industry has dominated the economy for many years and also the job market for students.
During the last 10 years the school has gone through major changes in content and structure. This indicates a school culture open to constant change. The school was disappointed about the development of the “Electronic Satchel” project and the strong technological perspective that dominated there. They want to use more innovation in the pedagogical framework of their learning activities, using ICT to support these processes.
A2. School Culture
The school is now based on three main areas of vocational training, i.e., electronics, hotel and service industries and mechanical subjects. These are all subjects with a long tradition. The school sees the use of ICT as an opportunity for renewing these subject fields. The principal states that they do not have a long tradition of innovation in this school. However, he stresses that on a basic level there is a huge difference between academic and vocational subject areas at this level. In vocational training they have worked along the principles of project-oriented pedagogy and problem-based learning for a long time. The reason is the practical focus of these subjects, which implies more activity among the students. Therefore it is interesting to see how implementation of ICT works in these kinds of schools compared to the schools with academic subjects. As the principal states: “Things are naturally more convenient for integrating ICT here.”
A problem has been the status of more theoretical subjects in vocational training. The school has been interested in evaluating if ICT could change the status of and motivation for these subjects among the students. As one of the Innovation teachers said: “What I think is a bit special here is that we have students who are mainly interested in practical work. The academic level among the students is quite low.” One of the reasons these students have chosen vocational training is that they want to pursue a specific vocation through practical learning activities. These contextual factors are important in order to understand the school culture and how the use of ICT might be developed.
One of the Innovation teachers, who has been at the school for 23 years, comments on the school culture by saying:
A lot of things have changed. Before we all sat around in our own classrooms and each had their own specialty, and were sort of the kings in their own field. The school has become much more open. We have totally changed the time schedule. It becomes more like theme-oriented learning rather than subject-oriented teaching. (Innovation teacher)
The school is trying to find a place for ICT within these contextual changes.
A3. ICT in the school and beyond
Initially the school, through the local community and commercial industry, invested in portable computers for one class at the school. This was part of the “Electronic Satchel” project and the intention was to study the opportunities it offered students. However, they had to change the policy and exchange the laptops for stationary computers. In the Innovation there is one stationary computer for each student in the classroom. At the school they have a total of 140 computers, mostly in special computer rooms, which all teachers at the school use now and then with their students.
The school has developed a special ICT strategy document stating the visions for ICT in the school. This relates first to a well-developed school infrastructure, secondly to how ICT can be a pedagogical tool to motivate students and teachers, and thirdly to how it might work as an administrative tool.
Commenting on the vision for ICT use, the principal said:
An overall philosophy is that PCs should be accessible in all classrooms and work-halls. In the beginning we were eager to organize special computer rooms. We are not so eager about that anymore. We still have computer rooms of course, but the PCs are going to go out. That is the point. At present I think all classrooms have a computer accessible. (Principal)
While all the teachers have some computer skills and have taken courses, the principal states that the ambitions they have for the teachers have yet to be reached. The three teachers in the Innovation all feel competent as users of ICT. At present these teachers are following a more advanced course organized by the National Education Office in the county, which among other things introduces the teachers in using conference systems, especially Class Fronter, which the school now wants to start using.
The eight students involved in the Innovation all have good computer skills. The impressions from our observations is that these students switch between different uses of technology all the time, be it working on the computer, using their mobile phones to send SMS messages, and, in the case of a couple of students, spending time upgrading their own personal web pages. However, one of the Innovation teachers stresses that the students are competent only in certain aspects of computer technology, that is the more entertainment-oriented uses, while they know almost nothing about Word or Excel. It has therefore been necessary to teach the students the basics here.
A4. ICT support structure in the school
ICT support at the school is provided by two full-time persons. It seems from the interviews that this support is good enough. There are no reports of major technical problems at the school. As a vocational school they also have a lot of technically competent people.
The two persons responsible for ICT support also hold courses for the teachers. This is organized more on a need basis related to the tasks the teachers are working on.
The principal states that the school wants to invest in more portable computers because of the flexibility this gives.
B. Macro-level context of the Innovation
B1. National and State/Provincial Policies
There is support in the national curriculum and policies for initiating innovation in schools. In 1994 Norway adopted a national school reform restructuring the three years at the upper secondary level. Under the new system, students take a one-year foundation course followed by two years of follow-up and specialized studies. In the 1990s there was an increased focus on problem-based learning and project-orientation at all levels of the school system. This was combined with an increased interest in perspectives on life-long learning and student-centeredness.
For vocational training the 1994 reform had several consequences, the most important being that the number of courses that the schools could give was narrowed down a lot. The other consequence was that the content changed. More emphasis was put on academic subjects and theoretical content, creating some links between vocational and academic studies.
For the municipality it was important that the schools relate more actively to the challenges presented by technology. Collaboration between industry and the schools was stressed. These challenges were taken up by this school and integrated into their strategic plans.
C. Thematic analyses of the Innovation
C1. Curriculum content, goals, and assessment
The Innovation involved with first-year students. According to the principal, one background element in the Innovation was a change at the school in how they organized projects. They have used project-based learning for a long time, but this has mostly been connected with activities when the students were out working at companies. Now they have started to use project-based learning much more with the students. The other background element the principal mentions is the project “Electronic Satchel.” This implies a stronger focus on the use of technology. Together these elements caused a reorientation of the curriculum content. The most important change has been the focus on interdisciplinary learning. Another aspect mentioned by the principal and the Innovation teachers is more focus on differentiation and a learning process adapted to each student’s level of ability.
The Bathroom Project is directly linked to the curriculum for this vocational training. So it relates to the official goals concerning practical and theoretical training for students. What is different from what they have done earlier is that they now integrate more subjects into one project, and also that ICT has a much more central place in these activities.
The project itself took place over an eight-week period. The main goal was to build a bathroom from scratch. The work hall contained three bathrooms previously built by students. The students had to tear these down before starting to build new bathrooms.
The Innovation consisted of three main phases. The first was the planning phase when the whole work process was planned along with the details of each of the three bathrooms. The second was the practical phase when each group worked on its bathroom. The third phase was the presentation and documentation of results.
The eight students were divided into three groups. Each group was then responsible for planning, building and reporting on the process. The teachers acted as the "builders" for the different groups and the students had to report on their progress to them. The intention was that the different teams were going to have weekly meetings, but the teams only had one or two meetings during the project period. For the teachers the goal was also to teach the students how to use different opportunities in the learning environment.
They do not use books at all. There are certain books related to what they are currently working on in the classroom on the teacher's desk. The students don't have their own books because the teachers want the students to use ICT actively to find information and communicate with companies.
According to the principal, the most innovative feature of this project is the interdisciplinary focus and that they manage to make important parts of the curriculum content more concrete through practical activity. ICT is defined as important in making this happen.
Concerning assessment procedures the teachers use their observations on the whole project period as a basis and in addition they have developed different forms that they fill out. The students also evaluate their own performances.
C2. Teaching practices and outcomes
The three Innovation teachers collaborate closely in the planning and also during the project. They divide responsibilities for the academic subjects and the specific vocational subjects among themselves. All of them are involved in using ICT in the project.
The teachers define themselves as facilitators. As one of the Innovation teachers says: "We stay on the sideline and observe how the students work. If they need help we are there for them." This is supported by our observations. When one of the groups tried to solder pipes in their bathroom, water squirted out. They went to the teacher and asked if he could show them how to do it right. The teacher asks them to get the equipment, and then he holds a short lecture on how to solder. Afterwards he gives a demonstration while quizzing them about important things to remember:
Teacher: Why is it important to clean the area?
Student 1: To make sure it doesn’t leak.
Teacher: What do we clean it with?
Student 1: I can’t remember the name, but I will get it.
Teacher: Cleaning is very important. What do we do next?
Student 2: We put on some flux paste.
Teacher: Why?
Student 1: To make sure that the pipes hold and don’t leak.
Teacher: What is the real reason – what did we rub off the pipe?
Student 2: Oxides
Teacher: If we don’t use flux paste when we warm up the pipe, they will oxidize immediately. To do a good job we have to solder all the places at once. You have to clear everything before you start. Where do we heat the pipe?
Student 1: Here or maybe here. I’m not quite sure.
After he is done, he asks the students to try. He also makes sure that they know the difference between the training and applying it to the bathroom project.
Teacher: You are aware that you can’t use this method if you are going to solder in the bathroom?
Both students: Yes. Then we must use a sheet or something like that.
Teacher: Now you can try it.
When the students collaborate on the soldering the teacher stays in the background and observes how the students work. The students discuss the best way to start. One of them is doing the soldering and the other student helps. The teacher stays in the background but gives the students some advice on how to do it. After the student has finished soldering, the teacher inspects the work and makes sure it is done in the proper way. Then they are allowed to try this method in the bathroom.
In vocational training teachers have always worked more as facilitators than teachers in academic courses. However, it seems that the use of ICT has strengthened this role by letting the students work more independently from the teachers at times.
The teachers reorganized the school day and did away with the timetable during this period. Normally, the students would have one teacher for about two hours, then a break, and then a new teacher comes in. “We have tried to make deals with the students to skip some breaks so the teachers can be together more in the class and the students can take breaks when they feel they need one, and also that they can work without teachers present.” (Innovation teacher 2) This places greater responsibility on the students for their own learning.
The same teacher explains about some of the changes he has gone through in the Innovation: “In this project I am really a facilitator in all areas. And when there is something I can help them with I do that, and if not I suggest who they should go and see.”
What is also new from the teachers' point of view is that a project like this, which is large-scale and goes on for several weeks, makes it easier to integrate almost all subjects in one project. As one of them concludes: “I feel we get a lot in return about the methodology and these things in the project, and that they manage to see connections between the subjects. You have to use other means when you are working on a project like this.” (Innovation teacher 3)
C3. Student practices and outcomes
Student practices are defined within the learning vision of the school. In reference to his perspectives on the learning process, the principal stated: “I think our students learn best in an interaction between practical training and theoretical knowledge, and that schooling should be activity oriented.” This is supported by our observations. However, the students' activity changes during the eight weeks the project goes on.
In the planning phase, the students had to make calculations and set up work schedules before they started to work on the bathrooms. The students felt that the first part of the project, the planning phase, took too much time, so they got bored. As one of the students says: "I didn't like the planning phase. It was too much theory. It was much more fun when we started to work on the bathrooms and saw some results." This was also part of the reason why they started to use the computer more for entertainment. The students are more motivated when work on the bathroom, which they do in groups of three. Among other things, the students had to lay the flooring, hang wallpaper, fix the windows, paint the moldings and install the lavatory and shower. After the students finished the bathrooms they had to write a report and give a presentation to the others.