Teaching focuses on helping students acquire knowledge, skills and a positive attitude and thus acquire the skills aimed for in education.

In inclusive schools, there should be a diversity of teaching methods and approaches. Teachers have a professional responsibility to choose the most effective ways to achieve the best results in accordance with the competence standards being aimed for at any given time. When choosing teaching methods and approaches, the age, development and ability of the students involved and the nature of the subject matter must be taken into account. High-quality teaching, which adapts to the needs and situation of individual students in inclusive schools, increases the likelihood of success.

Teaching methods and working methods in the school should serve the competence standards that are aimed for. For example, those related to the promotion of moral and social development, democratic participation and citizenship, can only be achieved by systematically promoting students’ ethics and social skills and promoting a positive school atmosphere characterized by democratic working methods, collaboration and cooperation.

The choice of teaching methods and the organization of school work must be based on the obligation of primary schools to provide each student with the best opportunities for learning and development. Teaching must take into account the needs and experiences of individual students and promote interest and work satisfaction with students. Teaching methods must take into account equality and non-discrimination and must not discriminate against students, for example based on gender, residence, origin, skin color, disability, religion, sexual orientation or social status.

Educational materials of all kinds play a very important role in achieving the goals of school work. According to the Compulsory Education Act and the Act on Educational Materials, students in compulsory education are entitled to receive educational materials for their use free of charge in the subjects and areas of study specified in the National Curriculum Guide for Compulsory Education. Students in compulsory education may not be required to pay for tuition, educational materials or other things that they are required to use in their studies according to the National Curriculum Guide or the School Curriculum Guide. Students may also not be required to pay for field trips that are part of their compulsory education, except for accommodation during such trips, after consultation with parents.

Learning materials, teaching methods and working methods that schools choose to adopt, the organization of school work and assessment should all be based on defined competence standards and be implemented in such a way that students’ possibilities of achieving them are utilized to the fullest. Learning materials are all materials used to achieve the goals of learning and teaching. Learning materials should be diverse and high-quality and take into account the latest knowledge in the field of education and teaching. Examples of learning materials include printed materials, such as textbooks, thematic booklets, manuals and instructions of various kinds, visual materials of various kinds, such as photographs, films, educational and documentary films, posters, audio materials such as audio CDs and digital audio files, computer programs, materials on the Internet, multimedia materials, materials for practical teaching, outdoor teaching, etc. The nature and cultural environment of the school are also important sources of learning and development.

School libraries play a key role in creating conditions to develop and enhance students’ understanding of the nature of information and data they need to have access to in their studies and in promoting initiative and independent working methods.

Educational materials must be in accordance with applicable laws and the National Curriculum Guide at any given time. Educational materials selected for use in primary schools must appeal to students, be attractive and interesting, their content must be presented clearly and systematically, and take into account what students can be expected to have previously acquired.

When designing and selecting learning materials, care should be taken to ensure that they take into account the fundamental aspects of education, i.e. literacy, democracy and human rights, equality, health and welfare, education for sustainability and creative work. Learning materials should appeal equally to both sexes and not discriminate against individuals or groups on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, residence, origin, colour, disability, religion or social status.

Choice in education is part of the school policy of each municipality and school. One of the roles of the school council is to discuss the policy and characteristics of the school and thus the availability of electives in primary school. When deciding on the availability and variety of electives, it is important to take into account local conditions, culture and history of the local community.

Elective subjects are part of compulsory education. In grades 8, 9 and 10 of primary school, students shall be given the opportunity to choose subjects and areas of study corresponding to up to one-fifth of the study time, but schools may organize different proportions of elective subjects by year group, and this shall be stated in the annual work plan. The purpose of freedom of choice for students at the junior high school level is to adapt the study to the needs of the individual as much as possible and to enable each student to place their own emphasis in their studies based on their interests and future plans in cooperation with parents, teachers and study advisors.

The choice of study shall aim at a systematic preparation for upper secondary school studies and shall take into account preparation for academic studies, vocational education, technical studies and arts and technology studies. To this end, students shall be given the opportunity to deepen their knowledge in those fields of study or within the compulsory subjects. Students shall also be able to choose subjects that are primarily aimed at broadening their horizons, contributing to increased life satisfaction or deepening their knowledge, skills and abilities in specific areas in accordance with their interests.

Schools shall outline the arrangement of electives in a work plan after receiving the opinion of the school council and the approval of the school committee and present it to students and parents. This shall define the objectives of the electives offered, present lesson plans, an overview of the curriculum and decisions on assessment. The availability of electives shall be stated in the school work plan.

At the request of parents, it is permitted to assess as study the temporary participation of students in the workplace and regular participation in social life, sports or organized volunteer work, provided that it falls within the goals of school work. It is also permitted to assess organized study undertaken outside of compulsory school for elective subjects, e.g. studies at upper secondary schools, art schools and language schools. In each case, the school in question assesses the scope of such study and equality must be observed in the handling of cases. It should be assumed that it does not exceed the equivalent of 160 minutes per week during each school year at junior high school, and it is then permitted to assess such for elective subjects for the students in question.

The fundamental elements of education should be reflected in all school activities. They should be reflected in the content of subjects and areas of study, both in the methods used and in the knowledge, skills and competences that students should acquire. The ideas behind them should therefore be reflected in all subjects. In order to acquire a variety of competences, students need to deal with different subjects that can be linked to the work environment and daily life. This calls for learning methods and tasks that require the student to integrate their knowledge and skills and connect them to daily life, interests and relationships with other people. The subject curricula provide examples of how the fundamental elements and key competences are integrated into the subjects and procedures of individual subjects.

Subjects are an important part of school work, but not an end in themselves. It is not the role of schools to teach subjects, but to educate students and help each one to develop to some degree.

In the subjects and methods of the subjects, students become familiar with different areas of the world; the world of objects and ideas, nature and culture. They learn about their immediate environment and distant corners of the world, get to know the microcosm of matter and the vastness of space. Subjects give students the opportunity to learn about and discuss customs and ways of life, knowledge and ideas, theories and facts, laws and rules that give meaning and purpose to their lives and the environment. The subjects also CREATE different methods and procedures that are useful for learning and development. The content and procedures of different subjects must appeal to reasoning as well as emotions and respond to the innate curiosity and creative desire of students. The methodology and procedures of different subjects contribute to diverse learning and general education. In society, tasks are usually not separated and isolated, but are intertwined with many factors. This is important to keep in mind when organizing school work. Therefore, there should be an emphasis on integrating subjects, looking at projects that have interfaces with multiple subjects. This can help to make the learning more meaningful for students, clarifying the context of academic subjects and the need to gain insight into their world.

The Act on Compulsory Schools determines the fields of study and subjects of school work in more detail. Article 25 of the Act states, among other things, that provisions shall be made on the content and organization of studies in Icelandic, Icelandic as a second language or Icelandic sign language, mathematics, English, Danish or another Nordic language, arts and crafts, natural sciences, school sports, social studies, equality issues, religious studies, life skills and information and technology education. It also states that provisions shall be made for a proportional division of time between fields of study and subjects in compulsory school. Care should be taken to ensure that the studies are as comprehensive as possible, but each compulsory school decides whether subjects and fields of study are taught separately or integrated. The principal is professionally responsible for the organization of teaching. As a general rule, it is assumed that subjects and fields of study in compulsory school are distributed normally over the course of the school year and according to professional considerations. Nevertheless, the reference timetable provides flexibility within study areas and between phases, but its implementation must be published in the school’s work plan.

Explanations for individual study areas in the reference timetable.

Foreign languages. These include English and Danish, where English is assumed to be the first foreign language and Danish, Norwegian or Swedish the second foreign language.

Arts and crafts. Art subjects include music, visual arts, and performing arts. Design and construction, textile arts, and home economics are included under the work subjects. These two areas should have equal weight within the total time.

Natural sciences. This field includes natural sciences, physical sciences, chemistry, earth sciences, life sciences, and environmental education.

School sports. This area includes sports and swimming.

Social sciences. These include social studies, history, geography and sociology, religious studies, life skills, gender equality and ethics, as well as philosophy.

Information and technology education This includes media education, school library science, computer use, and information and communication technology.

At your disposal/choice. This includes school hours, especially in grades 1-7, and student choices in grades 8-10. Based on the emphasis of the curriculum in law, there must be a balance between theoretical and practical learning, and care must be taken not to neglect practical learning when organizing school work. This also applies to the organization of elective courses. It is therefore expected that up to half of the elective hours will be devoted to art and work-related learning.

The basic elements of education, the focus areas of the National Curriculum and key competences should be taken as a reference when implementing all study areas and subjects. In addition to the subjects and study areas specified in the reference curriculum, several interdisciplinary elements are envisaged, such as innovation, entrepreneurship education and new media.

It is important to note when planning school work that the reference timetable is a framework for the weighting of subjects and areas of study in the schools’ timetable. It does not make a decision on how much time is spent each week on each subject. It is up to each school, in consultation with the school community, to decide what the timetables look like. There is nothing to prevent subjects or areas of study from being covered in a shorter period than an entire winter so that they have more weight in the students’ timetable during a certain period and are then not in the timetable during other periods. In this regard, schools have some leeway.

Special sections of the National Curriculum Guide will contain provisions on the content and organization of subjects and areas of study specified in the Compulsory Education Act. They cover:

• The educational value of the article and its main purpose. The educational policy of the common introductory chapter of the National Curriculum Guide and the general part of the National Curriculum Guide for compulsory schools is taken into account, in particular the basic elements of education and the emphasis areas in the Compulsory Education Act.
• Teaching methods. The teaching methods that are characteristic of the subject or field are described.
• Assessment. A variety of assessment methods are described that take into account the main purpose and learning outcomes. Learning outcomes for assessment are set taking into account the provisions of the National Curriculum Guide.
• Competence criteria. Competence criteria are outlined, which include knowledge and skills within each subject or field of study and key competences that are aimed for:
  • End of 4th grade
  • End of 7th grade
  • End of 10th grade
• Other issues that concern the uniqueness of the subject or subject area, e.g. connection to interdisciplinary aspects, integration, collaboration between homes and schools, and possible utilization of the local environment.