Great expectations lay upon school, not only as an institution for education but also as an arena for equity, health and democratic values (Löf, forthcoming). The aim of this paper is to explore how normality’s on ‘good friendship’ are constructed in the setting of a new school subject called Life Competence Education (Sw Livskunskap). The study draws upon ethnographic data and video recordings from two compulsory schools in Malmö. Tentative findings are: a ‘good friend’ can express feelings, opinions and needs. Also, forgiveness and the admitting of mistakes are central in a “good friendship”. The way children are trained in values and companionship promotes a new discourse on children as “becoming beings”, which will be further developed in this presentation.

As a target-group, dislocated children are pointed out as a particularly vulnerable in society. Over the past few years, Social Circus has developed as a supportive practice for children on the move. The emerging body of research report on social, and health benefits of circus interventions (see f. ex.Bessone, 2017; Bolton, 2004; Löf, 2021; Spiegel, 2019). However, there is still a need to explore Social Circus from a pedagogical perspective. Drawing upon a 1,5 year-long ethnographic fieldwork with a Swedish Social Circus program in asylum accommodations, this paper aims to explore ‘commons’ (Pechtelidis and Kioupkiolis, 2020) in circus pedagogy for children on the move. The analysis revolves around an understanding of teachers and participants as ‘commoners’, engaged in circus as a ‘commoning practice’. In the results ‘chaos’ stands out as a ‘common good’ in circus pedagogy, viewed upon as a catalyst for freedom and creativity

Central values promoted in a national curricula are often uncontested (Arnot, Hopman, & Molander, 2007; Colnerud, 2004; Popkewitz, 2009). Therefore, a critical understanding of these values is crucial, as is an understanding of how students are affected by interpretations of certain values as fundamental. The aim of this study is to cast light on how educators in a Swedish compulsory school interpreted the values promoted in the national curricula, when they formulated local work plans. Using critical discourse analysis (Fairclough, 2010) combined with the sociology of childhood (Corsaro, 2005; James & Prout, 1997; Lee, 2001), the analysis focuses on the constitutions of childhood through local interpretations of values promoted by the curricula. The results suggest that the values upheld in the local work plans were closely intertwined with the educators' own under-standings of what children in the school's neighborhood needed. The educators identified social problems in the community, such as crime, and built the curriculum from there. As a consequence, the local work with core values risked constituting an even more segregated and stigmatized childhood. However, the study did show that the process of revising allows educators to gain insight and take a salutogenic approach.

Drawing upon ethnographic fieldwork, this article explores how the national value system is organized in a Swedish compulsory school. With a starting point in ethnographic data, combined with video recordings in a 5th form class in a compulsory school in Malmö. Combining critical discourse analysis (Fairclough, 2010) with childhood sociology (Lee, 2001; James & Prout, 1997) I analyze local interpretations of the value system, when organized within the non-mandatory school subject Life Competence Education (Löf, 2011). A common feature in this subject is the ambition to establish a feeling of companionship and to strengthen togetherness among children through the teaching of this subject. In the task of strengthening togetherness within groups of children, the establishment of common values becomes central. In order to see how the teacher socializes children into discourses of companionship, I specifically emphasize which values are established in the drama exercises: Which is the view on children, teaching and learning permeating the work? What childhood is constituted through teaching? The results point out that the values and norms that are constructed in the local school practices, claimed to be part of the value system, are based on teacher’s own interpretations of what children need.

Social circus has emerged as a complement to regular health and welfare interventions for identified target groups, often striving for social change. Previous studies point out the challenge of identifying target groups without simultaneously positioning said groups as 'others'. Although children and childhood are intimately intertwined with circus, not least as target groups for circus arts interventions, there are no previous studies that examine constitutions of childhood through social circus. This article is based on a 1.5-year long ethnographic fieldwork on a project using circus in asylum accommodations in Sweden. The aim is to explore the childhood(s) constituted through social circus practice in asylum accommodations in Sweden, with focus on the work of the social circus team. The analysis draws upon childhood sociology informed by critical theory, asking what discursive positions are offered the target group through the social circus project. The analysis shows that when identifying the target group, the team navigated through contradictory discourses. Establishing and upholding a discourse on childhood as playful, the circus activities interrupted the positioning of children in dislocation as 'others'. The design of the project, as well as the ever-shifting roles in the interaction between all participants, enabled new positions for all.

Livskunskap har under det senaste årtiondet vuxit fram i svenska skolor som en lösning på en rad samhälleliga problem: drogmissbruk, tonårsgraviditeter, sexuellt överförbara infektioner och olika former av övergrepp. I den här studien används etnografi ska metoder för att utforska diskurser om Livskunskap undersöks utifrån fl era olika perspektiv: 1. Ett politiskt/samhälleligt perspektiv på utbildning 2. Tolkningar av ämnet livskunskap i lokala skolpraktiker 3. Genom kamratgruppers vardagsliv 4. Ämnet livskunskap i praktiken Syftet med denna studie är att analysera hur barndom, genus och sexualitet samverkar och relaterar till andra sociala kategorier (så som etnicitet och klass) inom ämnet Livskunskap. Ett centralt tema är hur barn hanterar lojalitetskonflikter när normer och värderingar från olika praktiker (kamratgrupp, skola, familj) ställs emot varandra.

Life Competence Education (Sw. livskunskap) is a new school subject that has developed in Swedish schools over the last decade. Life Competence Education is non-mandatory and lack national guidelines, due to which there are no unanimous definitions. Consequently, Life Competence Education can be just about anything: Some schools apply cognitive programs to train pupils’ social and emotional competences, whilst others use this new subject as a way of contextualizing sex and relationship education (a. a.). Despute the divergent interpretations of what Life Competence Education should consist of there are some common features in local curricula, such as prevention (and solving) of bullying and segregation, gender equity, relationships, ethics and values. These themes harmonize well with the concerns of childhood studies, where the marginalization of childhood is highlighted. Life Competence Education can be seen as an example of schools’ attempts to integrate children and childhood into society.

Skolämnet livskunskap har vuxit fram i svenska skolor under det senaste decenniet, ofta utifrån en ambition att främja hälsa och att konkretisera skolans värdegrundsarbete. Mot bakgrunden att livskunskap inte är obligatoriskt i svensk skola och därför saknar nationella riktlinjer har ämnet i den lokala skolpraktiken kommit att omfattas av en mängd olika arbetssätt och program. Avhandlingens syfte är att förstå och belysa hur skolämnet livskunskap växer fram, definieras och organiseras i skolans kontext. Studien omfattar hur aktörer i de olika praktiker som omfattas av skolans fält (politiker, statliga myndigheter, kommunala tjänstemän, pedagoger och barn) tolkar och organiserar livskunskap som skolämne. Särskild uppmärksamhet riktas mot den syn på barn och barndom som skapas genom organisationen av detta komplexa ämne. Studien har en barndomssociologisk ansats (James & Prout, 1997; Corsaro, 2005), kombinerad med kritisk diskursanalys (Fairclough, 2010). Det empiriska materialet är insamlat med flera olika metoder: som exempelvis policydokument på såväl nationell som lokal nivå; intervjuer med kommunala nyckelpersoner; samt ett etnografiskt fältarbete och videoinspelningar. Studien fokuserar framförallt grundskolor i Malmö, en stad där man satsat särskilt på livskunskap som skolämne som en del av kommunens folkhälsoarbete. Analysen visar bland annat hur ämnet i skolans vardagspraktik snarare utgår ifrån lokalt avgränsade sociala problem, än från de gemensamma värden som framhålls i läroplanen. Sättet att organisera ämnet i klassrummet medför i vissa situationer en förskjutning av lärarens roll, från att vara pedagog till att bli mer terapeutisk. Innehållet i ämnet rör sig ofta på ett för barnen privat plan och barns privata relationer lyfts upp till offentliga samtal i syfte att lösa konflikter. Barnen gör dock i flera fall motstånd mot lärares upplägg och innehåll.

Life Competence Education (Sw. Livskunskap) has developed as a new school subject in Swedish compulsory schools. It lacks national curricula or guidelines, leaving schools with a wide range of interpretations and aims. However, Life Competence Education is commonly interpreted as a way of contextualizing sex and relationship education, in which topics such as gender, friendship and health are explored. The aim of this paper is to analyze what discourses children use to perform gender within Life Competence Education. The study is part of a thesis in progress, in which an ethnographic approach and video recordings are used, in order to develop an understanding of schools as normative and regulating practices.

Research topic/aim: The aim of this paper is to analyse what values are upheld in the new school subject Life Competence Education, as interpreted by local school practices in Sweden. Theoretical framework: Life Competence Education has developed in Swedish schools over the past decade as a way of organizing the fundamental values of the swedish school system. An important approach for the understanding of Life Competence Education is therefore the notion of broad didactics (Englund, 1997), in which education and classroom activities s contextualized with societal values. Moreover, an ambition with this school subject is to empower children and prevent them from a riskful society (Lee, 2001; James & Prout, 2006). This paper is part of the four year cross scientific programme Multi-Contextual Childhood, which is financed by the Swedish research council. Methodology/research design: This study draws upon an ethnographic fieldwork (october 2006- may 2008), combined with video recordings and analysis of policy documents. The study is conducted in Malmö Sweden and includes three compulsory schools, which all have implemented Life Competence Education as a subject on the schedule. Expected conclusions/findings: A critical analysis of local curricula shows how some personal qualities are highlighted as desirable. Consequently other qualities and behaviours are regulated through training. One paradox is that the values and normalities that are constructed in the school practices are based on local definitions and understandings of terms such as “culture” and “friendship”. Consequently these definitions emphaze that for example integration is relevant only for those that are segregated, rather than making integration a matter for the entire society. I will here argue for the need of reflection over whether these local values are in line with national curricula? Relevance for Nordic Educational research: Life Competence Education is a new subject in Swedish schools, and there is little research on this phenomena. There is an emerging need for knowledge on Life Competence Education, both in relation to school agendas and related to childhood and children’s peer cultures.

Sedan undervisning fick en mer framträdande position i den svenska reviderade läroplanen för förskolan (Lpfö 18) har lärare i såväl förskola som förskollärarutbildning kämpat med att tolka konceptet. När 2011 års skollag trädde i kraft några år tidigare fick förskolans arbete med normer och värden en starkare ställning. Mot bakgrund av detta blir det intressant att studera båda dessa stärkta mandat – undervisning och värden. Med utgångspunkt i erfarenheter från ett didaktiskt och pragmatiskt informerat undervisningsupplägg är syftet med denna artikel att bidra med kunskap om vilka värderingar som kan framträda i undervisning i förskola. Det empiriska material som genererats genom undervisningsupplägget består av totalt 364 dokument, inklusive 64 videoinspelningar. Detta genomfördes på cirka 120 förskolor och/eller förskoleavdelningar i tio svenska kommuner. Analysen har en didaktisk ansats och kan metodo-logiskt beskrivas som abduktiv analys. Resultatet indikerar att pragmatiskt informerad undervisning om värden kretsar kring sociala värden, såsom demokrati och (barns) delaktighet. I förskolans praktik är undervisningen organiserad som möjligheter till reflektion, samt som ett ”flerdeltagande”. Vidare framträdde spår av flerstämmighet i relation till kunskapsinnehåll som samspelar på flera olika nivåer samtidigt.

Since the term “teaching” was apostrophized in the revised curriculum for Swedish preschool,preschool teachers seem to have been struggling with the concept in their day-to-day practices.The current article is based in a collaborative R&D programme aiming at further developingknowledge about what may characterize teaching in preschools. In this article a didactic andpragmatically informed teaching approach with focus on values is analysed. The aim is to understand preschool teachers’ interpretations of the didactic why question, which plays a centralrole in teaching from a pragmatic perspective. The material underlying the teaching approachconsists of a total of 364 documents, including 64 video recordings. This was carried about inabout 120 preschools and/or preschool departments in ten Swedish municipalities. The analysis takes a didactic approach and can be methodologically described as abductive analysis.The results indicate that the question “why?” in didactic and pragmatically informed teachingwith focus on values is characterized by ethical dilemmas concerning rules and norms in preschool practice. Consequently, the ethical dilemmas are constituted as didactic dilemmas, inwhich preschool teachers, in co-actions with children, focus on values in teaching situations,and for which preschool teachers need to take actions without offending colleagues, childrenor parents. 

Rapporten baseras på forskningsdelen i ett forsknings- och utvecklingsprogram som syftar till att, i samverkan mellan förskollärare, chefer och forskare, beskriva och vidareutveckla kunskap om vad som kan känneteckna undervisning och sambedömning i förskola. Detta görs i relation till vetenskaplig grund och beprövad erfarenhet i cirka 130 förskolor/avdelningar belägna i tio kommuner i Sverige, mellan åren 2016 och 2018. Sammantaget har 5 236 samtyckt att medverka i forskningsdelen av programmet. Metoden kan beskrivas i termer av en ”praxiografisk samverkansmetod” som avser analys av registrerad praktik. Designen utgörs av parallella och prövande serier av teoriinformerade undervisningsupplägg. Materialet består av cirka 870 samplaneringar, cirka 700 samvärderingar och cirka 110 filmtimmar över genomförd undervisning. Analysen är didaktiskt orienterad och kan beskrivas i termer av abduktiv analys. Resultatet indikerar att undervisning modelleras genom sambedömning. Det framträder flerstämmiga spår relaterat till didaktiska frågor och didaktiska nivåer i de teoriinformerade undervisningsuppläggen. Sammantaget fogas analysen samman och prövas i en kommunicerbar helhet genom begreppet ”flerstämmig didaktisk modellering”.

Rapporten belyser förskollärares och chefers skriftliga beskrivningar i frågor om undervisning och sambedömning inom ramen för FoU-programmet Undervisning i förskolan. Frågorna besvarades i anslutning till programstarten år 2016 och avslut år 2018. I rapporten analyserar vi ”tecken på förändringar” i beskrivningarna mellan 2016 och 2018. Relativt öppna fritextfrågor skickades till alla medverkande i programmet via e-post. Svarsfrekvensen blev 91 % år 2016 och 70 % år 2018. Sammantaget omfattar materialet cirka 89 800 ord. Fritextfrågorna var formulerade enligt följande: 1. Vad kan känneteckna undervisning i förskola? 2. Vad kan känneteckna undervisning i • musik • matematik • språk-kommunikation/flerspråkighet 3. Vad kan känneteckna en undervisande förskollärare? 4. Vad kan känneteckna en organisation och ett ledarskap som verkar för undervisning i förskolor? 5. Vad kan känneteckna bedömning och sambedömning i förskola? Analys: Didaktiskt orienterad textanalys med kvantitativa inslag har genomförts utifrån omväxlande empirinära och teorinära tolkningsled. Analysen kan beskrivas som abduktiv – en process där empiri och teori omtolkats i ljuset av varandra. Resultat: Det finns tecken på förändring mellan spåren i materialet 2016 och 2018. En påtaglig skillnad är att det 2016 fanns tydliga spår av avståndstagande till undervisning. År 2018 framträder inga explicita spår av avståndstagande, men dock ett ”vet ej”-svar. År 2016 uttolkas en påtaglig stämma med barncentrerad undervisning (Vallberg Roth, 2018). Tecken på förändring kan utläsas i materialet 2018 med framträdande spår av undervisning som kan röra sig mellan barn-, lärar- och innehållsinriktad undervisning.

In Swedish preschools teachers seem to struggle with the concept of “teaching” in their day-to-day practices. A three-year collaborative research project involving preschool teachers, managers and researchers therefore aimed to describe and further develop knowledge about what could characterize teaching and co-assessment based on scientific grounds and proven experience. The research was carried out in between 93 and 137 preschools/or preschool departments in ten municipalities in Sweden between 2016 and 2017. The method was based on a praxiographic approach where preschool teachers tested four different theory-informed teaching arrangements. The material consisted of about 895 co-plans, 740 co-evaluations and 110 hours of video. Analysis was based on a didactic premise and can be methodologically described in terms of abductive analysis. The analysis was merged and tested in a communicable entity through the “multivocal didactic modelling” concept. The results indicated that teaching is modelled through co-assessment. Multivocal traces related to didactic questions and didactic levels emerge from theory-informed teaching arrangements. The research stands to make a highly significant contribution to knowledge development concerning teaching and co-assessment in preschool. Theory-informed teaching arrangements, with integrated didactic models, have been tried and shown to support teachers in conducting teaching that is based on scientific grounds and proven experience. The concept “multivocal didactic modelling” paves the way for alternative (meta)theoretical trajectories for critical reflection and for more cohesive and finely tuned teaching. In conclusion, the contribution to the development of knowledge can be described in terms of theory-informed practical development and practically grounded conceptual development.