KINDknow - Kindergarten Knowledge Centre for Systemic Research on Diversity and Sustainable Futures
KINDknow generates knowledge that is locally sensitive and internationally relevant. International comparative surveys combined with qualitative, close-to-practice research approaches provide overviews over the diversity of early childhood education and inspiring insights into local practices. The use of participatory designs aims to empower kindergarten teachers and children as actors in the field, enhance synergies between the academics, kindergartens and communities, but also reconstructing the multi-voiced, complex worlds of practice(s).
The centre is located at Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (HVL), but is a collaboration of researchers at HVL, UiT –The Arctic University of Norway and University of Stavanger. These institutions have large cohorts of kindergarten preservice teacher, located in two counties in the north and three counties in the west which have common strategic interests and cooperate closely to changing social and environmental milieus.
KINDknow Research topics
- Framing buildung WP1 / Danning – fortid, nåtid og framtid
- Eco citizens WP2 / Å være og bli øko-borgere
- Sustainable language WP3 / Bærekraftige språkpraksiser
- Multilingual mathematics WP4 / Flerspråklig matematikk
- Food and meals WP5 / Mat og måltider i barnehagen
- Conditions for children as explorers WP6 / Vilkår for barns utforsking
- Place and heritage WP7 / BarnSted – fortid, nåtid og framtid
- Families, generations and belonging WP8 / Familier, generasjoner og tilhørighet
- Systemic knowledge WP9 / Den lærande barnehagen – skaping og deling av kunnskap
- Leadership and diversity WP10 / Lederskap og mangfold
The centre aligns itself with the ideas in the United Nations’ Frameworks for Education for Sustainable Development and Futures, the Norwegian kindergarten act, as set out by the Norwegian government, and the curriculum, known as the Framework Plan (FWP). The research of the KINDknow centre will be closely linked to kindergarten teacher education (KTE), master education in kindergarten knowledge and PhD programme, particularly the Western Norway University of Applied Science´s programme ‘Bildung and pedagogical practices’. It will also inform and influence kindergarten teacher education research at partnership institutions, University of Tromsø and University of Stavanger who are partners in the project.
