Thor André Skrefsrud

• Sæther, Elin; Kjørven, Ole Kolbjørn; Dewilde, Joke & Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2024). Listening to young people’s voices: Attempts at developing context- and participant-sensitive approaches. Childhood. ISSN 0907-5682. p. 1–16. doi: 10.1177/09075682241246394. Full text in Research Archive
• Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2024). Debating the practice of separate plurilingual programs in Norwegian schools from a spatial perspective. In Mañoso-Pacheco, Lidia; Estrada Chichón, José Luis & Sánchez-Cabrero, Roberto (Ed.), Inclusive education in bilingual and plurilingual programs. IGI Global. ISSN 9798369305638. p. 233–247. doi: 10.4018/979-8-3693-0563-8.ch012. Show summary

  Applying Edward W. Soja's work on spatial justice as an analytical lens, this chapter discusses the use of separate introductory programs for newly arrived migrant students in Norway. Although the use of separate programs for newcomers has been criticized for counteracting the aims of inclusion, this chapter suggests that from a spatial perspective, separation in itself is not necessarily a sign of exclusion; rather, it is what happens in an introductory program and how the actual space affects practices that matter. Furthermore, a sensitivity toward place and space can help educators pay attention to newly arrived students' backgrounds and needs without separation from their mainstream peers becoming a perceived barrier to inclusion. Acknowledging Soja's idea that social processes and discursive practices also influence place and space, a spatial perspective warns against letting ideological (and sometimes superficial) ideas about inclusion shape and govern practices.

• Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2024). Intercultural Dialogue in Diverse Classrooms: Debating the Socratic Dialogue Method from a Postcolonial Perspective. Religions. ISSN 2077-1444. 15, p. 1–9. doi: 10.3390/rel15010098.
• Capperucci, Davide; Dodman, Martin; Didham, Robert J.; Jonsson, Susanne Gunvor; Sundby, Kristine Nymo & Langaas, Ylva [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2023). The role of mentoring and peer-to-peer support in sustaining teacher professional development. In Petrache, Anca-Denisa; Mara, Daniel & Bocos, Musata (Ed.), Sharing and learning for mentoring in education. Editura Universitara. ISSN 978-606-28-1723-7. p. 192–204. Show summary

  This paper presents a part of the RESPOND European Erasmus+-project on the mutually sustaining relationship between teacher professional development and overall school development. The focus is on one of four product results from the project, “The RESPOND Teacher Professional Development Support Guidelines” developed as a tool for understanding the roles of and interactions between different actors in school, with particular reference to the role of mentors for formal institutional support and peer-to-peer support for informal support between colleagues. The paper concludes with a reflection on the aims and the intended impact of the guidelines.

• Kjørven, Ole Kolbjørn; Hustvedt, Marianne & Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2023). Skolelederes erfaringer og møte med religiøst mangfold. Prismet. ISSN 0032-8847. 74(4), p. 255–275. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Artikkelen undersøker hvordan en gruppe skoleledere i den norske grunnskolen ser på religionsmangfoldet i skole og samfunn. Studien viser at skolelederne har en sterk bevissthet om å synliggjøre elevenes mangfoldserfaringer som en ressurs for skolefellesskapet. Samtidig synes det å være et sprik i synet på om og eventuelt hvordan religiøst mangfold kan inn­lemmes i en inkluderende skole. Skolelederne har begrenset kjennskap til trosopplærings­programmer som elevene deltar i og er usikre på relevansen trosopplæringsarenaen kan ha for skolen. Slik identifiserer artikkelen et paradoks. På den ene siden er skolelederne opptatt av en ressursorientert mangfoldspedagogikk der elevens livsverden speiles i skolens innhold. På den andre siden signaliseres det usikkerhet om og hvordan religion kan anerkjennes som en erfart dimensjon ved mangfoldet

• Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2023). Potensialet for publikums interkulturelle forståelse i møte med «MEG – jeg vil fortelle deg noe». In Nielsen, Sigurd Solhaug & Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (Ed.), Folkemuseene i mangfoldige samfunn – publikums erfaringer av forskjellighet og tilhørighet. Oplandske Bokforlag. ISSN 978-82-7518-284-3. p. 93–110.
• Nielsen, Sigurd Solhaug & Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2023). Innledning: Folkemuseene i fortid og nåtid – om tilhørighet, mangfold og behovet for publikumsstudier. In Nielsen, Sigurd Solhaug & Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (Ed.), Folkemuseene i mangfoldige samfunn – publikums erfaringer av forskjellighet og tilhørighet. Oplandske Bokforlag. ISSN 978-82-7518-284-3. p. 13–28.
• Basha, Shpresa & Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2023). Countering Narratives of Identity and Belonging: Multicultural School Events from a Student Perspective. In Tavares, Vander & Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (Ed.), Critical and Creative Engagements with Diversity in Nordic Education. Lexington Books. ISSN 9781666925852. p. 313–336. Show summary

  Teacher education in the Nordic European context continues to change rapidly in response to diversity. However, this context tends to receive less attention globally, despite being a part of the interconnected effort to prepare teachers and students for an increasingly complex and uncertain future. Against this backdrop, this volume presents timely research that identifies and critically explores some of the challenges and opportunities which researchers, educators, and teacher educators may encounter while working in culturally and linguistically diverse contexts of education in Nordic Europe. In doing so, this volume aims to contribute to the broader conversations about diversity and education on an international level, particularly those focused on how to improve and enhance teacher education through more inclusive, responsive, and social justice-oriented practices. Critical and Creative Engagements with Diversity in Nordic Education offers empirical, conceptual, and theoretical contributions on topics such as religion, gender and sex, language, culture, nationality, race, and ethnicity that reflect the experiences, concerns, and needs of both teachers and students from primary to higher and teacher education. By recognizing, promoting, and understanding the importance of diversity in the classroom, educators can contribute to the achievement of academic success of every student

• Skrefsrud, Thor Andre & Tavares, Vander (2023). Reconceptualizing non-confessional religious education in Norway from a Freirean perspective. In Tavares, Vander & Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (Ed.), Critical and Creative Engagements with Diversity in Nordic Education. Lexington Books. ISSN 9781666925852. p. 173–186. Show summary

  Teacher education in the Nordic European context continues to change rapidly in response to diversity. However, this context tends to receive less attention globally, despite being a part of the interconnected effort to prepare teachers and students for an increasingly complex and uncertain future. Against this backdrop, this volume presents timely research that identifies and critically explores some of the challenges and opportunities which researchers, educators, and teacher educators may encounter while working in culturally and linguistically diverse contexts of education in Nordic Europe. In doing so, this volume aims to contribute to the broader conversations about diversity and education on an international level, particularly those focused on how to improve and enhance teacher education through more inclusive, responsive, and social justice-oriented practices. Critical and Creative Engagements with Diversity in Nordic Education offers empirical, conceptual, and theoretical contributions on topics such as religion, gender and sex, language, culture, nationality, race, and ethnicity that reflect the experiences, concerns, and needs of both teachers and students from primary to higher and teacher education. By recognizing, promoting, and understanding the importance of diversity in the classroom, educators can contribute to the achievement of academic success of every student

• Tavares, Vander & Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2023). Experiential education, museums, and student teachers’ intercultural learning: Reflections on the Scandinavian Romani exhibition. In Tavares, Vander & Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (Ed.), Critical and Creative Engagements with Diversity in Nordic Education. Lexington Books. ISSN 9781666925852. p. 45–65. Show summary

  Teacher education in the Nordic European context continues to change rapidly in response to diversity. However, this context tends to receive less attention globally, despite being a part of the interconnected effort to prepare teachers and students for an increasingly complex and uncertain future. Against this backdrop, this volume presents timely research that identifies and critically explores some of the challenges and opportunities which researchers, educators, and teacher educators may encounter while working in culturally and linguistically diverse contexts of education in Nordic Europe. In doing so, this volume aims to contribute to the broader conversations about diversity and education on an international level, particularly those focused on how to improve and enhance teacher education through more inclusive, responsive, and social justice-oriented practices. Critical and Creative Engagements with Diversity in Nordic Education offers empirical, conceptual, and theoretical contributions on topics such as religion, gender and sex, language, culture, nationality, race, and ethnicity that reflect the experiences, concerns, and needs of both teachers and students from primary to higher and teacher education. By recognizing, promoting, and understanding the importance of diversity in the classroom, educators can contribute to the achievement of academic success of every student

• Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2023). Multicultural School Events: Possibilities and Pitfalls for Refugee Students and Their Families. In Wolsey, Thomas DeVere & Karkouti, Ibrahim M. (Ed.), Teaching Refugees and Displaced Students. What Every Educator Should Know. Springer Nature. ISSN 978-3-031-33833-5. p. 197–208. doi: https:/doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-33834-2_13. Show summary

  Multicultural school events have become a useful tool for schools to highlight the different cultures and languages present in the school and draw attention to international solidarity and tolerance of diversity. While prior research has found that multicultural school events play a powerful role in the mobilization of group-based identities—often in ways that promote cultural stereotypes and essentialist cultural identities—much less research has focused on how the events are experienced by the participants, especially by students and families from refugee and asylum-seeking backgrounds. This chapter examines how refugee students and their families experience the practice. A theoretical lens of belonging and diasporic identity is used to critically discuss the possible limitations of such events as well as their positive potential. The chapter identifies the risk of reducing multicultural education to exotic happenings separated from the everyday activities in school. At the same time, the chapter draws attention to the productivity of multicultural school events by presenting counter-narratives about diasporic identity, belonging, and learning.

• Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2023). Enhancing Student Teachers’ Professional Development through Active Learning. In Ortega-Sánchez, Delfín (Eds.), Education - Annual Volume 2023. IntechOpen. ISSN 978-1-83768-569-1. p. 1–13. doi: 10.5772/intechopen.112399. Show summary

  As a contrast to traditional approaches to learning, this chapter explores two examples of active learning conducted with student teachers in Norway. In the first example, the chapter reports from a case study on student teachers’ engagement with the Scandinavian Romani exhibit at a local museum. For this example, the chapter discusses student teachers’ possibilities for developing a critical consciousness through immersive experiences. In the second example, the chapter presents and discusses a project using virtual reality (VR) technology designed to build student teachers’ capacity for their future professional role in schools. For this example, the chapter addresses the development of student teachers’ awareness of their own professionality and their active role in home-school cooperation. In both examples, the chapter draws attention to the leading role of the teacher educator, who actively facilitates a collaborative, interactive, and participatory learning environment. Theoretically, the chapter elaborates on student-centered learning from the perspectives of John Dewey and Paulo Freire, underlining the significance of active engagement and critical reflections.

• Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2023). Perezhivanie og elevens subjektive opplevelse av læringsmiljø. In Faldet, Ann-Cathrin; Skrefsrud, Thor Andre & Somby, Hege Merete (Ed.), Læring i et Vygotsky-perspektiv. Muligheter og konsekvenser for opplæringen. Cappelen Damm Akademisk. ISSN 9788202811501. p. 103–117. doi: 10.23865/noasp.191.ch6.
• Faldet, Ann-Cathrin; Skrefsrud, Thor Andre & Somby, Hege Merete (2023). Å forberede seg på hjem-skole-samarbeid: Lærerstudenters bruk av virtual reality-teknologi i et Vygotsky-perspektiv. In Faldet, Ann-Cathrin; Skrefsrud, Thor Andre & Somby, Hege Merete (Ed.), Læring i et Vygotsky-perspektiv. Muligheter og konsekvenser for opplæringen. Cappelen Damm Akademisk. ISSN 9788202811501. p. 177–195. doi: 10.23865/noasp.191.ch10.
• Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2023). Rethinking the Intercultural Potential of Religious Education in Public Schools: Contributions from Intercultural Theology. Religions. ISSN 2077-1444. 14(2). doi: 10.3390/rel14020224. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This paper asks how intercultural theology can inspire a critical and constructive reflection on the intercultural potential of non-confessional religious education (RE). Taking the Norwegian non-confessional RE subject as a starting point, the paper draws attention to the tendency to present religions, worldviews, and denominations as single entities with distinct characteristics. As emphasized by Jackson, Jones and Meyer, and others, a systemic-oriented approach will largely capture the institutionalized sides of religion. Consequently, in schools, the intercultural dimension of RE can easily be reduced by emphasizing students’ need for encyclopedic knowledge about different traditions, overlooking how religion is embedded in social life and transforms, develops, and interconnects through everyday practices outside of institutionalized religious life. This line of argument sets the stage for the next part, examining how intercultural theology can create critical awareness of the inner diversity and interconnectedness of denominations and religious traditions. The paper argues that the descriptive and normative framework of intercultural theology can inspire educators to reflect critically on the intercultural dimension of a non-confessional RE

• Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2022). A Proposal to Incorporate Experiential Education in Non-Confessional, Intercultural Religious Education: Reflections from and on the Norwegian Context. Religions. ISSN 2077-1444. 13(8), p. 1–13. doi: 10.3390/rel13080727. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  In Norway, religious education (RE) is a non-confessional and common core subject that should be taught in an objective, critical, and pluralistic manner. As a primary school subject, students learn about a variety of religions and worldviews together in the same classroom. The inclusive framing intends to provide an intercultural space in which the students can enhance their understandings of the beliefs of people whose worldviews differ from their own. Consequently, the subject has privileged an outsider approach, wherein students should learn about religion in a non-partial way, that is, not from religion. However, the claim for objective, critical, and pluralistic teaching still calls into question the role of learning from religions. First, an outsider approach has been criticized for promoting a dated view on learning, ignoring pedagogical knowledge on how students learn. Second, the latest national curriculum states that RE should not only provide students with in-depth knowledge about world religions, but also foster personalized learning experiences. Against this background, the paper asks how the concept of experiential learning in the tradition of Freire, Dewey, and Vygotsky invites a reflection on the ways by which the Norwegian RE subject is passed on most meaningfully in a diverse learning context.

• Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2022). A transcultural approach to cross-cultural studies: Towards an alternative to a national culture model. Transcultural Studies. ISSN 2191-6411. 12(1), p. 81–100. doi: 10.17885/heiup.jts.2021.1.24153. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The conventional tendency to identify culture as a delimited system of beliefs, values, and practices continues to capture the imagination of policymakers, educators, and practitioners. In particular, Geert Hofstede’s national culture model has become an influential and widely used tool to identify and compare cultural differences and similarities based on a presumed national identity that characterizes people living together within a geographic community. However, researchers have criticized Hofstede’s model for being static and deterministic, arguing that the framework should be supplemented with a more dynamic approach to cultural interaction. This article contributes to the discussion by proposing a transcultural approach to cross-cultural studies as an alternative. In the first section of this article, I examine Hofstede’s national culture model and critically address its shortcomings. In the second section, I present Wolfgang Welsch’s work on cultural transformation and demonstrate how Welsch’s concept of transculturality offers a convincing alternative to Hofstede’s model. Central to this approach is a nuanced and multidimensional understanding of the dynamic space in which cross-border social formation and identity construction operate. I conclude the article with a discussion of the relevance of a transcultural perspective for teachers working in an increasingly diverse classroom.

• Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2022). Enhancing social sustainability through education: Revisiting the concept of multicultural education. In Hufnagel, Levente (Eds.), Sustainability, Ecology, and Religions of the World. IntechOpen. ISSN 978-1-80355-436-5. p. 1–16. doi: 10.5772/intechopen.103028. Show summary

  The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development holds that education is essential to achieving a sustainable future. Thus, many countries around the world have made multicultural education imperative. However, a pertinent question is how multicultural education should be understood and how inclusive teaching and learning approaches should be initiated and integrated within educational systems. In this chapter, I critically discuss the concept of multicultural education and explore how it may contribute to realising the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. First, I give an overview of the main characteristics and goals of multicultural education. Second, I discuss what I see as two major hindrances to realising a sustainable multicultural education: the lack of integrating issues of diversity into everyday school practices and the deficit discourse that still characterises contemporary educational debates on diversity.

• Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2022). The Buber-Levinas Debate on Otherness: Reflections on Encounters with Diversity in School. In Kleive, Hildegunn Valen; Lillebø, Jonas Gamborg & Sæther, Knut-Willy (Ed.), Møter og mangfold: Religion og kultur i historie, samtid og skole. Cappelen Damm Akademisk. ISSN 978-82-02-75389-4. p. 229–247. Show summary

  This article turns to the underexposed debate between Martin Buber and Emmanuel Levinas in order to develop a reflection on encounters with otherness in an educational setting. First, I introduce a well-established and well-intended, yet problematic, way of approaching cultural diversity in school, looking at how the asymmetry between the other and the self may be reduced in a process of predicting and explaining the other. This will set the stage for the next part, examining how a positive recognition of alterity is addressed in the dispute between Buber and Levinas. Analysing the controversy between the two philosophers, the article contributes to a pedagogical reflection on how to meet the student as the other in closeness and distance without reducing him or her to a representative for a predefined cultural entity. Attention is also directed towards the ethical foundation of intercultural relations and what our responsibility for the other implies.

• Faldet, Ann-Cathrin; Skrefsrud, Thor Andre & Somby, Hege Merete (2021). Exploring the pedagogical potential of virtual reality simulations for pre-service teachers from a Vygotskyan perspective. Digital Culture and Education. ISSN 1836-8301. 13(1), p. 67–80. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This paper discusses the pedagogical potential of a flipped classroom practice in which advanced virtual reality simulations are used to place pre-service teachers in work-related situations, such as a home-school collaboration. The paper applies a Vygotskyan perspective and discusses the simulation’s potential for contributing to pre-service teachers’ professional development. The article argues that, as understood through the lens of Vygotsky’s sociocultural approach to learning, virtual reality simulations may enhance pre-service teachers’ ability to learn through imitation, while also encouraging collaborative interaction and reflection. The aim in using virtual reality simulations in the flipped classroom is to counteract the reduction of pre-service teachers to passive interpreters and teachers to the providers of prescribed curriculums. We end the article by drawing attention to the potential limitations of the simulation when used as a flipped classroom practice.

• Dewilde, Joke; Kjørven, Ole Kolbjørn; Skrefsrud, Thor Andre & Sæther, Elin (2021). Young people’s experiences and meaning-making at a multicultural festival in Norway. Journal of Peace Education. ISSN 1740-0201. p. 1–19. doi: 10.1080/17400201.2021.1911792. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This article explores young people’s experiences and meaning-making at a multicultural festival. Multicultural festivals aim to promote inclusion and challenge problem-oriented discourses in current debates on diversity and migration. Listening to youth voices from such a festival gives a sense of how young participants perceive representations of cultural difference, and how they relate these representations to their own identity and sense of belonging. The participants in our study are 86 young people from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds between the ages of 12 and 20. They recorded answers to our questions about what they did at the festival as well as the memories that participation evokes using a specially developed app. Interpreting the broad spectrum of their reflections in the light of theories about intercultural learning and citizenship, we found that the young people were eager to learn about the Other by experiencing cultural differences and engaging with traditions different to their own. In addition, they experienced the festival as an inclusive space, open for transnational identities, and evoking a sense of safety and belonging. We conclude by arguing that the young participants take with them experiences and memories of diversity as the norm rather than the exception.

• Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2021). Rethinking inclusive education: What can be learned from an ecological theology of liberation? . In Heimbrock, Hans Günter & Persch, Jörg (Ed.), Eco-theology : Essays in honor of Sigurd Bergmann . Verlag Ferdinand Schöningh. ISSN 9783506760364. p. 232–250.
• Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2021). Why student mobility does not automatically lead to better understanding: Reflections on the concept of intercultural learning. In Cairns, David (Eds.), The Palgrave Handbook of Youth Mobility and Educational Migration. Palgrave Macmillan. ISSN 978-3-030-64235-8. p. 63–76. Show summary

  This handbook provides an overview of developments in the youth mobility and migration research field, with specific emphasis on movement for education, work and training purposes, encompassing exchanges sponsored by institutions, governments and international agencies, and free movement. The collection features over 30 theoretically and empirically-based discussions of the meaning and key aspects of various forms of mobility as practiced in contemporary societies, and concludes with an exploration of the costs and benefits of moving abroad to individuals and societies at a time when the viability of free circulation is being called into question. The geographical scope of the book covers Europe, Asia, Australia and the Americas, and takes into account socio-economic and regional inequalities, as well as recent developments such as the refugee crisis, Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic. The book integrates the fields of youth mobility and migration studies, creating opportunities for the establishment of a new paradigm for understanding the spatial circulation of youth and young adults in the twenty-first century

• Dewilde, Joke & Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2021). Revisiting studies of multicultural school events from the perspective of strategic essentialism. Nordisk tidsskrift for pedagogikk og kritikk. ISSN 2387-5739. 7, p. 196–209. doi: 10.23865/ntpk.v7.2145. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The article discusses schools’ use of multicultural school events as a practice designed to enhance inclusion and to prevent prejudice and negative intergroup attitudes in school. While prior research has largely criticized such events for promoting cultural stereotypes and essentialist cultural identities, in this article we argue for a more nuanced way of perceiving such practices. Based on our previous empirical work, we apply the idea of strategic essentialism (Spivak, 1996) and discuss how multicultural school events may also represent an opportunity for minority parents to achieve certain objectives. The minority temporarily adopts the image provided by the majority and uses it in a strategic manner to act and pursue chosen political advantages. However, we also critically discuss possible limitations and pitfalls of the idea of strategic essentialism as the concept may in fact essentialize the minority group contrary to the intention of the multicultural school event. The contribution of the article is a theoretically informed discussion of how these events may ascribe agency to the participating families, reducing the way critics perceive them solely as victims of a majority-dominated and non-inclusive practice.

• Dewilde, Joke; Kjørven, Ole Kolbjørn & Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2021). Multicultural school festivals as a creative space for identity construction–the perspective of minority parents. Intercultural Education. ISSN 1467-5986. 32(2), p. 212–229. doi: 10.1080/14675986.2020.1851173. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  In this article, we explore how minority parents construct and promote cultural identities through a multicultural school event in Norway. Such events respond to the call for diverse and inclusive initiatives to facilitate learning, belonging, and cohesion in schools. Interestingly, while schools see these events as helping further inclusion, prior research on the subject has criticized such events for promoting essentialist understandings of cultural identities, hence regarding them as counterproductive to the aim of promoting inclusion. This research has directed scarce attention to the participant perspective, among them minority parents. Using the stall of the Kurdish parents as an example, we conducted fieldwork applying the method of Linguistic Landscaping. In addition, we conducted semi-structured interviews with the parents asking questions about the festival and the meaning of the displayed representations in their stall. The findings indicate that the Kurdish parents involved view the event as an important space for creative construction of transnational and diasporic identities, as well as an opportunity for a minority group to strive for acceptance for its cause. We end the article by reflecting on the pedagogical potential in multicultural school events as tools for creating inclusive school practices.

• Faldet, Ann-Cathrin & Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2020). The reception of Vygotsky in pedagogical literature for Norwegian teacher education. Forum Oświatowe. ISSN 0867-0323. 32(2), p. 11–27. doi: 10.34862/fo.2020.2.0. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  In this article, we study the reception of Vygotskian theory in pedagogical literature for Norwegian teacher education. The article analyzes three widely used textbooks for pre-service teachers in the five-year integrated master’s degree program, looking at how Vygotsky’s work is articulated and disseminated in the readings. Although Vygotsky’s ideas are an important frame of reference for the pedagogical thinking in the textbooks, the findings indicate that Vygotsky’s theory is presented in a fragmented way and is largely disconnected from the social and scientific context of its formation. The article argues that the tendency to interpret Vygotsky in a cultural and historical vacuum represents a concealed potential for making Vygotsky’s ideas applicable in the current educational debate.

• Dewilde, Joke; Kjørven, Ole Kolbjørn; Skrefsrud, Thor Andre & Sæther, Elin (2020). «Det er så koselig her at jeg tar av meg skoene»: Om betydningen av sted i en flerkulturell barne- og ungdomsfestival. In Sæther, Knut-Willy & Aschim, Anders (Ed.), Rom og sted: Religionfaglige og interdisiplinære bidrag. Cappelen Damm Akademisk. ISSN 978-82-02-69675-7. p. 93–110. doi: 10.23865/noasp.110. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  In this article, we explore how children and youth participating in a multicultural festival in Norway construct space and place. Such events respond to the call to action for reducing prejudice and stereotypes, and they aim to promote inclusion, participation and community. Nonetheless, researchers have criticized such events for instead promoting categorical understandings of cultural identities; as such, some researchers regard multicultural festivals as counterproductive to the aim of promoting inclusion. However, previous research has directed scarce attention to the participants’ perspective, in particular viewpoints of children and youth. Inspired by perspectives on spatial justice (Soja, 1996, 2010), we interpret young people’s experiences and meaning making while attending a multicultural festival. We collected data through an app, which allowed us to conduct structured interviews with children and youths on site. The findings bring out the significance of space and place when interpreting young people’s participation and meaning making at such events. We conclude the article by reflecting on the potential of perspectives on space and place to nuance an often one-sided criticism of multicultural events.

• Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2020). Teachers as intercultural bridge‐builders: Rethinking the metaphor of bridge‐building. Teaching Theology and Religion. ISSN 1368-4868. 23(3), p. 151–162. doi: 10.1111/teth.12550. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The idea that intercultural understanding should be based on in‐depth knowledge about the other continues to capture the imagination of policy makers, practitioners, and researchers. According to this line of thinking, intercultural understanding is about creating a secure way of reducing cultural complexity, aiming to overcome what is perceived as the strangeness of the other. While this approach to intercultural understanding has been highly influential, a growing body of work has raised fundamental questions about its adequacy. This article contributes to this discussion by exploring the metaphorical expression, bridge‐building, as a way to describe teachers' work with intercultural understanding. The article relates the bridge‐building metaphor to the ability to develop and integrate targeted knowledge, skills, and attitudes. It also explores how the bridge‐building metaphor allows us to use our cultural and social experiences to facilitate an understanding of others.

• Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2018). Intercultural learning in diverse schools: obstacles, opportunities, and outlooks. Problemy Wczesnej Edukacji. ISSN 1734-1582. 42(3), p. 75–85. doi: 10.26881/pwe.2018.42.08. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The emergence in recent years of the concept of intercultural learning has raised questions about how the notion relates to a pedagogy that fosters openness, exploration, and critical thinking. In this article, the author provides a critical examination of a conventional understanding of intercultural learning to clarify its construction and to elucidate its instructional implications. Taking inspiration from the work of Nussbaum, Dewey, and Freire, the article suggests a different way of thinking than that of the conventional approach. Central to this alternative is a pedagogy that acknowledges students’ former experiences and competencies without making cultural predictions. Instead of reducing the process of understanding to a technical issue, this paper advocates the integration of intercultural learning in schools by connecting the curriculum to students’ lives and identities. This paper ends with a consideration of the future prospects of intercultural learning, suggesting more research on how intercultural learning actually takes place in schools and society.

• Faldet, Ann-Cathrin & Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2018). The Reception of Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory in Pedagogical Literature in Norwegian Teacher Education. In Kravtsov, Gennady (Eds.), L.S. Vygotsky's Method in Modern Social Practices. Proceedings of the XIX Vygotsky International Readings. Lev Publishing. ISSN 978-5-91914-043-6.
• Gudjónsdóttir, Hafdís; Wozniczka, Anna Katarzyna; Gísladóttir, Karen Rut; Lunneblad, Johannes; Odenbring, Ylva & Janhonen-Abruquah, Hille [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2018). The story of my teaching: Constructing learning spaces for diverse pupils. In Ragnarsdòttir, Hanna & Kulbrandstad, Lars Anders (Ed.), Learning spaces for inclusion and social justice. Success stories from four Nordic countries. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. ISSN 9781527514003. p. 153–175. Show summary

  his edited volume emanates from a Nordic research project which was conducted in Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden in 2013-2015. The main objective of the project was to draw lessons from success stories of individual immigrant students and whole school communities at different levels that have succeeded in developing learning contexts that are equitable and socially just, thus turning attention to good practices and what can be learnt from these. The book presents and discusses the main findings of the Learning Spaces project on the three school levels—pre-, compulsory and upper secondary—and contains chapters on research methodologies applied in the project, relevant educational policies, leadership and implementation of the project. While set in the Nordic context, this volume will serve to contribute to current global discussions around diversity and social justice in education. It will primarily appeal to educational practitioners and academics interested in issues of diversity in schools

• Skrefsrud, Thor Andre; Hellman, Anette; Lunneblad, Johannes & Ragnarsdòttir, Hanna (2018). Enhancing the professional development of teachers in three Nordic countries—Drawing lessons from research findings in spin-off activities. In Ragnarsdòttir, Hanna & Kulbrandstad, Lars Anders (Ed.), Learning spaces for inclusion and social justice. Success stories from four Nordic countries. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. ISSN 9781527514003. p. 217–238. Show summary

  his edited volume emanates from a Nordic research project which was conducted in Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden in 2013-2015. The main objective of the project was to draw lessons from success stories of individual immigrant students and whole school communities at different levels that have succeeded in developing learning contexts that are equitable and socially just, thus turning attention to good practices and what can be learnt from these. The book presents and discusses the main findings of the Learning Spaces project on the three school levels—pre-, compulsory and upper secondary—and contains chapters on research methodologies applied in the project, relevant educational policies, leadership and implementation of the project. While set in the Nordic context, this volume will serve to contribute to current global discussions around diversity and social justice in education. It will primarily appeal to educational practitioners and academics interested in issues of diversity in schools

• Skrefsrud, Thor Andre; Gísladóttir, Karen Rut; Gudjónsdóttir, Hafdís; Hellman, Anette; Layne, Heidi & Lunneblad, Johannes [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2018). Research Methodologies for a Culturally Diverse Educational Context. In Ragnarsdòttir, Hanna & Kulbrandstad, Lars Anders (Ed.), Learning spaces for inclusion and social justice. Success stories from four Nordic countries. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. ISSN 9781527514003. p. 95–119. Show summary

  his edited volume emanates from a Nordic research project which was conducted in Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden in 2013-2015. The main objective of the project was to draw lessons from success stories of individual immigrant students and whole school communities at different levels that have succeeded in developing learning contexts that are equitable and socially just, thus turning attention to good practices and what can be learnt from these. The book presents and discusses the main findings of the Learning Spaces project on the three school levels—pre-, compulsory and upper secondary—and contains chapters on research methodologies applied in the project, relevant educational policies, leadership and implementation of the project. While set in the Nordic context, this volume will serve to contribute to current global discussions around diversity and social justice in education. It will primarily appeal to educational practitioners and academics interested in issues of diversity in schools

• Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2018). Barriers to Intercultural Dialogue. Studies in Interreligious Dialogue. ISSN 0926-2326. 28(1), p. 43–57. doi: 10.0000/SID.28.1.3285343. Show summary

  This article addresses one of the most pressing obstacles to intercultural dialogue in European societies today: the tendency to view cultures as fixed entities, defining people as a unit, and distinguishing them from other groups of people. While the acceleration of international migration into and within Europe has enhanced peoples’ cosmopolitan outlooks, it has also led to cultural generalisations. Moreover, such understandings may promote and consolidate cultural stereotypes, which in turn makes intercultural interaction difficult, even counterproductive. Focusing on the very concept of dialogue, however, this article argues that concentrating on uniqueness and cultural essence is to overlook the porosity of boundaries and the creative potential of the cultural encounter.

• Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2018). Internasjonale perspektiver i pedagogikk og elevkunnskapsfaget. In Schjetne, Espen & Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (Ed.), Å være lærer i en mangfoldig skole: Kulturelt og religiøst mangfold, profesjonsverdier og verdigrunnlag. Gyldendal Akademisk. ISSN 9788205512252. p. 294–308.
• Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2018). Pedagogikk og elevkunnskap i en mangfoldig skole. In Schjetne, Espen & Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (Ed.), Å være lærer i en mangfoldig skole: Kulturelt og religiøst mangfold, profesjonsverdier og verdigrunnlag. Gyldendal Akademisk. ISSN 9788205512252. p. 22–38.
• Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2018). Inclusion of Newly Arrived Students: Why Different Introductory Models can be Successful Models. In Kulbrandstad, Lars Anders; Engen, Thor Ola & Lied, Sidsel (Ed.), Norwegian perspectives on education and cultural diversity. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. ISSN 9781527505872. p. 65–82.
• Dewilde, Joke; Kjørven, Ole Kolbjørn; Skaret, Anne & Skrefsrud, Thor-Andre (2018). International week in a Norwegian school. A qualitative study of the participant perspective. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research. ISSN 0031-3831. 62(3), p. 474–486. doi: 10.1080/00313831.2017.1306800. Full text in Research Archive
• Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2017). Les difficultés du dialogue interculturel. Lumen Vitae : Revue internationale de catéchèse et de pastorale. ISSN 0024-7324. 72(3), p. 309–324. doi: 10.2143/LV.72.3.3242675.

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• Nielsen, Sigurd Solhaug & Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2023). Folkemuseene i mangfoldige samfunn – publikums erfaringer av forskjellighet og tilhørighet. Oplandske Bokforlag. ISBN 978-82-7518-284-3. 326 p.
• Tavares, Vander & Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2023). Critical and Creative Engagements with Diversity in Nordic Education. Lexington Books. ISBN 9781666925852. 367 p. Show summary

  Teacher education in the Nordic European context continues to change rapidly in response to diversity. However, this context tends to receive less attention globally, despite being a part of the interconnected effort to prepare teachers and students for an increasingly complex and uncertain future. Against this backdrop, this volume presents timely research that identifies and critically explores some of the challenges and opportunities which researchers, educators, and teacher educators may encounter while working in culturally and linguistically diverse contexts of education in Nordic Europe. In doing so, this volume aims to contribute to the broader conversations about diversity and education on an international level, particularly those focused on how to improve and enhance teacher education through more inclusive, responsive, and social justice-oriented practices. Critical and Creative Engagements with Diversity in Nordic Education offers empirical, conceptual, and theoretical contributions on topics such as religion, gender and sex, language, culture, nationality, race, and ethnicity that reflect the experiences, concerns, and needs of both teachers and students from primary to higher and teacher education. By recognizing, promoting, and understanding the importance of diversity in the classroom, educators can contribute to the achievement of academic success of every student

• Faldet, Ann-Cathrin; Skrefsrud, Thor Andre & Somby, Hege Merete (2023). Læring i et Vygotsky-perspektiv. Muligheter og konsekvenser for opplæringen. Cappelen Damm Akademisk. ISBN 9788202811501. 243 p.
• Fuglseth, Kåre Sigvald & Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2021). Innføring i KRLE-didaktikk. Undervisning i religion, livssyn og etikk i et flerkulturelt samfunn. IKO-forlaget A/S. ISBN 978-82-8249-478-6. 288 p.
• Schjetne, Espen & Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2018). Å være lærer i en mangfoldig skole: Kulturelt og religiøst mangfold, profesjonsverdier og verdigrunnlag. Gyldendal Akademisk. ISBN 9788205512252. 312 p.
• Børresen, Beate; Hammer, Aina & Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2017). KRLE 5-7 Elevnettsted. Cappelen Damm AS. ISBN 9788202573379. 100 p.
• Børresen, Beate; Hammer, Aina & Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2017). KRLE 5-7 Digital (lærerlisens). Cappelen Damm AS. ISBN 9788202545772. 150 p.
• Børresen, Beate; Hammer, Aina & Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2017). KRLE-boka 5-7. Cappelen Damm AS. ISBN 9788202545741. 312 p.
• Børresen, Beate; Hammer, Aina & Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2017). KRLE-boka 5-7. Cappelen Damm AS. ISBN 9788202494957. 314 p.

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• Hustvedt, Marianne & Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2024). Public school and non-formal religious education - complementary or not? RE teachers' perspectives.
• Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2024). Transitions to upper secondary school - perspectives from the Norwegian context.
• Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2024). Panel - boklansering Folkemuseene i mangfoldige samfunn.
• Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2024). Panel discussion: What roles do values and culture play in achieving transformative learning for sustainable development, and how can we best integrate these perspectives into educational programmes?
• Jonsson, Susanne Gunvor & Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2024). RESPOND: Sustaining the professional development of teachers within schools as professional learning environments: Erfaringer fra et Erasmus+-prosjekt.
• Skrefsrud, Thor Andre; Iversen, Jonas Yassin & Massao , Prisca Bruno (2024). Forskning på mangfold i utdanning: Innlegg på Norsk studentorganisasjons ledersamling.
• Skrefsrud, Thor Andre & Tavares, Vander (2023). Introduction: Education for diversity in the Nordic context. In Tavares, Vander & Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (Ed.), Critical and Creative Engagements with Diversity in Nordic Education. Lexington Books. ISSN 9781666925852. p. xiii–xxiii. Show summary

  Teacher education in the Nordic European context continues to change rapidly in response to diversity. However, this context tends to receive less attention globally, despite being a part of the interconnected effort to prepare teachers and students for an increasingly complex and uncertain future. Against this backdrop, this volume presents timely research that identifies and critically explores some of the challenges and opportunities which researchers, educators, and teacher educators may encounter while working in culturally and linguistically diverse contexts of education in Nordic Europe. In doing so, this volume aims to contribute to the broader conversations about diversity and education on an international level, particularly those focused on how to improve and enhance teacher education through more inclusive, responsive, and social justice-oriented practices. Critical and Creative Engagements with Diversity in Nordic Education offers empirical, conceptual, and theoretical contributions on topics such as religion, gender and sex, language, culture, nationality, race, and ethnicity that reflect the experiences, concerns, and needs of both teachers and students from primary to higher and teacher education. By recognizing, promoting, and understanding the importance of diversity in the classroom, educators can contribute to the achievement of academic success of every student

• Hustvedt, Marianne; Kjørven, Ole Kolbjørn & Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2023). Religious Education in Diverse Contexts: School Leaders’ Understanding of Religious Diversity and Interconnections between Non-formal and Formal Religious Education.
• Skrefsrud, Thor Andre & Tavares, Vander (2023). Reflecting on the Potential of Experiential Education in a Museum to Enhance Student Teachers’ Intercultural Knowledge of Roma Peoples.
• Faldet, Ann-Cathrin; Skrefsrud, Thor Andre & Somby, Hege Merete (2023). Forord. In Faldet, Ann-Cathrin; Skrefsrud, Thor Andre & Somby, Hege Merete (Ed.), Læring i et Vygotsky-perspektiv. Muligheter og konsekvenser for opplæringen. Cappelen Damm Akademisk. ISSN 9788202811501. p. 7–8. doi: 10.23865/noasp.191.
• Faldet, Ann-Cathrin; Skrefsrud, Thor Andre & Somby, Hege Merete (2023). Vygotsky i forskning og praksis: Hvorfor rette blikket mot et sosiokulturelt læringssyn? In Faldet, Ann-Cathrin; Skrefsrud, Thor Andre & Somby, Hege Merete (Ed.), Læring i et Vygotsky-perspektiv. Muligheter og konsekvenser for opplæringen. Cappelen Damm Akademisk. ISSN 9788202811501. p. 9–18. doi: 10.23865/noasp.191.ch1.
• Skrefsrud, Thor Andre & Kjørven, Ole Kolbjørn (2023). Bruk og betydning av mat i flerkulturelle arrangement.
• Somby, Hege Merete; Skrefsrud, Thor Andre; Faldet, Ann-Cathrin; Stalheim, Odd Rune & Parish, Karen (2022). VR Simulation as a Learning Method for Pre-Service Teachers.
• Faldet, Ann-Cathrin; Iversen, Jonas Yassin; Skrefsrud, Thor Andre & Somby, Hege Merete (2022). Understandings of ‘Learning Barriers’ in International Research: A Systematic Review.
• Moe, Erlend ; Iamroz, Olena; Randen, Gunhild Tveit & Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2022). Nå kommer de ukrainske elevene. [Internet]. HINNs nettside.
• Moe, Erlend ; Iamroz, Olena; Randen, Gunhild Tveit & Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2022). Hvordan kan vi best møte de ukrainske flyktning­barna i skolen? [Internet]. Forskning.no.
• Randen, Gunhild Tveit & Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2022). Slik kan skolen hjelpe elever fra Ukraina. Avisa Vårt land. p. 16–17.
• Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2021). Innføringsklasser eller direkte integrering på trinn? Inkluderende innføringsmodeller for nyankomne minoritetselever.
• Skrefsrud, Thor Andre & Larsen, Noorit (2021). Hvordan vi bruker metaforer endrer hvordan vi ser verden. [Internet]. Høgskolen i Innlandet.
• Faldet, Ann-Cathrin; Iversen, Jonas Yassin; Skrefsrud, Thor Andre & Somby, Hege Merete (2021). Understandings of ‘Learning Barriers’ in International Research: A Systematic Review.
• Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2021). Bokanmeldelse av Urfolk og nasjonale minoriteter i skole og lærerutdanning. Prismet. ISSN 0032-8847. 72(3), p. 268–270.
• Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2021). Læreverk gir ikke hele bildet. Avisa Vårt land. Show summary

  Et læreverk kan ikke gi det fullstendige bildet, verken av jødisk liv og historie eller annet. Derfor må lærere utvikle en kritisk forståelse for makten som ligger i lærebøkene.

• Larsen, Noorit & Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2021). How we use metaphors changes how we see the world. [Business/trade/industry journal]. ScienceNorway.
• Massao, Prisca Bruno; Andersen, Camilla Eline; Fylkesnes, Sandra; Vibeto, Håvard Andreas; Klausen, Siri Wieberg & Haug, Inger Mokkelbost [Show all 12 contributors for this article] (2021). Det er på høy tid å forske på rase og rasisme i lærerutdanningene, Søberg. Nettavisen. Show summary

  https://www.nettavisen.no/norsk-debatt/det-er-pa-hoy-tid-a-forske-pa-rase-og-rasisme-i-larerutdanningene-soberg/o/5-95-286058

• Skrefsrud, Thor Andre; Faldet, Ann-Cathrin & Somby, Hege Merete (2021). Digital simulation of home-school collaboration - exploring the pedagogical potential of pre-service teachers engagement with virtual-reality technology in a Vygotskyan perspective.
• Frydenlund, Silje; Grande, Per Bjørnar & Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2021). Bruken av lærebøker i KRLE. In Fuglseth, Kåre Sigvald & Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (Ed.), Innføring i KRLE-didaktikk. Undervisning i religion, livssyn og etikk i et flerkulturelt samfunn. IKO-forlaget A/S. ISSN 978-82-8249-478-6. p. 149–155. Show summary

  Læreboka har en sentral plass i undervisningen i KRLE-faget. Selv om dagens lærere i KRLE benytter en rekke andre lære- og hjelpemidler, som nettbrett, digitale tavler, film og nettressurser, viser forskning at læreboka fortsatt står sterkt. For deg som lærer er det nødvendig å ha et reflektert forhold til bruken av læreboka. Det gjelder hvilke utfordringer og muligheter som bruken av læreboka bringer med seg i KRLE-undervisningen, og hva som er viktig å reflektere over og vurdere når det gjelder valg av læreverk.

• Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2021). KRLE-lærere og det flerkulturelle klasserommet. In Fuglseth, Kåre Sigvald & Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (Ed.), Innføring i KRLE-didaktikk. Undervisning i religion, livssyn og etikk i et flerkulturelt samfunn. IKO-forlaget A/S. ISSN 978-82-8249-478-6. p. 123–139. Show summary

  Det flerkulturelle klasserommet er arenaen for læreres undervisning i KRLE. Kapittelet viser hvordan det norske samfunnet har en lang tradisjon for flerkulturelt fellesskap, et fellesskap som i dag preges av en økende kompleksitet og et enda større mangfold i mangfoldet. Videre identifiseres sentrale sider ved KRLE-lærerens kompetanse i å møte det kulturelle mangfoldet på, omtalt som lærerens mangfoldskompetanse. I dette inngår både pedagogisk kunnskap, ferdigheter til å sette disse kunnskapene ut i praksis og utviklingen av en anerkjennende holdning til flerkulturelt mangfold. Lærere i det flerkulturelle klasserommet skal bidra til elevenes dobbeltkvalifisering, det vil si å kvalifisere for deltakelse og arbeid i et samfunn i stadig endring, samtidig som elevens hjemmebakgrunn ivaretas og styrkes som en ressurs.

• Skrefsrud, Thor Andre & Fuglseth, Kåre Sigvald (2021). Invitasjon til KRLE-didaktikk. In Fuglseth, Kåre Sigvald & Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (Ed.), Innføring i KRLE-didaktikk. Undervisning i religion, livssyn og etikk i et flerkulturelt samfunn. IKO-forlaget A/S. ISSN 978-82-8249-478-6. p. 10–18. Show summary

  Med utgangspunkt i den didaktiske relasjonsmodellen presenterer kapittelet grunnleggende sider ved KRLE-fagets didaktikk. De ulike kapitlene i boka ses i lys av didaktiske kategorier som mål, rammefaktorer, læreforutsetninger, læringsaktiviteter og vurdering. Kapittelet er en invitasjon og faglig introduksjon til innholdet i boka og gir en oversikt over perspektivene som boka presenterer.

• Fuglseth, Kåre Sigvald & Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2021). Forord. In Fuglseth, Kåre Sigvald & Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (Ed.), Innføring i KRLE-didaktikk. Undervisning i religion, livssyn og etikk i et flerkulturelt samfunn. IKO-forlaget A/S. ISSN 978-82-8249-478-6. p. 3–3.
• Dewilde, Joke; Kjørven, Ole Kolbjørn; Skrefsrud, Thor Andre & Lien, Silje Josten (2021). - Skaper tilhørighet: Forskning: Stoppested verden under forskernes lupe fra en gul campingvogn. [Newspaper]. Hamar arbeiderblad. Show summary

  Over flere år fulgte forskerne arrangementer med mangfold i sentrum. En del av motivasjonen var å nyansere bildet som forskningslitteraturen ga.

• Ringlund, Ole Martin & Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2021). Verdt å stoppe ved Stoppested Verden-festivalen. [Internet]. Høgskolen i Innlandet.
• Dewilde, Joke; Kjørven, Ole Kolbjørn; Skrefsrud, Thor Andre & Lien, Silje Josten (2021). Forskerne brukte denne campingvogna ute i felten til sine undersøkelser. [Newspaper]. Hamar Arbeiderblad.
• Erdal, Marta Bivand; Aschim, Anders; Kjørven, Ole Kolbjørn & Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2020). Facilitating conviviality, managing difference: Corpus Christi processions in Norwegian cities.
• Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2020). Identitetsfortellinger på utstilling: læringspotensialet i "MEG - jeg vil fortelle deg noe".
• Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2020). The Buber-Levinas Controversy on Ethical Responsibility for the Other.
• Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2019). Flerkulturelle arrangement i skole og lokalsamfunn.
• Kjørven, Ole Kolbjørn; Skrefsrud, Thor Andre & Dewilde, Joke (2019). Å utforske en urfolksstand på en internasjonal barnefestival.
• Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2019). Encountering the Other: On Levinas's Critique of Buber and Buber's Response.
• Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2019). Religion, livssyn og etikk i PEL-faget: Hvordan styrke den flerkulturelle lærerkompetansen. Bedre Skole. ISSN 0802-183X. 31(2), p. 48–51.
• Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2019). Creating Spaces for Dialogue. How to Recognize Differences without Reinforcing Otherness.
• Dewilde, Joke; Kjørven, Ole Kolbjørn; Skrefsrud, Thor Andre & Sæther, Elin (2018). Researching young people's voices at an international children and youth festival. Developing participant- and context-sensitive methodology through "My Memory App".
• Faldet, Ann-Cathrin & Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2018). The reception of Vygotsky's sociocultural theory in pedagogical literature Norwegian teacher education.
• Dewilde, Joke; Kjørven, Ole Kolbjørn & Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2018). Multicultural school celebrations: Investigating transnational representations in an international school event in Norway. Show summary

  General description on research questions, objectives and theoretical framework: In the proposed paper, we report on a case study of an international school event in a Norwegian primary school. The event is a two-hour festival that gathers the whole school, parents and also other people affiliated with the school. At the event a number of nations and cultures are represented by posters, traditional foods, costumes and folkdances. Moreover, exhibition stands representing different nations are set up, where traditional food is served by parents or others representing the country. In this paper, we focus on the Kurdish stand, exploring how Kurdish minority identity is constructed in the event. The paper addresses the following research questions: • To what extent and in what way do minority representations feature dynamic, hybrid, interconnected, and spatial signs? • What can these representations tell us about multicultural events? Our study is part of a larger project on multicultural school and community events conducted by a research team from two universities in Norway. The study explores an internationally widespread, yet understudied educational practice of multicultural celebrations in school and communities. Such multicultural events are designed as a response to the call for diverse and inclusive initiatives to facilitate learning, belonging, and cohesion in schools and in local communities. Interestingly, while school and society see these events as helping further inclusion, prior research on the subject has criticized such events for promoting essentialist understandings of cultural identities, and hence functioning counterproductively with regard to the proclaimed aim of inclusion (Øzerk, 2008; Hoffman, 1996). In the project, we argue that this research, which is predominantly theory-driven, brings forward superficial understandings of the events and of multicultural educational practices more in general. In particular, this research has directed scarce attention to the participants’ perspectives and especially to the experiences of the minorities in these events. Theoretically, we draw on Steven Vertovec’s (2009) concept of “transnationalism”. As processes of globalization and changing patterns of migration create complex multicultural communities throughout Norway and the rest of Europe, cultural, linguistic, and religious identities of young people of migrant heritage in Norway are no longer necessarily tied to the nation-state. Rather, cultural traditions travel and transcend traditional borders, allowing individuals and diasporic groups to retain affiliation to national heritage in multiple ways. Hence, multicultural school events can be characterized as “contact zones,” as places where “cultures meet, clash, and grapple with each other” (Pratt, 1991, p. 34), and where the participants’ cultural, linguistic, and religious backgrounds interact in new and unexpected ways (Meissner & Vertovec, 2015; Welsch, 1999). The concept of transnationalism thus refers to the increasing changes in “cross-border relationships, patterns of exchange, affiliations and social formations” (Vertovec, 2009, p. 2) that characterises multicultural communities throughout Norway as well as in the rest of Europe. Applying this trans-lens, helps us see the dynamic, hybrid, interconnected, and spatial features of the representations present in the multicultural school event, thus adding another layer of complexity, which previous research has not addressed.

• Dewilde, Joke; Iversen, Jonas & Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2018). Hamar-skolens opplæring av nyankomne. Hamar arbeiderblad.
• Schjetne, Espen & Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2018). Mangfoldig skole - bred kompetanse. In Schjetne, Espen & Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (Ed.), Å være lærer i en mangfoldig skole: Kulturelt og religiøst mangfold, profesjonsverdier og verdigrunnlag. Gyldendal Akademisk. ISSN 9788205512252. p. 11–20.
• Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2018). Intercultural learning. Exploring encounters in diversity.
• Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2017). Frédérique Brossard Børhaug & Ingrid Helleve (Red.) 2016. Interkulturell pedagogikk som motkraft – i en monokulturell praksis. Bergen: Fagbokforlaget. Prismet. ISSN 0032-8847. 68(4), p. 356–358.
• Kjørven, Ole Kolbjørn & Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2017). Markeringsdager i skolen i et flerkulturelt samfunn.
• Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2017). Insider research in teacher education: Enhancing teacher educators’ multicultural awareness through shared reflections.
• Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2017). Skolen og radikalisering. Avisa Vårt land. p. 15–15.
• Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2024). Multicultural School Events as Rituals. Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion.
• Iversen, Jonas Yassin; Dewilde, Joke & Skrefsrud, Thor Andre (2020). Pre-service teachers’ first encounter with multilingualism in field placement. Høgskolen i Innlandet. ISSN 978-82-8380-200-9.

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