All posts by annspihlgren

Complementary Education in Classrooms and Afterschool Programs

Didactics, Fritidshem - After School Activities, Leisure Pedagogy, General Pedagogics, Observation And Feedback, Thinking Classrooms

Abstract

This paper analyzes how afterschool teachers and caretakers meet the demands for cognitive and creative development of students. Observations of lessons and sessions in afterschools (‘fritidshem’) for grade K-3 and staff interviews were used. The questions guiding the analysis concern what criteria are important when teaching thinking and creativity to students, how these are planned and represented in the activities, and how the results compare to the school analysis.  

Teaching thinking and creativity presupposes that the teacher plans, assesses, chooses activities and tools, and arranges the setting carefully, with focus on fostering students’ habits of mind. The contextual and communicational interactions play a vital part of support. Evidence of the anticipated criteria was difficult to ascertain in the observed classrooms and afterschools. However, a few teachers present successful models, and some schools present school and afterschool interaction to improve students’ thinking and creativity.

Key words: thinking, creativity, cognitive development, lesson planning, afterschools (fritidshem)

Read paper: Complementary education in classrooms and afterschool programs

See slideshow: Slideshow Complementary education in classrooms and afterschools

Introduction to Socratic Seminars with seminar plan Scissors by Emilia Pardo-Bazán

Socratic Seminars

See an introduktion to Socratic seminars at Colegio Lope de Vega in Benidorm, Spain. PhD Ann S. Pihlgren introduces the socratic seminars to the teachers. The session is held in English and interpreted to Spanish:

Here you find the text Scissors, by the Spanish writer Emilia Pardo-Bazán in English: Scissors

Here you find the plan for the Socratic seminar Scissors in English: Socratic Seminar Plan Scissors

The Spanish text Las Tijeras: Las tijeras

The Socratic seminar plan for Las Tijeras in Spanish: Planificación de Las Tijeras

The Swedish text Saxen: Sokratiskt samtal om Saxen

The Swedish plan for a Socratic seminar on Saxen: Saxen Planering sokratiskt samtal

FACTS
The countess Emilia Pardo-Bazán (La Coruña 1851-Madrid 1921) was a Spanish professor in history of literature, as well as an author and poet. She is regarded as a tentative realist and is especially appreciated for her vivid portrayals of the life of the people. Scissors is one of her short stories, an art form that she considered to be the most versatile and free literary genre.
Spanish short stories have a long and rich tradition. The short tales originated in Persia and became part of the Spanish culture with the Islamic conquest of Spain – or Al-Andalus, the Arabic name of the Iberian Peninsula – in the 8th century. The great caliphate in Córdoba had excessive libraries and the books later became the first to be translated to a European language, Spanish, by the young Infant (successor of the throne) Alfonso, later Alfonso X, in the 13th century.
The Spanish novel often deals with subjects that show contrasts between the ideal and the reality, often depicting individuals with simple backgrounds showing everyday wisdom. A version of the short story is the Spanish picaresque (picaresco), a novel built on several episodes, where the plot is kept together by a main character – a scoundrel, loafer, or a villain. A famous example is the well-known Don Quijote by Miguel Cervantes, whose house still can be seen in Altea’s old town.

Discussing Religion – discourses in thoughtful dialogues with students

Didactics, General Pedagogics, Socratic Seminars, Thinking Classrooms

Read the paper: Paper Pihlgren Discussing religion – discourses in thoughtful dialogues with students

Paper presented by PhD Ann S. Pihlgren & Master of Theology Malin Pihlgren at the 5th Conference of Philosophy of Education Society of Iran at Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Iran 2014-05-21—23.

See the slide show: Presentation Discussing religion Kerman

Abstract

This paper analyzes discourses in method materials for thoughtful dialogues in the classroom. It focuses on materials presenting religious and moral subjects. ‘Thoughtful dialogues’ refers to a family of interrelated methods for philosophizing with students, e.g. philosophy for/with children, and Socratic seminars, using open-ended questions, and an investigating and collaborative interlocution. The questions guiding the study were:

 What discourses can be found in methodological materials for thoughtful dialogue addressing the subject religion?

 Are questions in the materials used to address faith, morality, and teaching? If so, how?

 How are the discourses found in the methodological materials related to the discourses in religious education in a highly secularized country (using Sweden as an example)?

In this study a social constructionist/poststructuralist approach is taken, where knowledge is considered contextual and social, and where an action or stance therefore can be considered as impossible or natural depending on how the world is perceived within the dominating discourse. Our analysis was carried out by using a revised version of Fairclough’s (2013) three-dimensional conception of discourse, presenting an analytical frame for empirical discourse research: Analysis of texts, of discursive practice, and of discursive events as instances of social practice.

The results show three discourses in the material. The discourse of critical thinking in school is the most frequent, and aims at transforming teaching. Faith is not a specific issue here. The teaching philosophy in school discourse does not address faith and moral questions or the egalitarian dialogue are elements used to justify the teaching of philosophy in school. The third discourse addresses faith and suggests a critical thinking in religion discourse, challenging the present hegemonic discourse in western societies. Religious education in secular countries tends to focus on teaching about the world religions from an outsider’s perspective whereas the methodological materials for thoughtful dialogues tend to focus on moral questions when exploring religious texts.

Religious education in school could be considered from two factors: 1.) The attitude toward questions of faith and 2.) The approach to knowledge. Questions of religious faith might be addressed in education, or not. Knowledge might be seen from a fundamentalist point of view, where a set of true facts are presented to the students, or, as in the opposite position, attaining knowledge includes critically examination of facts and values. This will give four different approaches to religious education in school: Dogmatic religion, dogmatic atheism, examining theology, or examining philosophy excluding theology.

Questions of faith and religion need to be discussed with others: Thoughtful dialogues could be used in classrooms and other contexts for dialogues about faith, and religious and theological questions, and thus helping the individual to form a relationship or grounded base on which he or she can reflect on matters of the faith and belief or disbelief. This approach is in accordance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The “free” child – organized after school activities as the upbringning of a community

Fritidshem - After School Activities, Leisure Pedagogy

by Ann S. Pihlgren & Malin Rohlin
Stockholm University Stockholm University

Afterschool activities were introduced in Sweden to control begging and criminality among lower class children. Arbetsstugor (‘work cottages’) were the first of a series of institutions, with the objective to contribute to children’s moral education and readiness to work. The modern leisure- time center, fritids, is attended by most children age 6-9 years old, and is a part of the Swedish school system. This paper investigates the values and interests forming children’s time outside the compulsory school day when subject to attempted control. The written historical sources are combined with analyses of pedagogical intentions in the curricula of the era and of the prevailing view of children. The result shows that the way the pedagogical identity of the institutions was conceptualized was highly dependent on the governmental idea of what social problem it was intended to solve. This differs over time and hence – so does the pedagogical undertaking, leaving today’s fritids in a turmoil of contradictory influences. As these institutions were less subject to societal directives compared to the school curriculum, teachers had a heavy influence on the practical outcome of the fritids’ activities and these were also more susceptible to the current societal idea of what constitutes childhood.
Read the whole article at: The International Handbook of Cultures of Education Policy (Volume    One): Comparative International Issues in Policy-Outcome Relationships –    Achievement with Family and Community Involvement at: http://www.culturometrics.com/books.php