Curriculum, Subjects, and Hours
Study programmes in the upper secondary school are completed at certain qualification levels. By classifying them according to qualification levels, different requirements for the students’ competence upon graduation are accented. Qualification levels form the framework for the different requirements upon graduation regardless of the programme being academic, artistic or vocational. Studies leading to matriculation usually take six semesters, but may take longer.
The National curriculum guide for upper secondary school is from 2011. It has been adjusted several times since then, most recently in 2015, but the overall approach and principles have remained the same. The national curriculum guide defines, among other things, the objectives of individual subjects and branches of study. The upper secondary schools have a high degree of independence regarding their construction of study programs and are according to the national curriculum guide able to plan a study program with a narrow focus, on the condition though that the study program passes the Ministries validation according to the national curriculum guide. There are more than 400 validated study programs based on the national curriculum for Upper Secondary Schools in Iceland and although many vary in core subject diversity, they all contain the main core subjects listed in the national curriculum guide.
The National Curriculum Guide does not provide guidelines on how to define and structure branches and encourages the school to develop their own study programs depending on their specialty or e.g. factors in their Municipality, however dependent on a validation process within the Ministry. The validation process covers more extensive guidelines. Thus, study programs on the Upper secondary level cover a wide range of branches.
Most upper secondary schools operate according to a unit-credit system where the educational content of each subject is divided into several defined course units which last for one semester. At the end of each semester, the student decides on courses for the following semester according to certain rules and in accordance with his or her own study plans and results. Thus, each student has his or her own personal timetable. Schools that have traditional classes or forms operate around the form or the class as a unit and organize their education by discipline. In addition, all courses include elected fields according to the aims of the branch in question and a free selection i.e. fields of interest for the individual student.
For each level, the national curriculum guide illustrates the public education policy and study requirements; specifications which schools are to follow in their educational planning. The national curriculum guide is the main prerequisite for the Ministry of Education and Children to fulfil its assigned role in directing and supervising the quality and execution of education. The national curriculum guide is based on six fundamental pillars:
- Literacy in the widest sense
- Education towards sustainability
- Health and welfare
- Democracy and human rights
- Equality
- Creativity
The fundamental pillars are linked to objectives of student competence and all choice of material and content of study, teaching and play should reflect these fundamental pillars.
Each upper secondary school should make a proposal for a programme description to the Ministry of Education and Children for confirmation. Programme descriptions are to be consistent with the general section of the National Curriculum Guide for Upper Secondary Schools and the school curriculum guide of the school in question.
A programme description should include:
- A connection of education with the economy and/or other school levels.
- Organization of studies, for example, final objectives, extent of studies, at what qualification level the final learning outcomes are defined, whether the studies end with upper secondary school leaving examinations, examinations for professional rights, matriculation examinations, other final examinations or additional education at upper secondary school.
- Enrolment requirements and requirements regarding student progress.
- Where and how the fundamental pillars of education and key competence are mirrored in the general and specialised education of the study programme.
- A description of learning, teaching and assessment.
- Definition of education at qualification levels and course unit descriptions.
Within any given academic branch of study, three groups of courses are offered:
- Core subjects, which all pupils of a branch are required to take
- Elected fields according to the aims of the branch of study in question
- Free selection.
There are four qualification competence levels at the upper secondary school level. Icelandic, mathematics and English are core subjects at the upper secondary level. In addition, Danish; a third foreign language (usually French, German or Spanish); history; social sciences; natural sciences; sports and a course in life-skills are common subjects, depending on the branch of study. A fourth foreign language is required in the foreign languages branch of study and a course in geography in the social sciences branch. However, the number of courses in these subjects for each branch of study differs as the core subjects include special subjects within that branch together with subjects that provide and support general education. Core subjects constitute the required course in each academic branch of study and amount to 70% of the total course load. For the matriculation examination, for example, a certain amount of credits is required, a mix of core and elective fields.
Elective fields constitute 21% of the total course load and cover specialization in an area of the branch of study, such as mathematics, physics and chemistry for the natural sciences branch of study and psychology for the social sciences branch and Latin as well as any of the modern languages mentioned above for the foreign languages branch. Vocational training or recognized training in the arts may be counted as part of the specialized courses within general academic studies, provided certain conditions are met.
Free selection constitutes about 9% of the total course load and may include any of the subject courses on offer at the school, including a further deepening in a subject already studied, such as a foreign language.
Teaching Methods and Materials
Neither the curriculum guide nor laws or regulations contain instruction regarding teaching methods in upper secondary schools. Teachers are free to choose the methods that best suit their aims and circumstances at any given time. Teachers are also free to select textbooks and other educational material.
Students buy their textbooks on the free market. Teachers commonly produce, translate and adapt teaching materials. Teachers can apply to the Ministry of Education and Children for grants for such work. All upper secondary schools have libraries that serve both pupils and teachers.
Teaching materials comprise of textbooks, ICT-related aids, sound, and images produced with specific learning objectives in mind. Items initially provided for other purposes, such as newspaper articles, feature films, literary works, e.g. can also be used as learning materials. Students with special needs receive teaching aids, which take their abilities and aptitudes into account. Teaching materials should comply with principles of universal design and serve diverse cultural backgrounds.
The European Language Portfolio has been introduced in the upper secondary schools and some of the schools have chosen to use the ELP as a foundation for their teaching methods. There are no central regulations regarding homework.