Eevi E. Beck

On the margins of the Information Society: A comparative study of mediation

While much has been written about marginalization as a structural phenomenon, there is little understanding of how the dynamics of marginalization unfold at the micro level in urban contexts. We seek to understand these micro-level marginalization processes via a comparative study of Bangalore, India, and Ronneby, Sweden. Our analysis highlights the important role that “mediators” such as governmental agencies, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and international agencies play in ensuring the success of initiatives launched by national governments and international agencies for drawing disadvantaged groups into the information society.

Learning management systems: the need for critical analyses

Learning management systems (LMSs) are receiving much attention in Nordic education. While they undoubtedly provide opportunities for educational innovations and can efficiently facilitate distance education, the enthusiasm can mask problematic consequences or preconditions which in effect sift out who may become included and who cannot. This paper points to a range of such difficulties and argues the need for voicing critical perspectives.

When mere knowledge is not enough: the potential of bildung as self-determination, co-determination and solidarity

How can higher education educate graduates who know more than ‘just knowledge’? Such an education includes developing in students an awareness of the limits of their knowledge, an ability to discern what kinds of knowledge are appropriate in a given situation and a sensitivity to different forms of knowing. When is scientific rigour appropriate and when is another type of knowing appropriate? When should one set aside own preferences in favour of the needs of others? This paper rethinks ‘bildung’ as a source of ideas on aims for teaching students. Making the arguably ephemeral ideal of bildung work in practice can be an obstacle. This paper, however, takes it as a positive challenge, exploring ways in which bildung might be appropriate in professional education. If bildung can be helpful even within this most applied part of higher education, implications in terms of the development of more readily applicable and fully inclusive notions of bildung would benefit not only professional education but also higher education more generally. Drawing on work by Wolfgang Klafki, the authors argue the value of updated notions of bildung. Klafkis three-part conception of bildung as self-determination, co-determination and solidarity helps reconnect the importance of personal development with that of peer communities (e.g., professional bodies) and action for others. Klafkis framework facilitates working with ethical-epistemological questions such as these.

Educating for Professional Responsibility: From Critical Thinking to Deliberative Communication, or Why Critical Thinking Is Not Enough

Complexity and challenges characterise twenty-first century western democratic societies, and our everyday lives are highly dependent on well-qualified professionals. We need to trust that professionals perform in a competent and responsible way within the uncertainty of current societies and work life. Realising this calls for deliberate professionals who are able to understand and cope with the unforeseen. Thus, students in higher education qualifying for work must not only learn and critically evaluate the knowledge of their profession, but also develop an awareness of the relationship between theoretical knowledge, practical skills, and the moral and social dimensions and implications of and in professional work. To develop the capacity needed, critical thinking is often referred to as an important learning outcome of higher education. In this chapter, we review the ways in which different meanings of critical thinking are articulated within some of the highly ranked research literature on higher education. We argue that critical thinking, as an individual capacity, is necessary yet insufficient for learning and enacting professional responsibility and propose an extended mode. Deliberative communication provides a more adequate model for building the necessary collective capability for making nuanced judgments and decisions tailored to individual circumstances.

Wandering intellectuals: establishing a research agenda on gender, walking, and thinking

Abstract Building on a study of three women who practice walking-for-thinking as a part of their intellectual work, the analysis identifies potential themes for a future research agenda on gender, walking, and thinking. A particular focus is the subtle, daily, management of gendered expectations and ways in which walking, for these women, is a contribution to such management. We name this ‘walking away from expectations’ and identify three themes: walking away from others’ gaze, walking away from restlessness and domestic responsibility, and walking away as belonging. Walking emerges as a skilful way of creating the conditions to do one’s intellectual work and manage gendered expectations. Further, the meanings of silences about gender in the context of intellectual work and walking is discussed and questions for future research agenda are suggested.

Responsible design for children: whose responsibility?

Responsibility for ensuring the quality of learning resources for schools has been relaxed or dissolved in many countries. For ICT-based learning resources this raises issues of e.g. how social (cultural, class, gender) responsibility will be ensured. In this paper, we discuss divergent views of where responsibility lies. With designers? With teachers who use it? With the young students? We sketch a model for teacher and student participation in design which takes into account ethical questions.