PlayLab PhD students Yuwen and Zixi attend an international conference on play, design and the arts.
During our travel to Norway, we had the opportunity to explore
the Bergen city with colleagues from the Kindknow Centre. We took the funicular
to Floyen and visit the kindergarten there.
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| Photo: A kindergarten outdoor play area in Bergen Floyen |
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| Photo: Bergen city |
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| Photo: Bergen city |
We also visited the Kindknow Centre and the Western Norway
University of Applied Sciences, where we learned about their innovative
research and approaches to early childhood education.
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| Photo: The University Norway University of Applied Science |
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| Photo: A group photo in the University Norway University of Applied Science |
The highlight of the trip was attending the opening of the
Research School, which was founded by the Norwegian government for eight years.
It was inspiring to see such a strong commitment to research and education, and
we are excited to see how this school will contribute to the field in the years
to come.
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| Photo: Professor Elin Eriksen Odegaard’s opening speech for the NORCHILD Research School |
Attending the BIN-Norden conference in days 4 and 5 was also
an enriching experience. We had the opportunity to listen to keynote speakers
such as Associate Professor Alicja R. Sadownik, who presented on "Children's
playful entanglements as a matter of sustainable economics and
justice-to-come," and Professor Ditte Winther-Lindqvist, who presented on
"Caring well for children and the world." We also heard from many
other Nordic researchers working on important topics related to children's
play, exploration, and art.
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| Photo: Professor Ditte Winther-Lindqvist gave her presentation |
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| Photo: Associate Professor Alicja R. Sadownik gave her presentation |
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| Photo: Maria Hrindheim gave her presentation |
On the last day of our stay, we listened to Dr. Ana
Marjanovic-Shane on the Emancipation of Childhood. Her insights and
perspectives on play, playful practices and institutionalization early
childhood upbringing and education were truly eye-opening, and we were grateful
for the opportunity to hear her speak.
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| Photo: Listen to Ana’s presentation |
Additionally, Yuwen was able to reconnect with Maria during the
conference, with whom she had previously collaborated to organize the Conceptual
PlayLab and the Kindknow Centre's joint PhD day in 2020 and 2021. Yuwen is grateful
for these experiences and look forward to future opportunities for learning and
collaboration.
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| Photo: Yuwen and Maria in the conference dinner |
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| Photo: A group dinner photo for Marilyn, Glykeria, Ana, Yuwen and Zixi |
Overall, it was a wonderful journey in Norway. we had the opportunity to network with many Nordic researchers and deepen my
understanding of early childhood education, particularly in the areas of play
and exploration. We were also delighted to network with cultural-historical
researchers such as Alicja, Ditte, Maria and many other colleagues at the
Kindknow Centre.
