Shivcharn SinghDhillion and Jelena Zlatarov-Marcetic
Title: Learning through research-styled studies: Framing issues, communication tools, human rights and analysis
Abstract: The Norwegian teaching plans for schools (LK20) includes common values like: human rights; identity and cultural diversity; critical thinking and ethnic understanding; nurturing interest, engagement and exploration; respect for nature and environmental consciousness; and democracy and cooperation.
We present a case where theory into practice was explored, covering fundamentals of sustainable futures (green measures), theory and modes of communication with stakeholders, data gathering and handling, and analysis. High school collaboration with a R&D organization is central to driving this project. A simple and elegant question was posed: How willing are businesses and government services willing to be green? The area of interest was delineated as the local municipality (commune). The development of the project took special consideration of comprehensibility and achievability of meaningful results. A set of lectures (knowledge building tools) spelling out the (i) aspects of sustainability and understanding of ‘the green shift’, (ii) design of questions (questionnaires) and methodological approach (including sample size, representativeness, (iii) modes of communication, interview requirements and rights, (iv) data handling and analysis and (v) results interpretation and presentation requirements were central aspects. Students during the course of the work had three power point presentations, the last one being a summary of the findings. Discussions on the above issues were build into the study period, both with the whole class and with groups which carried out the field work.
The students through interactive work carried out interviews, developed data banks and analyzed the data before starting to explore trends and making interpretations. The nature of the project allowed for several disciplines to be used, namely that of, English, Norwegian, mathematics, social-communication and human rights. Learning areas included: notion of what is meant and understood by ‘green’; interview requirements and practice; sample size and concept of representativeness, data analysis and results formulation; and presentation style.
The final summary of results was presented to a broader public and reported in the local newspapers. Reports are being written at present. These results will be shown as an example.
Veronica Bergan
Title: Sami culture as an interdisciplinary topic in early childhood teacher education
Abstract: The framework plan for kindergartens highlights Sami culture in the core values and urges that the children develop respect for and solidarity with the diversity of Sami culture. Pre-service teacher students are thus obliged to learn about Sami culture, traditions, and diversity in early childhood teacher education (ECTE). The curriculum in ECTE in Norway is organized in interdisciplinary learning areas similar to the framework plan for kindergartens. That implies that the premise for teaching about Sami culture is interdisciplinary and holistic. We present teaching interventions about Sami themes given at the fourth semester in ECTE from the perspective of the discipline’s social science, natural science and food and health. The aim of the interventions was to broaden the students’ perspectives on the diversity of Sami culture to transform the stereotypic views of the Sami people (herding reindeers, living as nomads, Sami kofte and Joik). The teaching interventions emphasized how the Sami people were connected to nature from their local place through local practices, livelihood and respect and values of nature resources – especially from a coastal Sami perspective (sjøsamisk). Highlights from the different learning approaches and interventions will be presented. Student evaluations after one of the active learning tasks, will also be presented and discussed for further development of the interdisciplinary topic on Sami culture. The interventions have specific relevance to cultural and ecological aspects of sustainability.
Heidi Biseth
Title: Teacher education relevant for future teachers?
Abstract: In this paper, we investigate the need for teacher education to meet current and future societal challenges using Norway as a case study. We argue that transformative teacher education, the ideological nexus between liberal education, progressive education, environmental education, and education for sustainable development (Mezirow, 1996; Pavlova, 2013; Freire, 2000; Taylor, 2017) can facilitate a learning environment where teacher educators and student teachers face the same realities of uncertain futures as our young citizens do.
A comparative case study research design is applied (Bartlet & Vavrus, 2017; Ragin, 2014) with two sets of data: 1) Norwegian regulatory documents for schools and teacher education account for the mandate given both educational levels, and 2) Questionnaire responses from teachers (N=906), student teachers (N=155), and teacher educators (N=121) on how they work with interdisciplinary education. The study has given us a snapshot of educators’ perspectives at a certain point in time when a new and interdisciplinary Norwegian National Curriculum was recently introduced, in 2020, and with all the educators in a policy-to-implementation process.
Our results indicate that the mandate assigned to teacher education is not in sync with the new National Curriculum as a new teacher education was in place a couple of years in advance. The initial analysis of teachers, student teachers, and teacher educators’ perspectives and self-reported practices with interdisciplinary work reveals a need for comprehensive changes in teacher education to educate future teachers who can address the societal needs as both described by the Norwegian Government through the new National Curriculum and the international commitment through the UN Sustainable Development Goals and OECD’s call for 21st Century Skills (OECD, 2019). Our analyses indicate that teachers, to a larger extent than teacher educators, implement and explore interdisciplinary methods of teaching. It seems safe to conclude that teacher education is partially at odds with the needs in school and society.