Editorial

In this issue of NordSTEP, different approaches to teaching and learning in various educational contexts, such as in higher education social science programmes, in practical aesthetic school subjects, in early childhood education and care and in high schools are presented. All articles in the issue make valuable contributions, from different perspectives, to an understanding of the relations between educational practice, research and policy. The contributions highlight important questions concerning aspects that are often taken for granted in education. The importance of challenging long-standing ideas is emphasised, for example related to the usage of mentorship outside of the traditional education situation, regarding the integration of theory and practice (Arnesson & Albinsson, 2017), and ideas of transfer from practical aesthetic subjects to other school subjects (Borgen & Hjardermaal, 2017). Further, they illuminate how education policy in the Nordic countries makes use of governing tools that enter directly into teaching and learning situations and as such have an impact on both the practices of education and the knowledgebase that these practices are influenced by. The contributions also emphasise how tensions emerge when new policy expectations of state controlled content learning meet the long-term experiences of teachers, for example in early childhood education (Nygård, 2017) or in the use of projects to promote integration of pupils with immigrant backgrounds in order to improve their school achievements (Gustafsson, 2017).

For the first time, we also have the pleasure of presenting a special interview section. In this section, an interview is presented by Associate Professor Hanne Knudsen (of the Danish School of Education at Århus University) with John Hattie, Honorary Professor and the Director of Melbourne Education Research Institute at the University of Melbourne Graduate School of Education and Director of Visible Learning Laboratories. Hattie’s books, Visible Learning (2009) and Visible Learning for Teachers (2012), have had a great impact in policy debates and also on everyday school life in many countries. Visible learning as an idea and programme was developed in New Zealand and Australia and is currently being implemented in schools and municipalities in 23 countries around the world. In the Nordic countries, the idea and the books have been an issue for discussion among teachers, in teacher education and in society in general. Nevertheless, several aspects related to Hattie’s work have not been discussed in depth. In this interview, Knudsen asks a range of interesting questions regarding the implementation and translation of visible learning in Denmark, the basic concepts of ‘visibility’ and ‘learning’, the theory and the evidence as well as eliciting Hattie’s reflections on being the key figure of visible learning and what main role he sees for himself – as a researcher, a politician or a businessman?

Finally, an academic journal issue is built on the foundations and hard work of many colleagues in academia. The editors thank the reviewers for their contributions to the high quality of NordSTEP.