We adopt sustainability perspectives and diversity perspectives and apply them to various themes such as urban childhoods, food, kindergarten management, and the connection to nature among kindergarten teacher students.
Key research interests include subject didactics in Early Childhood Teacher Education and education for a sustainable future. We apply both quantitative and qualitative methods. We are inspired by theories of embodiment, physical and social reality, language, phenomenology, and social constructivism.
Head of research group
Members
Projects
Children in cities – Nature, health and movement in cities and urban areas
How can kindergarten children in cities be given sufficient possibilities for movement and nature experiences in increasingly dense urban areas?
The objective of the anthology ‘Children in cities’ is to demonstrate to students of early childhood education, kindergarten staff and educators how cities and urban spaces can be used for the thematic areas ‘Nature, the environment and technology’, ‘Body, movement, food and health’ and ‘Art, culture and creativity’. The anthology was published by Universitetsforlaget in 2021.
SciTalk – Natural Science in Everyday Conversations in Pre-service Teacher's Education
The project was concluded in February 2022. SciTalk is an Erasmus+ project (2018–2021). The project group's focus is on dialogue about natural science and natural phenomena in informal situations and everyday conversations in kindergartens and primary school.
A learning resource and methodological framework will be generated from the project. SciTalk’s target group is teacher educators and student teachers.
Partners
- Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (HVL), Stord, represented by Sissel Margrethe Høisæter (project manager)
- OsloMet
- Philipps Universität, Marburg in Germany
- HZ (Hogeschool Zeeland) University of Applied Sciences, Vlissingen in the Netherlands
- Participants from kindergartens (Espira-parken and Bråtveit kindergartens)
The project website summarises the project results and is a methodical tool for students, teacher educators and anyone interested in science and everyday conversations in early childhood education and care.
Read more about the project SciTalk. Natural Science Talk in Teacher Educations (hvl.no).
UCOILD - Collaboration Online International Learning
UCOILD is an Erasmus + project (2021 – 2024). The overall objective of the UCOILD project is to meet the need for strong intercultural and digital competences within Early childhood and Care professions by developing an innovative didactical COIL (Collaboration Online International Learning) toolkit for lectures.
The toolkit will help lectures to realize and facilitate COIL projects in ways that are student-centred, experiential, inclusive and reflective, thereby providing the best possible virtual learning environment for supporting intercultural and digital competence.
Partners
- University College Copenhagen (UCC), leading the project
- Oslo Metropolitan University
- Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences
- Mondragon University
Autumn 2022: implementation of the first COIL between University College Copenhagen and OsloMet. The academic topic is Circus – a space for sharing body culture and play. The aim is, in the frame of COIL, to develop new methods of collaboration and teaching by using digital tools – within the field of "body and movement".
Project group UCC and OsloMet:
- UCC: Eva Rose Rechnagel and Anette Bruun
- OsloMet: Kari Bratland, Heid Osnes, Anikke Hagen and Therese Engen
Outdoor teaching in the Early Childhood Education and Care programme and the students’ relatedness to nature
The Framework Plan for the Content and Tasks of Kindergartens states that Early Childhood Education must contribute to children’s nature experiences, and sense of nature relatedness. Sustainable development forms part of the kindergarten's values (Ministry of Education and Research, 2017).
To carry out this social mission, it is essential that early childhood education and care staff have sufficient knowledge of and are aware of their own attitudes towards nature. One of the questions we ask in the project is: ‘How can the teaching programme make pre-service teachers aware of their relatedness to nature?’
The idea for the project was developed in collaboration with the Forest School at John Moores University in Liverpool, England.
The Nordic Nature Kindergarten network - Creating a network to explore existing research and good-practice examples in Norway, Denmark, and Sweden (NORNAK Project #2635355)
The overarching objective of our participatory workshop series is to establish and foster the first Nordic Nature Kindergarten (NNK) network, which systematically brings together existing knowledge regarding research on and good practice of Nordic nature kindergartens.
By enhancing co-production and sharing knowledge on the implications of Nordic nature kindergartens as spaces for children’s learning and development, we aim to create a platform for the Nordic countries to learn from each other's distinct practices and research approaches.
Partners
- Queen Maud University College of Early Childhood Education (DMMH), coordinator
- VIA University College Århus
- Kristianstad University
- OsloMet
Nordplus Horizontal 2024 Network Children and Nature in the Nordic Countries
The main objective of this nature preschools in Nordic countries project is the co-production and sharing of knowledge on the implications of nature preschool practices for children's learning and development. This effort will contribute to developing quality and innovation in the educational systems.
Early childhood experiences are important for further development in a lifespan. This project connects to ESD goal 4 on social sustainability as well as the development of crucial competencies for 21st-century skills such as creativity, critical thinking, and problem solving.
Partners
- OsloMet, coordinator
- VIA University College Århus
- Mariendal Naturbörnehave
- Kristianstad University
- Förskolan Stock och Sten
- DMMH
- Kyvatnet Naturbarnehage
- Småtjern Barnehage
Contact person: Kari Anne Jørgensen-Vittersø (e-mail).
Holistic approach to increased student exchange in early childhood education (HETBLU)
The HETBLU project aims to strengthen the culture for internationalization and increased student exchange at early childhood institutions.
