The first thing I reacted to when I started school in England, was that the teachers were focused on what we had to learn from day one. They made it clear to us what we had to do in the exam, how the exam would be structured, and how we should work throughout the year to achieve a good grade at the end of the year. I found this really helpful. From day one it was "this is the subject - this is what you have to do in the exam - and you WILL have to do the exam". In Norway teachers aren't that focused, because here our grades are based on more than only our exams. The focus is different, and we might not have to do an exam in that teacher's subject. "
If you have to do the exam blah blah blah"...
Secondly I loved how the teachers really wanted us to do well in the subjects (that is, to do well in the exam). They were always willing to offer us extra help if needed, either during lunch time or after school. Whether that is because they care about the students and their future, or because of the exam league table ranking I'm not sure, but I choose to believe it is a mixture. Either way, it is definitely a good thing. Everyone in my Spanish class had individual speaking lessons once a week, as preparation for our oral exam - and it did help a lot. To be completely honest, I don't feel like my teachers in Norway care as much about how I do in the exam. Some might, but certainly not everyone...
Before I continue I have to mention maybe on of the biggest differences between the Norwegian and English school system. In Norway students in year 12 and 13 do 4 mandatory subjects (norwegian, history, religion and P.E) and 3 chosen subjects (like sociology, MFL, chemistry, etc...) - whereas in England year 12 and 13 students only do 3 or 4 chosen subjects.
The timetable is very different as well. In Norway you've got between 5-8 lessons every day. That is, depending on your subjects, you've probably got between 2-4 free periods every week (because you're supposed to have 30 timetabled lessons a week). In England I had (talking about myself now) about 15 timetabled lessons a week, and 15 study periods/free periods. Obviously this implies that you have to do a lot of independent studying - you can't be mucking about because then you will lag behind. This system makes you a lot more what we in Norway call a "student"(person that goes to university) and not an "elev". For me I prefer being a "student", because I then have the opportunity to dispose my time and work as I please and do some extra work where needed. As my situation is now, I haven't got the time nor the work capacity to do any more work than the homework I get. I think I can say that most days I do schoolwork from 8 am to 7 pm (obviously I have breaks and procrastinate a bit..)
Furthermore I think it is admirable how English schools give praise to good achievement and behaviour. They do this for example through awards and positive postcards. For me this is something very encouraging, making me want to work hard and do well, because people notice what I do and how much effort I put into my work. Obviously I can see the negative side of it. Those who don't do that well, and don't get awards, might not be as motivated to work. In Norway schools and teachers should try not to make differences between the pupils because "it's not fair". No student should feel better or worse than the others. Which, to be honest, I'm not sure whether that's a good or bad thing.
