All posts by annspihlgren

Teaching Environments in Preschool Teaching

Didactics, General Pedagogics, Okategoriserade, Thinking Classrooms

Paper presented at ECER, the European Conference on Educational Research, 23-26 August 2016, Dublin, Ireland.
Research Director, dr. Ann S. Pihlgren, Ignite Research Institute
Box 116, SE-761 22 Norrtälje, SWEDEN

See slideshow: Slideshow Teaching environments

Read the paper: Teaching Environments in Preschool, Pihlgren

Abstract
This paper analyzes how preschool teachers and caretakers meet the demands for cognitive and creative development of children. Observations of 40 sessions in preschools for 1-5-year-old children, and staff interviews were used. The questions guiding the analysis concern how preschool staff describe the considerations they make when planning, how this is represented in the observed activities, and how the results compare to the school and afterschool material analysis.
Teaching thinking and creativity presupposes that the teacher plans, assesses, chooses activities and tools, and arranges the setting carefully, with focus on fostering children’s 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 preschools as well as in the previously observed classrooms and afterschools. All previously found teaching environments were found in the preschool material, with a bulk of the child-investigative teaching environment. This environment is similar to Pramling’s description of ‘child centered pedagogy’. A few preschool teachers present successful planning models and interactional activities to improve children’s thinking and creativity, and was found similar to Pramling’s ‘development pedagogy’.

Supported Education and Neuropsychiatric Disabilities Applying Supported Education for higher studies

General Pedagogics, Other, Social Science And Theology, Student Influence

This paper by Kerstin Winberg is written in Swedish. However, you can read the abstract in English here.

Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the experiences of studying amongst people with a neuropsychiatric disability who received support from the model Supported Education, and people who did not get this support. Another purpose was to discuss if the model could be suitable for this group. The study also shows how some support options for this group were inspired by the support given to two other groups with disabilities. The research method had a narrative approach, where fourteen participants were asked to write a short reflective narrative about their experience of studying, with/without the support from Supported Education. The stories were analysed with narrative analysis. The result shows that the persons without support from the model used the family as their primary support, and that support from formal support givers was slow, especially before the participants could show that they had a diagnosis. The persons who received the support from the model were generally satisfied with the support they got, and did not emphasize the family as support givers in the same way. The analysis shows how it could me valuable to use Supported Education for people with a neuropsychiatric disability, not only because it helps them to study, but also helps them gain higher self-esteem through personal development.

(Svenska) Cases (fallbeskrivningar) inom elevhälsa

Didactics, General Pedagogics, Social Science And Theology

I arbetet med att finna en gemensam syn på elevhälsa och hur vi kan hjälpa alla elever att uppleva en skola som är tillgänglig kan arbetslag och elevhälsoteam behöva föra en dialog om hur man tar sig an olika problem. Som en hjälp i det arbetet publicerar vi här en samling cases, fallbeskrivningar, som kan utgöra grunden för sådana dialoger. Fallbeskrivningarna utgår från de samlade erfarenheterna från kunnig elevhälsopersonal men barn, situationer och händelser är fiktiva.

Frågor att ställa i dialogen kan vara:

  • Vilka faktorer i den fysiska miljön, i en sociala miljön och i den pedagogiska miljön försvårar lärande för eleven?
  • Vilka förbättringar/förändringar i den fysiska, sociala och pedagogiska miljön kommer att stödja elevens lärande?
  • Ser eleven det som ett problem eller inte?
  • Vilket syfte/vilken nytta har det nuvarande beteendet för eleven?
  • Vilka styrkor har eleven om kan hjälpa hen att utveckla lärande?
  • På vilket sätt påverkar personalens syn hur eleven kommer att agera?

Ta del av fallbeskrivningarna här: Fyra cases

Discussing Religion – Discourses in Plans for Thoughtful Dialogues

Didactics, General Pedagogics, Okategoriserade, Social Science And Theology, Socratic Seminars, Thinking Classrooms

Paper presented at ECER, the European Conference on Educational Research, 8-11 September 2015, Budapest, Hungary.

By: PhD Ann S. Pihlgren, Ignite Research Institute, Master of Theology Malin Pihlgren Nylander, Church of Sweden.

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

See slide show: Presentation Discussing religion ECER

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 (Sweden)?

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 normally not a part of the agenda. The teaching philosophy in school discourse does not address faith, and moral questions and 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 faith and belief or disbelief, both on her or his own and with others. This approach is in accordance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.