Teacher’s leadership in web-based language courses in Dalarna University, Sweden

The purpose of this presentation is to discuss how teacher’s leadership can be used as a teaching method in web based language education. The environments that offer online courses provide a wide field for discussion on the contact between teacher and student. My intention is to contribute to the debate on teacher leadership in online courses. In my earlier studies on leadership, I have explored how some religious leaders affected different social movements in Brazil during the military dictatorship (1964-1985). Pruth (2004) by examining the three kinds of legitimacy described by Max Weber I aimed at seeing and analyzing how religious leaders used different teaching methods to explain their messages to ordinary citizens. Thus my research showed how educational leadership is a way to get people to reach their goals. I became interested in the subject teacher’s leadership whenI participated in a survey of the teaching methods of language courses in Dalarna University which is funded by the NGL Center of Dalarna University. In  this project, we have made interviews with the teachers, undertaken the course plans (in the language department at Dalarna University) and categorized the learning outcomes. A questionnaire was constructed based on the learning outcomes and then either sent out remotely to teachers or completed face to face through interviews. The answers provided to the questionnaires enabled the  project to identify many differences in how language teachers interact with their students but  also, the way of giving feedback, motivating and helping students, types of class activities and materials used. This made me aware of how teachers use their leadership or not in their teaching. My focus is to look at the relationship between teachers and students as an important part of the development and quality of online courses. The teacher's performance on campus is different from online courses. I want to understand how the contact between teachers and students in online courses develop and look at how students can make use of this contact and what influence the teacher's leadership has on the ability for the students to achieve the goals of their course

Nykter bildning : En undersökning över IOGT, NTO och TO:s folkbildningsverksamhet i Dalarna 1921-1939

This study contents a research of the Swedish temperance movements IOGT, NTO and TO:s adult education in Dalarna between 1921 and 1939. A theory that is used in this essay is the publicity theory of Jürgen Habermas. A theory in this essay is that the adult educational work of the temperance movements could bee seen as an alternative publicity because the courses that the temperance movement held in general contents a great part of the movements own literature, the participants in the courses held their own lectures to each other and it was mostly only members of the temperance movements who could join the courses. The main subject of the courses was history in literature, English, Esperanto, and knowledge about local democracy. Not many courses content the drinking issue in Sweden at this time, even thought a national referendum was held in the issue during the research period of this essay. The lack of courses in the drinking issue illustrates of the fact that the courses only was held for the members of the temperance movement, and they don’t drink alcohol in any case. It was not a big difference in the contents of the course between the organisation in the temperance movements and between different years in this research.

PANA V : Evaluation of a Literacy Project

PANA V Evaluation of a Literacy ProjectSUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONSThis evaluation set out to explore the impact of the literacy work carried out through PANA V. It focussed on clarifying effects such as empowerment and poverty reduction in relation to the civil society. Two specific objectives were to evaluate the methodological approach and the didactic materials and to evaluate the sustainability of the project.Although the focus of the evaluation has been PANA V, the project has been evaluated in its context, as one in a series of five projects located in Rwanda ten years after the war and genocide. The conclusion will consider future plans in this field.The evaluator has striven to create a holistic picture of the effects of the project, although the given time for the evaluation was short. Only three weeks were spent in the field study and only ten days in the actual field. Although there were some organisational and logistic problems, as is common when carrying out a study like this in a poor country, many literacy sites were visited and quite many participators were interviewed. The overall impression from the study is overwhelmingly positive. So many people commit themselves in this task of teaching Rwandans reading, writing and numeracy. Despite harsh conditions learners strive to learn and group leaders devote themselves to the task. Many leaders on different levels try their very best to manage their difficult and demanding task. The main objective was to explore the impact of the project on poverty reduction, particularly on empowerment and strategies for everyday life. Women were to be regarded particularly. From the results it is clear that the project has a strong, positive impact both on poverty reduction and empowerment of marginalised groups. Among those who have benefited from the alphabetisation are mainly women. Unfortunately, when it comes to leaders in PANA, who may also be said to have benefited from the project, only a small minority is women. This is something that is recommended that it be reconsidered inside the organisation. As a majority of the targeted learners are women, and as the economic and social situation of women in Rwanda is generally weak, this is a question that I recommend the Pentesostal church and ADEPR to look particularly into. With many women being single breadwinners of their households, it is important that also women get access to positions that may bring benefits of different kind.It is also clear that the project has positive effects for the civil society. In the present situation in Rwanda, during the process of reconciliation and rapid progress, basic education for the poor majority is a democratic issue. In a country with a plethora of internet-cafés in the capital and a small minority that use cars and mobile-telephones to communicate nation-wide, it is of outmost importance that the majority acquires basic education, of which literacy is a central part. To strengthen the civil society in Rwanda literacy is important. One central issue is then that Rwanda develops toward becoming a country where literacy is used for the benefit of the citizens and it is a democratic issue that all citizens get an opportunity to participate. Crucial for this is that strong efforts are put into primary schools nation-wide. Literacy projects for adults, like PANA, may only complement these efforts, but they constitute important and necessary complements. Other relevant ways to promote literacy are campaigns in Radio and TV and through cultural events such as festivals, music and theatre. News papers, magazines and books are natural parts of such campaigns as well as adult education. As stated under the results not much can be said about the didactics in this evaluation. On the whole the methodology and the materials fill their function well and receive a high reputation. As people learn to read and write under very simple conditions, obviously the approach is appropriate. A few suggestions may be given from the study:•Focus groups leaders’ attention on clearness, that they show very clearly what is to be read. Good structuring is probably of great importance for many learners.•Make clear what is tested in the tests and consider the possibility to use a holistic test that would be more congruent with the methodology. The possibility to use only one grade, pass, would enable a more practical test, such as reading a short, relevant text, writing something relevant and solving practical mathematic problems. Avoid tests that demand school knowledge.•Avoid using methaphors such as “fight against illiteracy” and connections between illiteracy/literacy and darkness/light. It is not true that illiteracy causes bad things and that literacy only brings good. •Be prepared that it may be more difficult in the future to achieve the goals as it may be the case that the early learners where the ones who achieved easily. The goal of “literacy in six month” in PANA will probably hold only for some learners but also those who do not manage in six months need literacy skills.A third objective was to secure sustainability. As for sustainability of the project in itself, and of the literacy process, the main conclusion is that there is a good potential. The commitment and devotedness among many involved in PANA proves good. One weakness is individual leaders in ADEPR who do not see this as an important task for the Pentecostal church in Rwanda. Other weaknesses are the unwillingness to mention explicitly the wish, for example among group leaders, to get some kind of incentive and the fear of loosing believers by cooperation with other organisations. A higher degree of transparency in this issue would probably solve some irritations and tensions.As for the sustainability of the literacy skills much may be done to improve. The acquired skills seem to be comparably relevant. The level achieved, and the level tested, may be defined as basic literacy skills, consisting of basic reading, writing and numeracy skills. However, these skills are very restricted and there is a high risk that the skills will decline, which means that there is a high risk that people will forget how to read and write because of lack of exercising. From these conclusions a few suggestions for future development will be given.

Den Munktellska salongen i Falun : En studie i salongens pedagogik under 1800-talet

Projektet syftar till att belysa den Munktellska salongen i Falun som en landsortsvariant av det tidiga 1800-talets svenska salongskultur i relation till internationella, främst tyska förebilder. Det mer specifika syftet är att fördjupa förståelsen av salongskulturens pedagogiska arv och dess förankring i tidens bildningsdiskussion och hur det i sin tur har påverkat senare utbildningssträvanden och skoluppbyggnad (Wilhelmy1989). Kan salongen ses som en möjlig utgångspunkt för att utforska pedagogiken under tidigare historiska epoker? Kan man tala om salongens pedagogik? och ägde salongskulturen pedagogiska kvaliteter som gick förlorade under det formella utbildningssystemets uppbyggnad? Det är frågor jag ställer mig inom ramen för detta forskningsprojekt. Ett centralt begrepp är immanent pedagogik, dvs. individens inneboende möjligheter till självförverkligande i en given social kontext (Ödman 1995). Projektet utgår tysk bildningsteori med relevans för det romantiska nyhumanistiska bildningsidealet. I förhållande till det tyska bildningsarvet uppmärksammas även den svenska bildningstraditionen från 1800-talets början (Burman & Sundgren 2010). Särskilt intresse riktas mot Uppsala universitet där spänningen mellan klassiskt arv och bildningsnytta ställs på sin spets under samma tidsperiod som salongerna blomstrar (Gustavsson 1996; Lindqvist 1976). Tidigare forskning vilar främst på internationell och Nordisk forskning där Petra Wilhelmy och Anne Scott Sørensen har en central position. Genom Eva Öhrström skapas också ett viktigt vetenskapligt underlag för den specifikt musikaliska salongen och dess betingelser. Den Munktellska salongen är placerad i en historiskt intressant miljö. Falun rankades under stormaktstiden som rikets andra stad och bidrog till uppbyggnaden av Sveriges statskick (Hildebrand 1946). Väsentligt för studien är att Stora Kopparberget utgör ett paradigm i Svensk industrihistoria vars mentalitet anses ha haft betydelse för pedagogikens inriktning i Sverige (Ödman 1995:485). Den pedagogiska debatten under 1800-talets första decennier får stora konsekvenser för utbildningsreformationen i Sverige och placerar Falusalongen i en intressant position för epokens pedagogiska förändringsarbete. Brukspatronen Johan Henrik Munktell (1804-1861) visar sig dessutom stå i förbindelse med ett unikt musikhistorisk arv som etablerades under hans bildningsresor på kontinenten under 1820-talet. Av särskilt intresse är Henrik Munktells besök i den Mendelssohnska salongen. Mendelssohns i Berlin var en av Europas viktigaste salonger och en förebild för den musikaliska salongen i Europa (Öhrström 1998, 2007). Projektet består av tre delstudier där den första upptar Johan Henrik Munktells bildningsresor under det tidiga 1800-talet. Projektets andra del undersöker hur salongen i Grycksbo formades och de förbindelser mellan Norden och Europa som salongerna skapade. Projektets tredje del riktas mot salongens didaktiska funktioner och den utbildning som döttrarna Emma och Helena Munktell fick via salongen. Genom att satsa på sina yrkeskarriärer bröt Emma och Helena Munktell mot samtidens konventioner och ideal. De avvek samtidigt mot den kanon och de genuskoder som historiskt format salongsmusicerandet. Med inspiration av begreppet immanent pedagogik prövar jag det lärande som sker i salongen i termer av ljusets och dunklets pedagogik. Begreppsparet kan knytas till bildningsdiskursen och det narrativa minnet av Berlins judiska salonger. Metoden baseras på Paul Ricoeurs hermeneutik och bygger på att de narrativa momenten kvalificeras genom tre tolkningsnivåer som tillsammans avser att ge det historiska materialet en nybeskrivning eller redéscription (Liljas 2007; Ricoeur 1984). Genom Falusalongerna kan den nordiska salongsforskningen breddas. I kopplingen till Falu gruvas internationellt kända historia finns upplysningar om salongen som i den tidigare salongsforskningen inte varit kända. Genom projektet redogörs för betingelser som bidrar till att förändra det utbildningshistoriska landskapet. Den musikaliska salongen kan med sin privat organiserade struktur ses som en möjlig utgångspunkt för att utforska pedagogiken under tidigare historiska epoker. Salongerna kan förväntas berika det utbildningshistoriska perspektivet och bidra till en djupare förståelse även av dagens skola och högre utbildning.