Deep Learning Society​

Does your municipality want to be part of a collaboration with LearnLab, where we work together to develop pedagogy, technology and school management? LearnLab has for several years led the innovation-network called Deep Learning Society (DLS).

The main goal of DLS is to explore and develop current and future-oriented pedagogical teaching practices, new leadership competencies and district leadership, as well as concrete ways to model in-depth learning and life skills.

As a participant in the Deep Learning Society, you get:

Innovation, guidance, examples and sharing between municipalities on the following topics:

  • Innovative tools for digital learning
  • Evidence-based leadership
  • A learning network in your own municipality and across municipalities
  • Professional-building management that creates trust
  • Models for strength-based observation of teaching
  • Development of district plans and strategies
  • Support for developing teaching according to the model "Learning course LK20 in practice"
  • Assessment for in-depth learning

Professional development at all levels

The goal of (DLS) is to stimulate teaching that goes further to emphasize creativity, open questions, time to think and active students, in short: achieve deeper learning through collective innovation. Our pedagogical starting point is progressive pedagogy, where we continue the best of John Dewey’s and Erling Lars Dale’s philosophy, while incorporating the guidelines of LK20.

Learning takes place through action, where the students together explore and reflect on relevant concepts. By asking questions that lead students to collective reflection and production, the teacher helps students to discover the deeper meaning of concepts. This learning principle also applies to municipal leaders, school leaders and teachers.

The teacher asks questions based on the students’ interest and involvement competence and puts the questions into a context via deep knowledge of the subject and the curriculum. Future-oriented teaching cannot be planned in detail in advance, but is linked to the curriculum through a process together with students and colleagues. The teacher uses the resources available in the student group.

DLS works to shift the focus from summative tests to formative assessment, where students own the assessment process through work on authentic assignments. LearnLab’s digital tools form the basis for developing an assessment practice where exams and national tests become less important, since students and teachers document competence as part of the learning process itself.

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Several municipalities are already participating

DLS is a network consisting of students, teachers, school leaders and researchers, who together with Learnlab design the learning of the future. Collective innovation in practice!

Traditional conferences with lectures have proven to have little value beyond the social. Many development-oriented leaders and teachers also point out that it is both tiring and lonely to attend traditional conferences when they are conducted digitally.

Learnlab wants to make a difference by giving everyone the opportunity to use digital technology in learning-promoting ways. Learnlab combines the best ideas from progressive pedagogy with the learning-enhancing use of digital technology. We therefore use the interactive tool Colab, which provides opportunities for active participants to link reflections to experiences, share with each other and collectively develop suggestions, ideas and input.

Collaboration with international researchers

In DLS, we strive to learn from specific measures and methods used in some of the world’s best education systems.

Learnlab, together with Professor Andy Hargreaves, is the initiator of the Atlantic Rim Collaboratory (ARC), where 10 education systems collectively explore the possibilities of developing an education policy that is more in line with the broad educational mandate that the school actually has.

ARC is a global educational movement that advances equity, broad excellence, inclusion, wellbeing, democracy, sustainability & human rights in high quality, professionally run systems.

Researchers who in the period 2020-2022 give advice, present their research, and participate in discussions in the DLS network are:

  • Rolf Kristian Baltzersen
    Lecturer (PhD) – Department of Teacher Education, Østfold University College.
  • Michael Fullan
    Global Leadership Director, New Pedagogies for Deep Learning. Professor Emeritus — University of Toronto.
  • Andy Hargreaves
    Director at CHENINE (Change, Engagement and Innovation in Education — The University of Ottawa). Professor Lynch School of Education and Human Development, Boston College.
  • Egil Hartberg
    Project Manager, Centre for Lifelong Learning, Innlandet University College.
  • Viviane Robinson
    Professor at the Faculty of Education and Social Work at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, and Academic Director of the University’s Centre for Educational Leadership.
  • Pål Roland
    Lecturer (PhD) — National Centre for Learning Environment and Behavioural Research at the University of Stavanger.
  • Kim Schildkamp
    Associate professor, the Faculty of Behavioural, Management, and Social Sciences — University of Twente. Current chair of ICSEI (International Congress on School Effectiveness and Improvement)
  • Dennis Shirley
    Professor of Education — Lynch School of Education, Boston College.
  • Louise Stoll
    Professor of Professional Learning, University College — London’s Institute of Education.