Conference program
Tuesday 26 March
Session 1: 10:00-13:00
The Nordic Way
10:00-10:40
ECEC in the Nordic countries: A policy for belonging, participation and social mobility
Welcome by the hosts
Jan Tore Sanner, Minister of Education Norway
Steffen Handal, Leader of Union of Education Norway
The Nordic Way – building trust and a sense of belonging
Paula Lehtomäki, Secretary General, Nordic Council of Ministers
10:40-11:35
The Nordic approach – history and developments
Professor Tora Korsvold, Queen Maud University College of Early Childhood Education, Norway.
Nordic ECEC Policies: Principles and Practices
Professor Jóhanna Einarsdóttir, University of Iceland
11:35-12:00
Coffee break 25 min
12:00-13:00
International perspectives on Nordic ECEC – discussing relevance to global developments
Nordic childhoods – an international view.
Professor Judith Wagner, Whittier College, US.
Reflections on the Nordic ECEC tradition for Education 2030
Miho Taguma, Senior Policy Analyst, OECD
The Nordic tradition – an international professional perspective
David Edwards, General Secretary, Education International (EI)
13:00-14:00
Lunch
Session 2: 14:00 -14:55
The intrinsic value of childhood in Nordic ECEC
A childhood perspective on ECEC institutions
Professor Jan Kampmann, Roskilde University, Denmark
Children’s right to participation – opportunities and obstacles in everyday interaction
Professor Emerita Berit Bae, Oslo Metropolitan University, Norway
Session 3: 14:55-17:45
An holistic view on play, learning and pedagogy
The concept of care in an educare-model and the toddlers in the Nordic ECEC
Associate Professor Christian Eidevald, University of Gothenburg, Sweden
15:15-15:30
Coffee break 15 min
15:30-16:10
Café discussion on Nordic ECEC (See list of Topics)
Interactive session with conference participants and Nordic presenters
16:10-16:50
Play and learning in Nordic pedagogy
Professor Ingrid Pramling Samuelsson, University of Gothenburg, Sweden
Scary, risky play – a Nordic contribution to a pedagogy of exploration
Professor Ellen Beate Sandseter, Queen Maud University College of Early Childhood Education, Norway.
16:50-17:45
Armchair discussion I
The role of play in children’s well-being, development and learning
17:45-18:00
Wrapping it up
A children’s rights perspective
Children’s Ombudsman Elisabeth Dahlin, Sweden
19:30–22:00
Reception and Conference Dinner
Wednesday 27 March
Session 4: 09:00-11:15
Why quality ECEC is part of politics for social equity?
Political and professional perspectives
Voices on quality ECEC
Interviews with ministers and parents on why a policy for quality ECEC is important
Filmproduction DSS
The politics of belonging
Jaana Juutinen, PhD, Post-doctoral researcher, University of Oulu, Finland
Promoting diversity across ECEC
Associate Professor Anne Kultti, University of Gothenburg, Sweden
Armchair discussion II
Why quality ECEC is part of politics for social equity?
Anna Ekström, Minister for Education, Sweden & Jan Tore Sanner, Minister of Education and Integration, Norway
Armchair discussion III
European inititiatives for social inclusion, developing policies for the future
Géraldine Libreau, the European Commission, Susan Flocken, ETUCE, Mihaela Ionescu, ISSA and Johanna Jaara Åstrand, The Swedish Teachers Union
11:15-11:45
Coffee break 30 min
Session 5: 11:45-16:30
Professionalism in ECEC – The role of teachers
What is teaching in a Swedish pre-school
Professor Pia Williams and Professor Emerita Sonja Sheridan, University of Gothenburg, Sweden
The kindergarten teacher role – developments and challenges in Norway
Professor Kjetil Børhaug, University of Bergen, Norway
Teachers and the learning environment – implementing the new curriculum framework in Denmark
Anne Kjær Olsen, Head of further education programme, University College Copenhagen, Denmark
ECEC teachers’ possibilities to tackle inequalities
Professor Kirsti Karila, University of Tampere, Finland
13:15-14:15
Lunch
14:15-15:00
Poster session – new research on Nordic ECEC (see programme)
15:00-16:30
Pedagogy and the teacher role: an international provocation
Professor Iram Siraj, University of Oxford, UK
Armchair discussion IV
Is there a Nordic way of teaching in Early Childhood Education and Care?
Sonja Sheridan, Kjetil Børhaug, Anne Kjær Olsen, Iram Siraj
Comment on the teacher role in Nordic ECEC
Steffen Handal, Union of Education, Norway
16:30-17:00
Wrapping it up
The Nordic way – policies for democracy and active participation
Anders Rusk, General Secretary, Nordic Teachers´ Council
Rikke Høistad Sjøberg, State Secretary to the Minister of Education and Integration
The program can be subject to changes.