From August to November 2023 Gwen Mutolwa, Christine Georg Mwanza and Wise Mwelwa visited PROFF and Hamar: "We are going back to Zambia so enriched with research and academic analytical skills"
Since 2017, 14 PhD students from University of Zambia has visited PROFF as part of the collaborative NORPART project between University of Zambia and INN. The project is called Literacy and education in mulitlingual settings. From August to November 2023 Gwen Mutolwa, Christine Georg Mwanza and Wise Mwelwa, visited PROFF and Hamar.
Summing up their stay, they write:
"Our quest for enhanced wealth of knowledge in a diverse international outlook especially regarding analytical skills and research techniques and approaches much needed in our ever-evolving society motivated us to seek for such a rare opportunity of being guest students at PROFF. During our 3 months stay at INN, we attended the following courses: Digitalization and Practices of inclusion, Introduction to qualitative and quantitative research studies, Multicultural Pedagogy in Kindergarten, School and Teacher Education and library course. We are going back to Zambia so enriched with research and academic analytical skills, research collaboration strategies, renewed educational pedagogies with great exposure to digitalization, the much needed skills in today’s global village context."
Their PhD projects are as follows:
- Christine Mwanza: Indigenous Philosophies and the School Curriculum: An analysis of the Representation and Integration of Indigenous Knowledge and Pedagogies in the Zambian School curriculum
- Wise Mwelwa: Analysing the balance of power in the teaching of grade 10 English in multilingual classrooms
- Gwen Mutolwa: Teachers' application of the Communicative Methodology in the Teaching of English grammar in multilingual classrooms
Delphine Franco spent two months as a guest PhD student in Hamar in 2023: "It was undoubtedly my colleagues at INN who made my time in Hamar truly wonderful"
Why did you want to be a guest PhD student at PROFF?
The main goal of my research stay was to learn from and exchange experiences about the design and implementation of virtual reality simulations in teacher education. After some e-conversations with Karen Parish, I knew INN was the place to be to enhance my knowledge on this topic. In addition, the timing was perfect for witnessing first-hand the implementation of the dialogue simulator, which focuses on parent-teacher conversations. In addition, I also wanted to learn more about the highly regarded Norwegian educational system. And what better way to do that than by visiting it in person?
What academic program did you have during your stay?
I took part in the first two seminars that were part of a PhD course in teacher education. Furthermore, I took the B.6 - Writing for publication – course and attended a ‘how to publish’-session organised by Pamela Helder where I also met Susan Nacey. While each of these three courses/seminars/lectures focused on different topics, they provided me with a wealth of valuable insights that I can apply to elevate the quality of my dissertation.
Other experiences in Hamar?
Although the snow, ice, and cold initially took me by surprise and limited my mobility, Hamar gradually won my heart. Besides the beautiful and tranquil Lake Mjøsa, the lovely city library, the cosy dining, coffee, and drinking establishments, and the 'touristy' spots, it was undoubtedly my colleagues at INN who made my time in Hamar truly wonderful. I had numerous enjoyable formal and informal conversations, was taken along to formal and informal gatherings and events, and could count on a friendly word or a smile every day, even though I'm not fluent in the language. This experience and the city itself will forever hold a special place in my heart.
What do you do now?
I am currently in the final stages of completing my doctoral dissertation, with plans to defend it in a few months. Additionally, I continue to serve as a teaching assistant at the Department of Educational Sciences at Ghent University. However, due to the demands of the dissertation's finalization, my teaching responsibilities have been temporarily reduced.
Looking back: How can a stay like this benefit the PhD work and your career?
In addition to the substantive value this stay had on my research itself, which I referred to earlier, this stay has also broadened my international focus and perspectives on education worldwide. This international outlook has put certain matters into greater perspective and has contributed to a more open-minded view on a variety of themes. Daring to step out of your comfort zone and temporarily live in a country and stay at a university where you don't speak the native language presents certain challenges and encourages a more problem-solving mindset. It undoubtedly contributes to a greater level of independence as well.
Chiara Astrid Gebbia spent three months as a guest PhD student in Hamar in 2019: "I knew PROFF was the place to go to be able to craft my research in a more robust way"
Chiara Astrid Gebbia was a guest PhD student at PROFF for three months during the spring semester 2019 travelling on a Erasmus+ grant. Chiara defended her thesis Metaphors and Lexis: from a Cognitive Approach in Translation to the EFL Classroom in June 2020 at Universities of Palermo and Catania, Italy.
Why did you want to be a guest PhD student at PROFF?
My main reason for a PhD stay at PROFF was to refine my knowledge in metaphor and English language teaching. After meeting Susan Nacey at the Metaphor Festival in Amsterdam, I knew PROFF was the place to go to be able to craft my research in a more robust way.
I also wanted the opportunity to confront myself with a foreign environment. Coming from Sicily, Norway was the most different experience I could dream of.
What academic program did you have during your stay?
I attended the PhD course The Professional Focus of Teacher Education Subjects (6 ETCS). It opened a wide range of possibilities for possible future research in Teacher Education. At the end of the course, we also presented a paper to put into practice what we learned. It is so that I got acquainted with the wonderful world of teachers’ narratives. “Metaphors in Teachers' narratives: Paradoxes and Struggles of a Profession” was, indeed, the title of my essay.
Other experiences in Hamar?
Besides enriching my professional background, spending three months in Hamar in the middle of the harshest of winters for a Sicilian was a wonderful personal experience. I had never thought that Norwegians would turn into such amazing dancers to walk on frozen streets. To my surprise, in Norway the sun takes so long to set that you are gifted with several minutes to enjoy the beautiful colors on the Mjøsa. Being surrounded by such wonderful nature definitely improved the quality of my work. Social life played a huge part too. I was lucky to meet precious friends who made me feel at home.
What do you do now?
I am currently a postdoctoral research fellow in Cognitive Translation at the University of Agder, also in Norway. My previous experience in Hamar, which provided me with a better knowledge of metaphor translation and of the country, was most probably determining in getting this prestigious and rewarding position in another wonderful part of the country.
Looking back: How can a stay like this benefit the PhD work and your career?
Without the supervision of Juliet Munden, and especially of Susan Nacey, I would not be the researcher that I am now. They taught me what a PhD really means and how to structure solid research. They did so by posing challenging questions that pushed me to think differently, in a very constructive way.
Fríða Bjarney Jónsdóttir has visited Hamar as a guest PhD student twice, in 2018 and 2022: "Even though both visits were short, I participated in doctoral symposiums, enjoyed reciprocal discussions with colleagues, introduced my research project and gave a lecture about the Icelandic preschool system to teacher students".
Fríða Bjarney Jónsdóttir has been a guest PhD student at PROFF in two periods of two weeks, spring 2018 and autumn 2022. Fríða works at the Department of Education and Youth in Reykjavík, directing the Centre for Innovation in Education, while she is also a PhD student at University of Iceland with the PhD project: Give wings to voices; The preschool as a just learning space for communication and understanding.
Fríða writes:
"Being a guest PhD student at PROFF provided me with invaluable opportunity to meet colleagues sharing the same research interest: preschool education and multilingual children. One of my supervisors is Lars Anders Kulbrandstad emeritus Professor at INN. He has been very generous introducing me to his colleagues at the university and that has resulted in a wonderful network of researchers and friends from Hamar and beyond.
Staying in Hamar through different phases of my project provided me with the opportunity to learn from academic work of researchers from similar research field. Even though both visits were short, I participated in doctoral symposiums, enjoyed reciprocal discussions with colleagues, introduced my research project and gave a lecture about the Icelandic preschool system to teacher students. Furthermore, I enjoyed the wonderful facilities at INN and got valuable time to focus on my project away from personal and work duties back home.
Elaine Millar from Universidad de Cantabria in Spain was a digital guest PhD student at PROFF during the COVID pandemic in 2021: "Not even a global health pandemic could prevent Susan Nacey from welcoming me into the fold of INN!"
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Elaine is a PhD candidate at Universidad de Cantabria in Spain with the PhD project Exploring Linguistic Research Influence in Mainstream English Language Teaching: The Case of Multi-Word Verbs.
Why did you want to be a digital guest PhD student at PROFF?
I’m interested in the role of metaphor in English language education, and while reading for my thesis, my supervisor Julia Williams-Camus introduced me to the work of Susan Nacey. I was keen to learn more about Susan’s research, and we arranged for me to visit INN University as a guest PhD student. Unfortunately, COVID-19 meant that the research stay had to be transformed into an online placement, but it turned out that not even a global health pandemic could prevent Susan from welcoming me into the fold of INN! Over the three months, I received supervision, attended courses, and participated in digital activities with PROFF’s research groups (English Language in Use and Language Teaching and Learning in Multilingual Contexts).
What academic program did you have during your three months?
I took a 6 ECTS credit course which forms part of the INN specialized doctoral program in teaching and teacher education: The professional focus of teacher education subjects. It helped me to expand my knowledge in topics related to evidence-based practice, knowledge about language, and subject content for English language education.
What do you do now?
I work as a teaching assistant at Universidad de Cantabria, and I will be defending my thesis very shortly
Looking back: How can a digital stay like this benefit the PhD work and your career?
I learned a great deal about metaphor and Nordic perspectives on educational themes. I also got to meet some wonderful people. This was really motivating and helped me approach my thesis in a way that would not have been likely otherwise.
INN University and international exchange
On our website, you can find pages for international students, information about educational exchange, and contact information to our international coordinators.