Norway 
Wikipedia Entry
More information on Norway...
Summary of CRE Activities
Norway has a national policy to combat bullying and violence in school. Since the 1990s, Norway has led Europe in the development, promotion, and requirement of peer mediation and conflict resolution education in all public schools. In 2002, the Norwegian prime minister signed a manifesto against bullying, and the right of pupils to a safe school environment has been strengthened since 2003. In 2005, the Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training developed a new strategic plan for the learning environment in primary and secondary education for 2005–2008. This plan includes efforts to prevent and stop bullying and violence in the schools. The quality framework focuses on social and cultural competence, including training in different forms of interaction, problem solving, and conflict resolution.
For a detailed but now dated summary of CRE activity in this area please review the OCDRCM website profile for this country.
Legislative and Policy Initiatives:
Teacher Training College Initiative
The Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training has entered into an agreement with two teacher training schools in Norway to focus on conflict resolution in education in Norway.
Relevant Documents
The pupils’ “working environment act” in Norway
http://www.udir.no/templates/udir/TM_Artikkel.aspx?id=2432
The Knowledge Promotion - Kunnskapsløftet på engelsk
http://www.udir.no/templates/udir/TM_Artikkel.aspx?id=2376
Manifesto against bullying - plan of measures
http://www.udir.no/templates/udir/TM_Artikkel.aspx?id=1372
The Learning Environment in Schools and Training Establishments
http://www.udir.no/templates/udir/TM_Artikkel.aspx?id=1365
CRE Resources:
Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training
http://www.udir.no/templates/udir/TM_Artikkel.aspx?id=346
Curriculum for Primary, Lower and Upper Secondary Education (R94 and L97)
http://www.udir.no/templates/udir/TM_Artikkel.aspx?id=1396
Norway summited this update in 2010 as part of UNESCO’s end of decade report on the International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World (2001-2010).
CRE Contact(s):
Helen Johannessen
Active CRE Organization:
Direkctorate for Primary and Secondary Education (Utdanningsdirektoratet)
The Directorate is meant to be a driving force for quality development in Norwegian primary and secondary education. The establishment of the Directorate is part of the improvements in the national education administration and is one of the elements in a collected national strategy for quality development in primary and secondary education.
Some examples: Schools are being offered anti-bullying programmes such as Olweus’ “Programme of efforts against bullying and anti-social behaviour” and the anti-bullying programme called “Zero” from the Centre for Behavioural Research. These programmes have been prepared with state funds while schools cover the costs of implementation themselves. Almost 800 schools have made use of one of these programmes. Evaluation has shown that the programmes are effective and reduce the incidence of bullying in the schools where they are used systematically.
ConnectOSLO is a three-year research project with a broad approach to the whole of the pupils’ physical and psycho-social learning environment. The project is a further development and implementation of the EU project called “Tackling violence in schools”. The Department of Education in Oslo is making this project available to its schools, with guidance from the Centre for Behavioural Research (SAF). Today 30 schools are involved in the project and research shows that all of them have seen considerable improvements in the learning environment. The results also show a reduction in the number of bullying incidents.
“This is my choice” is a teaching plan about developing class environments and preventive work in primary and secondary schools. More than 21,000 teachers and 800,000 pupils in 1,066 primary and lower secondary schools and 2 upper secondary schools have used this programme since 1990. Broad research-based evaluation indicates that pupils in classes that have used the plan show more positive self-assertion, more empathy and better relations with their fellow pupils.
Peer mediation is a strategy for understanding and dealing with conflicts in schools. The Ministry of Education and Research has funded the training of mediators, the establishment of a network of resource personnel and the development of material. 644 primary and lower secondary schools and 90 upper secondary schools have made use of this programme (As of January 2001).
Active CRE Organization:
Norwegian Peace Alliance
The Norwegian Peace Alliance website is intended as a resource for teachers wishing to teach themes related to peace, or wishing to promote peace skills in their classrooms, and for facilitators of workshops in peace related themes. The website is also used as a resource for workshops at summer camps and seminars, both in connection with youth work and by voluntary organisations involved in training mediators, teaching for intercultural/interreligious dialogue and other such activities.
The website was originally created on a request from teachers at a strategy meeting at the Friendship North/South school exchange programme. It has been developed with help and inspiration from the General Union of Palestinian Teachers, Save the Children Norway, Mediation Services Oslo, Klinsj, and Council of Europe trainers from Azerbaijan and Moldova.
The website gives a short introduction to education for peace and its pedagogical platform, and describes how to build up a successful workshop around a topic. The site gives suggestions for exercises for the various stages of the workshop. It contains various educational “packages” and activities for each topic to be covered, skill to be trained, or stage of the workshop (warming up, evaluation etc.). The site includes over 200 different activities. The aim and instructions for each activity is included, in addition to the time required and the age group most suited.
