Students' learning journey with NOA at Follo FHS

Follo FHS is the first folk high school in NOA's customer portfolio. The school is “...a safe haven, a place of generosity, and an arena for courageous learning”, and the school's management takes seriously its social responsibility to equip students for adult life. The introduction of NOA at the school not only solves the administrative need for attendance registration, but is also part of the students' educational journey. Students are given tools and responsibility to practice the task of registering attendance, and they must take ownership to keep track of their own absences.  

We had the pleasure of talking to Anja Stidahl, headmaster at Follo folk high school, and hearing about her visions and experiences with NOA in their pilot year.  

Relief, joy and learning  

When we asked Anja to summarize her associations with NOA, Anja said the following

I feel a great relief and joy that the students are given this responsibility. I think there is a lot of learning in this task. That is why I am very pleased to have NOA with us at school. 

Roll call at the morning assembly 

We used a lot of paper. We had one list for each line, and the teachers had to stand and call out all the students in the morning.

When she started as principal, Anja immediately saw the weaknesses in this old-fashioned practice. The lists were not only incomplete and time-consuming to post-register, they were also not in line with the school's principles. 

One of our principles is that Follo folk high school should be an inclusive school where we prepare people for life through high professionalism in a safe community. If young people who have just turned 18-19 are to be equipped, then it is by having them themselves register that they have been present and assume that responsibility. I think that is an important start. Such practice offers a fairer system. 

Anja found NOA through a quick Google search, and shortly after she got in touch, Follo got started with NOA's functionalities. She is satisfied with the follow-up and the good support they received in the start-up phase, and that they have received quick answers to their questions. Follo now avoids cases where words are contradicted about the pupils' absence, in cases where the lists have been lost, or where the absence has been forgotten or not registered. 

Now that it became the students' task, we don't have those types of inquiries. These are actually completely finished.  

A gradual introduction into the organisation 

Anja says that the teachers were very happy straight away, because they realized that they don't have to record absences and can instead dedicate all their time to teaching. 

The students got their users before the teachers and in the meantime it was the students and the administration who did everything. After approximately six weeks, the teachers received training in NOA with the aim of being able to support pupils who have questions or need to edit their attendance registration.  

We are not strict until after Christmas because we use this period to learn this. In any case, it's no worse than when we did it on paper. And even if everyone gets a little frustrated when we have to do something new, we let something else go, and we get a better result, all together.  

Lots of use for NOA  

Anja says that NOA is used in all subjects at school.  

In addition to all subjects, NOA is also used for kitchen service and boarding laundry. And Saturday seminars. So we use it on everything! We have a user account called Internat Follo Folkehøgskole, and another called Undervisning Follo Folkehøgskole. So the activities that take place at the boarding school have their own school, with a separate main menu. 

Anja highlights flexibility and care for the pupils' learning as the biggest benefits of the school now having access to NOA.  

I think it is about flexibility, but also about the students being responsible for their own attendance. That you have control over your absence yourself, and can see it, monitor it and make measures and adjustments to have control over it. I think that is a great degree of learning for our students.