Government Policies for 21st
Century Skills
Øystein Johannessen
Deputy Director General, Norwegian
Ministry of Education and Research
NML Conference, Brussels, 22 Sep 2009

Topics
• National Curriculum and ICT in Education
• 21st Century Skills – embedded or not?
• The Road Ahead
• Documentation
– http://www.slideshare.net/oysteinj/
2 Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research

The National Curriculum (Years 1-13)
• Decided by the Ministry. Revised 2006. The
”Mission Statement” is more or less
unchanged.
• Clear competence goals at different levels
years 1-13
• Basic skills:
– 5 basic skills (Reading, Writing, Numeracy,
Oral skills, digital skills) are to be
embedded in all subjects at all levels
– Can be subject to national tests
• Methodological freedom of the teacher
• From mastering ICT to using it creatively and
critically
3 Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research

Example: Digital Skills in Arts and
Crafts (i)
• Being able to use digital tools in arts and
crafts is important when searching for
information and producing information as text
and images. Production of digital images is
important in the pupils' work with
photography, scanning, animation, film and
video. Also included here are attitudes relating
to source criticism, protection of personal
privacy and familiarity with copyright rules.
Multimedia is included in presentations of
one's own work and that of others. Knowledge
of aesthetic and digital techniques is decisive
for successful communication.
4 Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research

Example II: Digital Skills in Arts
• 5th grade: plan and build models of houses
and rooms using digital tools and simple craft
techniques
• 10th grade:
– assess different messages, ethical issues
and visual quality of advertising, film,
websites and computer games
– document his or her own work in
multimedia presentations
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Current ICT activities in Norway
• Establishing a national centre for ICT in
education
• Considering national tests in digital skills
• Developing quality principles for digital
learning resources
• Implementing national solution of identity
management
• Integrating ICT in in-service training and intial
teacher training
6 Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research

21st Century Skills – embedded or
not?
• The OECD survey demonstrates lack of
common language and understanding.
• Are cross-national differences a barrier?
– Culture
– Curriculum
• Concept life cycle
– Idea
– Concept
– Life (e.g. in a national curriculum)
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21st Century Skills – embedded or
not? Policy triangle
Curriculum
Assessment Competences among
Teachers and principals
8 Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research

The Road Ahead
• 21st Century skills: Important concept, wrong
name?
• Mindset and concept should be developed
further in order to fit into individual country
frameworks.
• Assessment is mission-critical
• Benchmarks and Indicators
• R&D and dissemination
• Listening to and learning from Learner Voices
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Collaboration for a better future
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