Kunskapsskolan School

In August 2000, Kunskapsskolan opened its first four secondary schools in the Greater Stockholm area, and in the town of Norrköping. In Norrköping, the two teachers Birgitta Ericson and Torbjörn Bindekrans struggled with the idea that education is structured to fit everyone in the class. Like all other teachers in traditional schools, Birgitta and Torbjörn had to keep their teaching at a level that targeted the average performers, who only represented one-third of the students. One-third could not keep up with this level, while the ablest one-third tended to get extremely bored. Based on the insight that it is impossible to teach in the same way at the same pace if you want every student to be successful, Birgitta and Torbjörn created several new methods that put the student at the center of the learning process – personal goals, personal coaching and personal learning strategies for each individual. Their successful trials with the new ideas at their school made them a name across Sweden and beyond. And so, Peje invited them to join forces. Based on their shared belief in personalized education, they formed an inspired team and developed a complete teaching and learning model that is unique to Kunskapsskolan and possible to connect with any curriculum and school around the world – the KED Program. (KED stands for Kunskapsskolan Education.) The KED Program is constantly developing based on teachers' and students’ contributions and experiences. We are comfortable to try new methods, as we always stay true to the principal idea that everyone is different and learns in different ways, at different rates. This is the opposite of the traditional concept for schools, in which education is pre-programmed, packaged and delivered in the same way to batches of 30 students per classroom. The successful expansion of Kunskapsskolan in Sweden attracts large interest worldwide.