The significance of learning to think critically from a young age is well documented. Early childhood educators play an essential role in children's critical skills development. Therefore, it is crucial to understand their perceptions of this concept. This qualitative study explored Norwegian early childhood educators' perceptions of critical…

In environmental and sustainability education, critical thinking is important for the pluralistic teaching tradition, creating opportunities for student autonomy, deliberation and participation. However, focusing on student participation can also result in relativism or reproduction. Consequently, this article aims to investigate how different…

This article explores how collaborative self-study, initiated by experienced challenges and insecurity in new roles, contributes to the professional development of teacher educators. We document how four vocational teacher educators created a free space for self-development in a self-study process of dialogue and collective reflective inquiry.…

Lecturers who are actively engaged in shaping their teaching and teaching practices demonstrate agency. Teacher agency has increasingly been described as a key factor in educational development at universities. Lecturers are expected to innovatively develop courses and continuously improve their teaching practices to respond to, for example,…

The disproportion of women to men at the top tier in the academic hierarchy, concerns politicians, academic leaders, students, and other stakeholders. A popular explanation for the gender imbalance in elite positions is that potential female candidates lack ambition and therefore do not have sufficient drive to make it to the top. In this study,…

Though teachers in schools are increasingly being asked to take responsibility for the education and training of prospective and practicing teachers, little empirical research has been undertaken into the support that they require to perform their duties effectively. This study provides an international needs analysis of the professional learning…

This study describes higher education-based teacher educators' professional trajectories, i.e. their professional activities and learning as developed throughout their career. Semi-structured interviews were held with 41 teacher educators from Ireland, Israel, Norway and the Netherlands. Findings show that teacher educators were recruited mainly…

This article presents findings from an innovation research project titled School-In, focusing on school staff's reflection. Teachers in four schools participated in focus group discussions in the beginning and at the end of the innovation. Wackerhausen's theory is used to understand reflection and how it develops in professional learning…

Studies have documented numerous positive effects of mentoring, but few studies have focused on mentor education and mentors' professional development and learning. In Norway, the focus on mentoring and mentor education has been visible in political documents and teacher education for several years. However, the scale of mentor education has been…

School improvement efforts rely on teachers' capacity for professional development and learning. We investigate the kind of roles taken by early career teachers (ECTs) with a master's degree from a research-based teacher education programme in relation to professional learning and school development in Norwegian schools after five years in the…

This article reports from a case study investigating enactment of teacher evaluation (TE) policies in two lower secondary schools in a large Norwegian municipality. The aim of the study was to explore teachers' perceptions of TE, and to unpack how new policy initiatives were shaped by translations, mediations, and negotiations in a national…

Part of effective Early Childhood Education and Care is to support children's awareness of hazards and management of possible injuries during risky play. This study evaluated the attitudes of Norwegian kindergarten teachers towards "'Henry' first aid training" and its impact on 3-6-year olds' understanding of first aid. 588 kindergarten…

Skills in interdisciplinary collaboration are required to address many complex problems facing society. As such, interdisciplinarity is a critical competency for students to develop. However, teachers' effectiveness in teaching interdisciplinarity is often hindered by silo structures within university faculties. To address this in the Experts in…

Research on practice-based mathematics teacher education has identified core practices, principles and design features that lead to effective programs. Yet, some teachers do not perceive such practice-based development programs as relevant or useful. In response to this, the study reported in this article investigated three Norwegian teachers'…

This article presents findings from a study examining teacher talk in the early and late phases of a 4-year project in a Norwegian elementary school where Lesson Study was used as a method for professional development. The study focuses on inclusive and adapted education and aims to explore the changing beliefs about student needs and the…