Asgards School in "the clouds": Developing comprehensive online education at the lower secondary level for children with diverse needs

Description

Presentation on the first school in Iceland providing comprehensive online education for children at the lower secondary level is Asgards School - "in the clouds." It started in 2021 with 2 students. The following year they were 40 and will be about 50 in 2023-2024. The school's vision is that all children should have the right to equal educational opportunities and their needs be met. The curriculum is personalized and includes emphasis on active citizenship, resilience, curiosity and inquiry, contribution-orientation, respect and empathy, independence and cooperation. Learners study at different pace with various types of participation. Learning environment is Zoom. Organisation includes different group compositions, choice of visibility, steady feedback and the use of encouragement rather than imposition. Feedback from students reveals that many think this is the best school they have attended (even a life-saver). They think increasingly of learning as social. Some, who have had few or no friends have made friends. Evaluation study involving the school's program is planned by the Icelandic Ministry of Education in 2023-2024. The program can provide a model for an online school for children with diverse needs related to family travels, physical, psychological or social problems or school avoidance, language backgrounds or giftedness.

Period	9 Nov 2023
Event title	International Council for Open and Distance Education Conference: Joining Hands in Peace for the Futures of Education
Event type	Conference
Conference number	29
Location	San José, Costa RicaShow on map
Degree of Recognition	International