A visit to Nord University in Bodø, Norway under the Erasmus+ Mobility for Teaching Mobility for Higher Education
Dr Josephine Deguara
Dr Josephine Deguara is a senior lecturer at the Department of Early Childhood and Primary Education, Faculty of Education, University of Malta.
Introduction
In February, 2023, I was invited to Nord University in Bodø, Norway, under the Erasmus+ Staff Mobility for Teaching Mobility for Higher Education programme. This programme, which supports teaching periods at higher education institutions (HEIs) abroad, is open to EU Member States like Malta, and members of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) which are members of the European Economic Area (EEA), such as Norway. As an academic from the Department of Early Childhood and Primary Education within the Faculty of Education, University of Malta, I was invited by the Faculty of Education, Arts and Culture at Nord University to hold lectures with undergraduate and postgraduate students, visit schools, and hold meetings with different members of staff.
My visit was facilitated by a dear, Norwegian friend of mine who is also an academic member of staff at Nord University. We got to know each other during our Master’s studies. She not only helped to create a programme for my stay, coordinate my lectures and meetings, and organise visits to schools, but also developed a social programme, drove me to places, cooked typical Norwegian food for me, and helped me to get to know and experience the Norwegian way of living. Thank you Anne Grethe.
The Cultural Aspect
Bodø: A town in the Northern region of Norway
Bodø is a city in the Nordland region of Norway with a population of around 50,000 people. Going around Bodø city centre and harbour, with a walk on the pier, is an experience in itself, especially when the roads are heavy with snow. The waves from the harbour, the large fishing boats coming and going, the ferry to the Lofoten islands, and the gushing of the cold wind making howling sounds against the boats’ masts, provide a sensory spectacle.
Situated north of the Arctic Circle, Bodø provides the possibility to experience the magical Aurora Borealis (Northern lights) on clear skies between September and April.
Fishing is one of the main industries in the Nord region and forms an integral part of their way of life. They fish mainly for cod but also for some other species; however, they do so in a very sustainable way. One can constantly see fishing boats coming in and out of Bodø harbour.
Norway has two official languages: Norwegian and Sámi. Norwegian, which is closely related to Danish and Swedish, is the most language spoken. There are two separate types of Norwegian: New Norwegian and Old Norwegian which are both widely used.
The Sámi people are indigenous to Nordland, northern Norway (but they also live in Sweden, Finland and even in Russia). The Sámi population counts 80,000 people with more than half of them living in Norway. Traditionally, the Sámi people pursued different trades for income including fishing, sheep herding, fur trapping and reindeer herding. There are nine different Sámi languages.
The weather
It was my first time in Bodø and my first experience living so high up, above the Arctic Circle. The weather changes very rapidly in Bodø. Fifteen minutes before landing, the pilot of the plane communicated that he was informed that there was quite a strong wind in Bodø, and therefore, we should brace ourselves for some turbulence. But the turbulence never came, and when we got down the plane, there was no hint of wind. I thought that there was some form of miscommunication. One afternoon, we were in Saltsraumen, a place outside Bodø. The day was beautiful: the sun was out. At one point, the wind began to increase very rapidly, and clouds began to appear very quickly out of nowhere and filled the sky. Soon it was raining and we had to run for shelter. This happened in less than half an hour. It was then that I understood how fast the weather can change in Bodø … and I understood that there was no miscommunication between the pilot of the plane and the control tower on our landing.
During the second week of my stay, snow was everywhere and at times it snowed up to 23cm of snow. When it snowed, the landscape changed drastically. The same places wouldn’t be recognisable. I learned that there are different types of snow: wet snow, powdery snow, light snow, slush snow; coming from a hot country where it never snows, it did not occur to me that there could be so many different types of snow.
Clothing
Clothing is a big part of everyday life in Norway. As the saying goes, “There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes”; and it is very true. By the time I left Bodø I hadn’t really figured out how to dress well for both the outdoors and indoors. There were times when I still felt cold outside; and sweaty inside – finding a good balance and identifying suitable clothes depending on the weather, was not easy.
Memorable places visited
Saltstraumen
One of the first places I visited was Slatsraumen: the world’s strongest tidal currents. Situated about 10 km outside of Bodø, the narrow water channels connect the Saltfjorden and the larger Skjerstad Fjord. More than 400 million cubic metres of water pass through a narrow straight that is 3km long and 150 metres wide, at a high speed. I walked along the Saltsraumen coast, up the small lighthouse looking at the impressive water currents. I also walked up the bridge and looked down to see a bird’s eye view of the currents. I also bought Artic salt from there, made from the water of Salstraumen… it is one of the clearest and whitest salts I have ever seen. A memorable encounter with crude nature.
The Jektamuseum
The Jekt Trade Museum in Bodø is also worth a visit. It is a maritime and historical museum that reflects a story of fishing, trade and Norwegian lifestyle of the past. Large open vessels were used to fish and transport products such as dried fish, cod liver oil and herring to other, more southerner ports in Norway, to be then exported to countries around the world. The museum holds the last remaining traditional Norwegian cargo vessel, the Jekt Anna Karoline, built in 1876. It is impressive to see.
The bibliotek (public library)
One of the most impressive places in Bodø city and overlooking the harbour, is the Bibliotek. It is a very well-resourced public library with books neatly displayed. But what is more important is the way the library is used. Besides writing at a table or reading a book on a sofa, one can participate in a number of activities that are held regularly on a daily basis, including art exhibitions, reading sessions for young children, “Knit and listen” sessions where the librarians read from a book while the people listen and knit, digital evenings, where children and youths play computer games, listening to interesting debates as well as attending small performances. There is also a cafe within the premises. All this reflects a community that has a love and respect for books and reading. While in Bodø, I attended a debate organised by Nord University in collaboration with other entities; it was a pleasure even if I didn’t understand the language.
The Academic aspect
Nord University
Nord University is a state university, that has a number of campuses in the Nordland and Central regions of Norway, including in Bodø, where the main campus is. 11,000 students attend Nord University which offers over 180 programmes in different disciplines including teacher education, acquaculture and business education. Around 3,500 students, attend courses organised by the Faculty of Education and Arts, making it the largest faculty.
Academic Encounters
During my stay I held a number of lectures with Initial Teacher Education undergraduate and postgraduate students about teaching and learning in early childhood. I held lectures about early childhood education in Malta, play and pedagogy, doing research with young children, and using drawings as a methodological tool for data analysis. These were enriched through our discussions about the different practices in both countries. I also attended lectures given by Norwegian lecturers to undergraduate students, to help me acquire new knowledge and skills about teaching at a Higher Institution.
I also attended a number of meetings with officials from the Faculty of Education and Arts to discuss future collaboration between the two faculties. I also contributed to a number of research meetings held with different members of the Department of Kindergarten Teacher Education and the Faculty of Education and Arts at Nord University. During one of these meetings, I shared and discussed the research findings of the five reports of the Cov-EM study conducted by the Early Childhood and Primary Education (ECPE) Research Groupwithin the Department of Early Childhood and Primary Education, University of Malta. In turn, I was briefed about a study conducted by the Research Group with the Department of Kindergarten Teacher Education about the effects of the pandemic on kindergarten educators.
Visits to kindergarten and school settings
As part of my visit, I also visited a kindergarten school outside Bodø where I was shown around the school, and was briefed about the activities they do. I also had the opportunity to observe the children during their outdoor play. As part of the kindergarten programme I was taken to a farm school. Children attend this farm school, once a week where they are encouraged to clean and feed the animals (pigs, horses, sheep, rabbits and hens), groom the horses and do other related activities. At 5 or 6 years of age, the children looked very confident around animals and were used to getting their hands dirty. On the day of my visit, the children were also taken to a barn on the farm where they were shown authentic Lofoten traditional boats. The fishing season at the Lofoten Islands is going to start soon, and in preparation, the farmer showed the boats to the children, explained how and why they are used, and their uniqueness. Thus, contextualised and hands-on learning is promoted. The farm also had an open kindergarten. Paid by the state, stay-at-home parents who do not have their children enrolled in kindergarten settings, can come to this setting to play with other children. They can also visit the animals, and lend a hand on the farm.
I also visited a primary and secondary school. There were several factors that stood out to me during this visit:
- Space: The classrooms are spacious with a number of rooms assigned for almost every cohort. For example, besides their main classes, the two Year 1 classes had access to common room equipped with additional chairs and tables, a sofa and kitchen as well as toys and other resources, which could be used by the educators and children for different activities and reasons as the need arises. They also had a number of other adjacent smaller rooms which they could make use of accordingly. This is in contrast to the primary classrooms in Malta where one room is assigned to one class.
- No boundary wall: Unlike all the schools in my country, this school did not have a boundary wall and/or gate.
- The playground: The outdoor space not only was huge, but children were left free to roam around, run, climb trees, and slide down snow slopes. Outdoor space is limited in Malta. Besides, such activities as climbing trees are not allowed.
What stood out for me
This experience helped me grow at several levels.
I learned about the Norwegian education system and what they value: I experienced their trust and respect towards children; the well-being of children and that of the educators are considered more important than academic content. They allow children the space to be children.
I networked and made new connections where I built relationships with colleagues from Nord University at a personal and professional level.
I learned more about the Norwegian way of life, appreciated nature, beauty, stillness and solitude, and appreciated and understood how to live a sustainable lifestyle.
Above all, I learned to appreciate my validity as an academic, researcher and educator.
Truly a learning experience.
