Nordic Early Literacy Education
The Nordic network covers the area of emergent literacy in preschool and transition to school. The group consists of researchers from Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland and Island.
Photo: Hjerte av anjakb, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
About us
The aims of the network are twofold: to generate knowledge about children's emergent literacy skills and the emergent literacy development, and to strengthen the knowledge about emergent literacy in teacher education in the Nordic preschools and transitional years.
More specifically, the network will aim to:
- Generate knowledge about early literacy and skills development.
- Collaborate in research about early literacy within qualitative and quantitative approaches.
- Compare the early literacy perspective and system within the Nordic countries.
- Collaborate in developing of course content in teacher education about early literacy field and the transition from preschool to school.
- Encourage teachers and student teachers mobility within the Nordic network.
Participating universities
- Linnaeus University, Sweden
- Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Norway
- University of Gothenburg, Sweden
- Åbo Akademi University, Finland
- University of Oslo, Norge
- Dalarna University, Sweden
- Örebro University, Sweden
- University of Helsinki, Finland
Researchers
The following researchers are members of the Nordic network for early literacy.
- Maria Magnusson, Linnaeus University, Sweden
- Hilde Hofslundsengen, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Norway
- Ria Heilä-Ylikallio, Åbo Akademi University, Finland
- Bente Hagtvet, University of Oslo, Norway
- Elisabeth Mellgren, University of Gothenburg, Sweden
- Ann-Katrin Svensson, Åbo Akademi University, Finland
- Sofia Jusslin, Åbo Akademi University, Finland
- Camilla Forsberg, Linnaeus University, Sweden
- Hanne Næss Hjetland, Oslo University, Norway
- Tarja Alatalo, Dalarna University, Sweden
- Martina Norling, Örebro University, Sweden
- Sofie Tjäru, Åbo Akademi University, Finland
- Alexandra Nordström, University of Helsinki, Finland
- Randi Høyland, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Norway
Publications
Current and in progress within the network
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In the spring of 2024, the third and last workshop concerning Play-responsive teaching of early literacy was held at Linnaeus University in Kalmar. Lecturer Maria Magnusson was responsible for this arrangement. The workshop was part of the workshop series that explores imagination and creativity through play in early written language learning in the Kalmar Nordic region during 2023–2024.
- Maria Magnusson is interviewed in an article in the Swedish magazine Förskolan on 19 Oct 2023: Ny studie: Planerad högläsning ovanlig i förskolan.
- New publication: Hofslundsengen, H., Magnusson, M., Norling, M., Naess Hjetland. (2023) Read-aloud as justice and social practice? ECEC teachers´ reported views on read-aloud in Nordic multilingual classrooms. 31st EECERA Annual Conference Conference Proceedings: Book of Abstracts: ´Children’s Curiosity, Agency and Participation: Challenges for Professional Action and Development´, Estoril Congress Centre, Cascais, n. Lisbon, Portugal, 30 Aug 2023–2 Sep 2023. 128.
- Spring 2024, workshop 3: The third and last workshop concerns Play-responsive teaching of early literacy and is arranged during spring 2024 at Linnaeus University in Kalmar, Sweden. Senior lecturer Maria Magnusson is responsible for this arrangement.
- Autumn 2023, workshop 2: The subject is More-than-human perspectives on early literacy. It takes place during autumn 2023 at Åbo Akademi University, Vasa, Finland (responsible: senior lecturer Sofia Jusslin).
- Spring 2023, workshop 1: Will be about Playful early literacy environments and is arranged during spring 2023 at Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Sogndal, Norway (responsible: associate professor Hilde Hofslundsengen).
- How can joy be understood in small childrens literacy practices, and how does joy arise i meetings between children, adults and texts in the social-material environment? Alexandra Nordström (University of Helsinki) and Sofia Jusslin (Åbo Akademi University), both postdocs, discuss these questions based on Nordström's (2023) doctoral thesis ”Joy in young children's literacy practices in early childhood education” in Western Norway University of Applied Sciences' pod BluPodden on 25 May 2023, episode Glädje i barns litteracitetspraktiker (in Swedish).
- The network has received a grant from NOS-HS for organizing a workshop series on exploring imagination and creativity through play in early literacy during 2023–2024.
- Maria Magnusson and Hilde Hofslundsengen visit Western Norway University of Applied Sciences' pod BluPodden 16 September 2022, episode Lekresponsiv undervisning i svensk barnehage (in Swedish/Norwegian).
Network meeting in Sogndal in Norway spring 2019
Hattestein & Bendz
Activities
The pilot project "The global Nordic classroom" is a collaboration for theses written within the preschool teacher programme. See the film from one of our seminar where students together with teachers at four different university discuss their essays.
Researchers in the network gives a lecture at Barnträdgården teacher training programme at Jakobstad 2016.