Heidi Biseth Research project R & D fields of interest Working areas/ Teaching Network participation Curriculum Vitae Publications Other issues

Heidi Biseth  Research fellow, urban research  The research programme in Communication, Education, and Culture - KLOK  Heidi.Biseth@lui.hio.no  Oslo University College  Faculty of Education and International Studies  Visiting Address: Holbergs Terrasse, Stensberggaten 27, office HT223  Postal address: P.O.Box 4 St. Olavs Plass, N-0130 Oslo  Tel. +47 2245 2783, mobile +47 9599 5313

Research project:

Working title of the project: 

Educators as Custodians of Democracy? A comparative investigation of multicultural school environments in the Scandinavian capitals

 Project period: 1 January 2007 – 31 December 2010

 Abstract:

Schools are important institutions in a democratic society because they both mirror the wider society and act as a role model to future generations; hence practices in the educational sector are of immense importance in educating a democratic citizen. Scandinavian societies have historically used the schooling system as a means of instruction and transmitter of democratic values and practices. The Ministries of Education in all three countries have signalled education for democracy and human rights as important elements within the curriculum. They also emphasize the importance of adjusted training according to each pupil’s need in order to secure the individual’s possibility of participation. Furthermore, democratic values are put to the test as they meet with people whom the majority perceive as “foreigners”. Therefore, this study will be conducted in urban areas with a high percentage of an immigrant population. I intend to (1) investigate how education policy documents in Denmark, Norway and Sweden define democracy, especially related to a multicultural society with diverse linguistic, religious and cultural practices; (2) to study how educators perceive their task related to policy documents and how they implement them in their every day practice, e.g. in classroom interaction and through counselling; (3) attempt to determine how pupils perceive the democratic values transmitted by educators through their practices and how pupils experience their “differentness” catered for in the Scandinavian classroom.

Research and development interests:

Key words: Multicultural Education, Democracy, Citizenship Education, Education and Development, Language in Education
 

Working areas / Teaching:

Network participation:

Curriculum Vitae:

Personal data:

Education:

• PhD-course: "Research Ethics" with Professor Berit Rognhaug, October 2009
• PhD-course: "Qualitative Methodology" with Professor Leif Chr. Lahn, May 2009
• PhD-course: "Quantitative Methodology" with Associate Professor Tor Arnfinn Kleven, January 2009
• PhD-course: "Pragmatism, Neo-pragmatism and Education" with Professor Tone Kvernbekk, Professor Harvey Siegel and Professor Paul Standish, May 2008
• PhD-course: "Professions and the Multicultural Society" with Professor Alain Pierrot and Professor Joron Pihl, January 2008
• PhD-course: "The Philosophy of Science" with Professor Tone Kvernbekk, Fall 2007
• PhD-course:  "Kvalitativ analyse ved hjelp av dataprogrammet NVivo7" with Associate Professor Reidun Tangen, October 2007
• PhD-course: "Analysing Comparative Research: Qualitative and Mixed Methods" with Professor Julia Brannen, Professor Alan Bryman and Professor Linda Hantrais, April 2007
• PhD-course: "Publishing" with Professor Charles Hulme, March 2007
• University teaching courses: Major module with several pedagogical aspects including didactics, minor module in "Academic supervision", minor module in "Lecturing", minor module in "Learning and learning environments", 2006/2007
• Leadership training (6 months) through the Norwegian Red Cross, 2006/2007
• Human Rights and Inclusion, 10 ECTS module, Department of Special Needs Education, University of Oslo, fall 2006
• Master of Philosophy in Comparative and International Education, University of Oslo, 2005
• Certificate for completed the Socrates/Erasmus Intensive Programme "Borders, Mobilities, Identities - European Educational Action", 10 ECTS, Oulu, Finland, August 2004
• Bachelor degree in Cultural and Social Sciences, University of Oslo, minor in Philosophy and Social Anthropology, major in Education, 2003
• University admission Certificate, 2001
  

Work experience:

• Research fellow, Oslo University College, Faculty of Education, January 2007 - December 2010
• Administrative NOMA coordinator at Oslo University College, Faculty of Education and International Studies related to the Master's Programme in International Education and Development, January 2007 - November 2008
• The Pestalozzi seminar on "Interculturalism, Democracy and Human Rights in Education", 2008 (www.hio.no/pestalozzi)
• Senior Executive Officer, Institute for Educational Research, University of Oslo, May 2005 - December 2006. Administrative coordinator of M.Phil. in Comparative and International Education and M.Phil. in Higher Education, responsible for exchange agreements, exchange students and internationalization of studies
• Secretary, Torshov kompetansesenter, 1996 - 1999
• Administrative position, Fylkesbarnevernet i Vestfold, 1994
• Administrative position, Fylkesbarnevernet i Vestfold, fosterhjemsseksjonen, 1992 - 1994
• Administrative position, Holtanløkka kortidsinstitutsjon barn 0-12 år, 1990 - 1994
• Administrative position, Oslo Overformynderi, 1987 - 1989
• Administrative position, Fylkeslandbrukskontoret i Vestfold, 1986 - 1987

Languages:

• Norwegian
• English
• Danish
• Swedish

Contribution at conferences:

• "Education and democratic values in multicultural contexts: Confronting challenges in Scandinavian schools". CIES Conference "Reimagining Education", Chicago, February 28 - March 5 2010
• “Educators as Custodians of Democracy? From Policy to Practice”, Pestalozzi seminar “Interculturalism, Democracy and Human Rights in Education”, Oslo, 29 October – 1 November 2008
• “Teachers’ perspectives on Democracy and Intercultural dialogue in Scandinavian multicultural schools”, XXIII CESE Conference , Athens, 7 – 10 July 2008, Symposium: Views from the North on Education: Practice, Policy and Method
• “Democracy and Citizenship Education in the quest for Educational Equity in Norway and Sweden”, CIES Conference “Gaining Equity Around the World”, Columbia University, New York, 17 – 21 March 2008 
• “A Job to be Done! Democracy and Education in Scandinavian Multicultural Schools”, WCCES Conference "Living Together: Education and Intercultural Dialogue", Sarajevo, 3 – 7 September, 2007
• “South Africa's Education Language Policy and Practice: The Perspective of the "Other"”, LEA (Language and Education in Africa) Conference, Oslo, 19 – 22 June 2006
• “Language issues in education influenced by global trends – South African experiences”, CIES Conference “Rethinking the Comparative”, Honolulu/Hawaii, 14 – 18 March 2006

Key notes:

• ”Hvordan har språk- og samfunnskunnskap betydning for deltakelse og medborgerskap? Om språklæreren som demokratibygger”, Voksenopplæringskonferansen, Trondheim 17 March 2009
• “Flerspråklighet, mangfold og demokrati – er det en sammenheng?”, Mangfaldsseminar (Norsk Målungdom), Bergen 11 October 2008

General information:

• Board member of the International Student Network in Education (ISNE), Faculty of Education, University of Oslo, 2006 - present
• Board member of the Alumni at the Institute for Educational Research, University of Oslo, 2007 - present
• Teaching at the Oslo Red Cross Summer School, 2006 and 2007
• Board leader in Bertramjordet borettslag, May 2006 - April 2009
• Board member in Bertramjordet borettslag, May 2003 - May 2006, April 2009 - present
• Weekly voluntary work in Oslo Red Cross, Mortensrud Resource center, May 2003 - May 2009
• Field work in Cape Town, South Africa: data collection for Master thesis, September - October 2004

Referees:

Publications:

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