Gemini Centre OppInk - inclusive school and childhood

Kindergarten and school are important collective arenas in upbringing. Both can be interpreted as cooperating communities of internal and external participants who jointly shape the environment in the kindergarten and education system for pupils. A kindergarten is not simply play. School is not simply education. At their best, both kindergarten and school are arenas for recognition and mastering, friendship and learning.

Kindergartens can face challenges in creating inclusive practices and organisation of specialist pedagogical help. Schools can face challenges associated with the experience of a lack of belonging, skewed apportioning of resources and outcomes. Both arenas can have organisational and systemic limitations. Kindergartens and schools are both key institutions in a welfare state; however, they also use the services of the welfare state as a safety valve. In a social inclusion perspective, kindergartens and schools thereby find themselves at the core of children's upbringing. To understand the challenges faced by children at kindergarten and school we need multi-disciplinary vision and cooperation. Also within research.

 

Vision for OppInk: To develop an international, outstanding research and innovation environment that will help to resolve local and national challenges in kindergartens, schools and upbringing.

Participants at the centre - a range of specialist environments involved

The participants at the Centre come from NTNU Social Research. NTNU and SINTEF. At NTNU Social Research, the Department for Diversity and Inclusion are participants. The department has schools, education and inclusion as one of its principal areas, in addition to extensive research into child welfare and minority perspectives. At NTNU, the Department of Teacher Education (ILU), the Department of Sociology and Political Science (ISS), and the Department of Social Work are participating. At the Faculty for Medicine and Health Sciences, the Department of Mental Health (IPH) is participating. At SINTEF Digital, the Department of Technology Management and the Department of Health Research - which among other things has expertise within technology-supported learning, cooperation between vocations and business, person-centric design processes and public health. Trondheim municipality and Queen Maud University College are associated with the centre as partners.