It has barely passed 7.30 and there is a steady stream of students and staff entering the main door of Gand upper secondary school in Sandnes. Teacher Kathrine Svarstad has made it up to the school’s fourth floor and is well underway with setting up camera equipment in the classroom. – One iPad will film me and the other will film the students, says Svarstad. The 37-year-old has been a teacher for nearly eleven years and admits that the screens have an effect. – You become very aware of yourself. For better or worse. But I think it’s really fun, and I’ve had quite a few aha experiences, she says. Pupils at certain upper secondary schools are being filmed via iPads, as part of a larger research project. Photo: Marte Skodje / news Better with a camera? Ever since the autumn of 2022, students in automation VG2 at Gand have been filmed in class. The video recordings from the classroom are included in the research project Interact (external link). The study is carried out in Norway and is one of the largest projects in Europe in upper secondary education. The aim of the research is to find out how teachers can have a better relationship with pupils. – It was a bit stingy at the start, but now it’s going well, says Paul Andor Eik Rovig. The 17-year-old thinks it is completely unproblematic to be filmed, and several of his fellow students have the same attitude. Paul Andor Eik Rovig (17) is in the second year of automation. Here you get help from teacher Kathrine Svarstad. Photo: Marte Skodje / news – We have become used to it. And this is for the teacher to become better, says Nikolai Frafjord Sunde (18). He himself believes that he learns better after the cameras came up. – The best thing about the cameras is that everyone is seen. Not just those who crave attention, but also those who are quite quiet. I think that is important, he says. Nikolai Frafjord Sunde, student at Gand upper secondary school. Photo: Marte Skodje / news – We behave a little better when the cameras are here. Before there was a lot of fuss, but after the screens came up, there has been less of it, says Robin Pettersen (17). – Would you say that your teacher has improved? – Well, she is perhaps one of the best teachers I have ever had. So she didn’t have to change anything for me at least. She is a very good teacher, replies Pettersen. Robin Pettersen, student at Gand upper secondary school. Photo: Marte Skodje / news Two out of ten leave the school 100 teachers spread across twelve schools in Rogaland and Møre og Romsdal are involved in Interact. The researchers in Interact want to find out how the interaction between teacher and student can be improved, so that teaching becomes even more engaging. The question is whether the teachers can get more students to complete upper secondary education (external link). – Today there are too many people who do not finish upper secondary school. We believe this research can contribute to fewer people dropping out of upper secondary school. That’s what Sigrun K. Ertesvåg, who leads the research project Interact, says. – Many teachers think it was really scary to be filmed at the start. Now the feedback is that watching their classroom on film is very useful and educational, says Sigrun K. Ertesvåg. Photo: Marte Skodje / news Interact is inspired by a series of studies documenting the effects of “My Teaching Partner” (external link), which was developed and evaluated by researchers at the University of Virginia. The study will continue until 2025 and is financed with, among other things, 20 million from the Research Council of Norway. Halfway through the course of the study, the researchers see signs of improvement. – That teachers know their subject is not enough for the student to learn. When the teaching is filmed, the teacher can see the classroom from the pupils’ perspective, says Ertesvåg. The video recordings are studied carefully At Gand upper secondary school, the lesson is over and Kathrine Svarstad is getting ready for digital tutoring. Kathrine Svarstad receives digital guidance from Frank Rafaelsen during the Interact study. Photo: Marte Skodje / news The recordings from the classroom are carefully reviewed by both Svarstad himself and supervisor Frank Rafaelsen. He believes the Interact study has had a positive effect. Frank Rafaelsen has, among other things, a master’s in pedagogy and supervises several teachers who are part of the Interact study. Photo: Marte Skodje / news – My impression is that it works for both those who are new and perhaps a little unsure, but also those who have worked for quite a long time. I have several examples of teachers who say that they have missed this type of subject discussions, says Rafaelsen. Svarstad agrees. – I am made aware of the things that are good. And the times where I may have progressed a bit too quickly, or didn’t catch the whole class. I think it’s very good to get guidance on that, she says.
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In this classroom at the upper secondary school, teachers and students are filmed in class – news Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio
