Alternate Title: ACTION RESEARCH FOR PRESCHOOL TEACHERS' PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: ADVANTAGES AND CHALLENGES. (English)

المؤلفون: SIGURÐARDÓTTIR, INGIBJÖRG ÓSK

المصدر: Icelandic Journal of Education / Timarit um Uppeldi og Menntun; 2022, Vol. 31 Issue 2, p65-86, 22p

مصطلحات موضوعية: TEACHER development, CAREER development, PRESCHOOL children, PRESCHOOL teachers, ACTION research in education, TEACHER role, COLLEGE teachers, NONFORMAL education

Abstract (English): Action research is an umbrella term used for research conducted with and by practitioners. The aim of action research is to improve practice and therefore the methodology has been effective for teachers' professional development. Professional development deepens and widens teachers' competences, knowledge, perspective, motivation and independence. This can happen both through formal and informal education and promotes teachers' performance, satisfaction and reduces the likelihood of burnout or elimination from the profession. The study reported in this article was a collaborative action research project where two communities with different aims and demands meet: a scientific community and a practice community. Such research can be understood to involve two joint learning cycles that together create a process of change. In collaborative action research, in a school-university partnership, both parties benefit from the collaboration. It is suggested that from the collaboration of researchers and practitioners, a third space can emerge when a successful partnership is achieved. In this study, the collaboration was between seven preschool teachers in one Icelandic preschool and one university teacher. The research lasted over two years. The preschool teachers focused on their own professional development in relation to values education, which was the focus of Nordic research project this study was part of. The researcher's role was to support and encourage the preschool teachers throughout the whole process and to collect the bulk of the data. In this article, the focus will be on the advantages and challenges the participating preschool teachers experienced during the research process, as well as how they experienced the collaboration with their colleagues and the university teacher. The focus here is not on findings related to values education, which was the research topic since these have been presented elsewhere. The data for this study was collected as follows: Firstly, three interviews were conducted at the end of the research process, two focus group interviews with the preschool teachers working with the children and one individual interview with the preschool principal. Secondly, recordings from all meetings during the action research process were used as data for this study. Thirdly, journal writings from four preschool teachers were part of the dataset, three participants did not hand in their journals as data. Finally, notes from the final project meeting were used as data, where the participating preschool teachers evaluated the research process. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. The findings show that when the preschool teachers looked back at the end of the pro cess, they agreed that the action research had been a successful journey. The principal mentioned that this was because all participating preschool teachers were interested and ready to make changes in their practice. However, the participants experienced ups and downs during the research process where the advantages and their own development stages were not always clear until they looked back. The main advantages the preschool teachers experienced during the process related to professional development, improvement of practice and children's learning and well-being. The main challenges the preschool teachers faced were associated with finding time for the action research, uncertainty concerning the process of action research and values education, and how to influence the whole preschool. Finally, the preschool teachers reported that collaboration with the external researcher and with colleagues was a crucial factor in making the project successful. The study contributes important knowledge about how the methodology of action research can be used for teachers' professional development and simultaneously supports findings from previous studies. Furthermore, the findings from this study shed light on the main challenges teachers might face during the action research process, which gives future action researchers opportunities to reduce the likelihood of these common challenges hindering the process. Finally, the findings highlight the importance of good collaboration when conducting action research, both with insiders and outsiders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract (Icelandic): Starfendarannsóknir eru rannsóknir sem gjarnan eru gerðar af starfandi kennurum og stundum í samstarfi við utanaðkomandi aðila. Markmiðið er að breyta og bæta starf og starfshætti og hefur nálgunin reynst vel fyrir starfsþróun kennara. Í þessari rannsókn unnu sjö leikskólakennarar að eigin starfsþróun í nánu samstarfi við einn háskólakennara. Í greininni er gerð grein fyrir ávinningi og áskorunum sem þátttakendur upplifðu í gegnum ferli starfendarannsóknarinnar. Niðurstöðurnar sýna að leikskólakennurunum fannst ferlið hafa haft jákvæð áhrif á starfsþróun þeirra, á starfið í leikskólanum og á nám og velferð barnanna. Helstu áskoranir tengdust tímaskorti, óvissu um rannsóknarferlið og hvernig væri hægt að hafa áhrif á starfið í leikskólanum í heild. Samstarf við háskólakennara var talið lykilatriði fyrir velgengni í rannsóknarferlinu, auk samstarfs kennara innan leikskólans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

: Copyright of Icelandic Journal of Education / Timarit um Uppeldi og Menntun is the property of University of Iceland, School of Education and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Alternate Title: The working environment of upper secondary school teachers during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. (English)

المؤلفون: Ragnarsdóttir, Guðrún, Gestsdóttir, Súsanna Margrét, Björnsdóttir, Amalía, Eiríksdóttir, Elsa

المصدر: Netla: Online Journal on Pedagogy & Education; 2022, p1-20, 20p

مصطلحات موضوعية: SECONDARY school teachers, COVID-19 pandemic, HIGH school teachers, WOMEN teachers, JOB stress, TEACHER development

مصطلحات جغرافية: ICELAND

Abstract (English): The working environment in upper secondary schools changed drastically with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. A ban on social gatherings was established in Iceland in March 2020 and all schoolwork shifted to on-line learning almost overnight; this lasted throughout the spring semester and continued with various restrictions in the fall of 2020. Upper secondary school teachers answered a questionnaire in May 2020, aimed at mapping the changes to working conditions during the spring semester and the shift into emergency remote teaching (Barbour et al., 2020). At the end of the fall semester, a follow-up questionnaire was sent. The data used in the current paper derive from these questionnaires. The aim is to investigate how teachers at the upper secondary level performed their duties under the new circumstances in 2020, especially during the first COVID lockdown in spring but also as the pandemic continued. Special emphasis is laid on how they experienced their working conditions, e.g., in terms of their definition of duties, stress, collaboration and administrative obligations, as well as their interaction with students and their parents. The support provided to teachers during the first stages of the pandemic, both technological, pedagogical and social is analyzed. The aim is to add to the gradually emerging knowledge base by shedding light on the work of upper secondary teachers during the first waves of the pandemic. The first results show that the teaching profession underwent radical changes during the first period of the pandemic (Súsanna Margrét Gestsdóttir et al., 2020). Upper secondary teachers felt an increased pressure and stress at work and perceived their work as more complicated than before. The experience of stress increased during the fall semester, even though the teachers reported they had a better handle on the work. The data show an important gender difference, as female teachers seem to have been primary caregivers in the homes and consequently found it more strenuous to attend to their teaching duties as well. More collaboration with colleagues during the pandemic was reported and administrative meetings were more frequent. The collaboration with colleagues proved a crucial factor when coping with the recurring changes of working conditions. This was generally viewed as beneficial to their work by a large majority of teachers. Communication with students and parents increased overall and over time, especially according to female teachers, which may have added to the increased pressure at work. Moreover, most participants believed students experienced more psychological stress during the pandemic, a perception that only heightened over time. However, they also believed that schools had adjusted their work practices to accommodate students during these challenging times. The results evoke important questions concerning teachers' working conditions. The rapid professional development undertaken by teachers led to the majority of them adopting more varied teaching approaches than before the pandemic. Nevertheless, this was accompanied by a higher level of stress and insecurity. This may carry several implications. Teacher education needs to take these changed circumstances into account and prepare future teachers for the possibilities of hybrid teaching and increased flexibility and differentiation. Both experienced and newly qualified teachers need to have access to professional development that supports them. The time and opportunities that teachers need for collaboration and peer support must be included in their work. Reflecting on the situation in Iceland during the first stages of the pandemic can serve as a basis for comparison with teachers' working conditions in other countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract (Icelandic): Framhaldsskólastigið fór ekki varhluta af breyttu starfsumhverfi vegna COVID-19-faraldursins. Þegar samkomubann var sett á í mars 2020 fluttist öll staðkennsla yfir í fjarkennslu og hélst það fyrirkomulag fram eftir vorönn 2020. Um haustið tók við tímabil síbreytilegra samkomutakmarkana. Kennt var ýmist á staðnum eða í eins konar blöndu af fjar- og staðnámi en í lok annar fluttist kennsla aftur alfarið yfir í fjarkennslu. Markmið þessarar rannsóknar er að varpa ljósi á starfsumhverfi íslenskra framhaldsskólakennara við síbreytilegar aðstæður árið 2020. Sérstök áhersla er lögð á starfsaðstæður framhaldsskólakennara, starfsskyldur, stuðning og álag en einnig á samskipti kennara við nemendur, foreldra og samstarfsfólk. Auk þess verður kannað hvort kyn og stærð skóla hafi áhrif á fyrrgreinda þætti. Unnið er með gögn úr tveimur könnunum Menntavísindastofnunar Háskóla Íslands sem lagðar voru fyrir starfsfólk framhaldsskóla. Fyrri spurningalistinn var lagður fyrir í lok vorannar 2020 og sá seinni í lok haustannar 2020. Niðurstöður sýna að kennarastarfið tók miklum breytingum á fyrsta ári heimsfaraldurs. Framhaldsskólakennarar fundu fyrir auknu álagi og þeim fannst starf sitt flóknara en áður. Streita jókst frá vormisseri til haustmisseris, þrátt fyrir þá tilfinningu kennara að þeir hefðu betri tök á starfi sínu. Konur vörðu meiri tíma í umönnun barna og þær fundu fyrir meiri streitu en karlar. Samstarf kennara var meira og fundir voru tíðari en kennurunum fannst samstarfið gagnlegt. Samskipti við nemendur og foreldra jukust í heildina, einkum að mati kvenkyns kennara. Kennarar töldu að skólarnir hefðu lagað starfshætti sína að breyttri stöðu nemenda á þessum krefjandi tímum. Niðurstöðurnar vekja áleitnar spurningar um starfsumhverfi kennara og starfsþróun þeirra á tímum heimsfaraldurs og síbreytilegra starfsaðstæðna. Þær eru jafnframt innlegg í samtal um hvernig megi bregðast við komandi kreppum og varpa ljósi á ýmsa veikleika í kerfinu. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

: Copyright of Netla: Online Journal on Pedagogy & Education is the property of University of Iceland, School of Education and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Alternate Title: SCHOOL SUPPORT SERVICES: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND SCHOOLS AS PROFESSIONAL ORGANISATIONS. (English)

المؤلفون: SVANBJÖRNSDÓTTIR, BIRNA MARÍA, SIGURÐARDÓTTIR, SIGRÍÐUR MARGRÉT, ÞORSTEINSSON, TRAUSTI, GUNNÞÓRSDÓTTIR, HERMÍNA, ELÍDÓTTIR, JÓRUNN

المصدر: Icelandic Journal of Education / Timarit um Uppeldi og Menntun; 2021, Vol. 30 Issue 2, p3-27, 25p

مصطلحات موضوعية: SCHOOL children, MUNICIPAL services, PRIMARY education, PROFESSIONAL schools, TEACHER development, PARENTING

Abstract (English): When the responsibility of operating compulsory schools was transferred to municipalities in 1996 (lög um grunnskóla nr. 66/1995 [Act on Primary Education]), they took over the responsibility of counselling and psychological support services for the schools (Börkur Hansen & Ólafur H. Jóhannsson, 2010). The purpose of the services is to strengthen schools as professional institutions that can solve most of the issues that arise in schoolwork. The services are intended to promote the best possible use of pedagogical and psychological knowledge in practice and to provide teachers and principals with access to counselling and support in pedagogical issues as well as in professional development. Additionally, the services are intended to provide parents with guidance in parenting, and to carry out equal prevention work with observations and diagnoses of students who have psychological or social difficulties that affect their education (reglugerð um skólaþjónustu sveitarfélaga við leik- og grunnskóla og nemendaverndarráð í grunnskólum nr. 444/2019 [Regulation on municipal services to preschools and primary schools and student support councils in primary schools]). For schools to become stronger professional institutions, school development must be supported; an organized process of improvement and learning within the school that aims to change its practices and culture in the long term (Fullan, 2016; Hall & Hord, 2015). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract (Icelandic): Markmið rannsóknarinnar var að kanna hvernig skólaþjónusta sveitarfélaga stæði að því að tryggja kennurum og skólastjórnendum stuðning til starfsþróunar og að efla skóla sem faglegar stofnanir, sem þeim ber samkvæmt lögum. Rafræn spurningakönnun var lögð fyrir skólastjóra leik- og grunnskóla og þá sem voru í forsvari fyrir skólaþjónustu í sveitarfélögum á Íslandi. Til að fylgja spurningakönnuninni eftir voru valin fimm tilvik og þau rannsökuð sérstaklega. Niðurstöður benda til þess að ekki sé jafnvægi milli meginviðfangsefna skólaþjónustunnar, sem eru að styðja nemendur og foreldra annars vegar og starfsþróun kennara, stjórnenda og annars starfsfólks hins vegar. Margt bendir til þess að skólaþjónustuna skorti skýrari stefnu um skólamiðaða ráðgjöf þar sem betur er skerpt á hlutverki hennar í því að efla og þróa skólana sem faglegar stofnanir og uppfylla þar með reglugerðarákvæði. Í því skyni þurfa yfirvöld og fræðslustjórar að hafa samráð um áherslur og leiðir og tryggja heildstæða þjónustu með áherslu á starfsþróun og skólamiðaða ráðgjöf fyrir starfsfólk skóla í samstarfi við kennara og skólastjórnendur. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

: Copyright of Icelandic Journal of Education / Timarit um Uppeldi og Menntun is the property of University of Iceland, School of Education and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Alternate Title: Implementing the policy of inclusion in Iceland: Teachers' views and proposals for action. (English)

المؤلفون: Óskarsdóttir, Edda, Gunnþórsdóttir, Hermína, Svanbjörnsdóttir, Birna M., Sigþórsson, Rúnar

المصدر: Netla: Online Journal on Pedagogy & Education; 2021, Issue 1, p1-19, 19p

مصطلحات موضوعية: STUDENT attitudes, EDUCATIONAL leadership, COMMUNITY-school relationships, EDUCATION policy, INCLUSIVE education, TEACHER development, TASK forces, TEACHER leadership

مصطلحات جغرافية: ICELAND

Abstract (English): Inclusive education is a prominent feature of Icelandic educational policy. However, an external audit by the European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education (2017) revealed that even though the policy is clear, administrators and practitioners within the school system lack clarity about the concept of inclusion and a deeper understanding of what constitutes inclusive practices in schools. One of seven main recommendations of the audit is to "Ensure that all stakeholders understand inclusive education as the basis for high-quality education for all learners", and, to that end, organise "national and local-level dialogue about the kind of schools and learning communities that stakeholders want and the best ways to achieve/develop those" (p. 16). To respond to this recommendation, 23 meetings were held across Iceland to discuss the advancement of education for all, organised by a task force assigned by the Ministry of Education and Culture. Representatives of preschools, primary and secondary schools, leisure services, parents, municipal school services, social services and health care from all Icelandic municipalities were invited to the meetings. At the meetings, participants worked on projects in groups of six to eight. Each group was asked to agree on the ten most important actions to promote education for all and to prioritize them as a pyramid so that the most important action would come first, then two in second place, three in third, and so on. Each group's pyramid was then analysed in order to form a single pyramid reflecting the common conclusion of the groups. The aim of this paper is twofold: The first aim is to present the findings from the 23 meetings based on the analysis described above. The conclusions contain three themes: 1) External framework, cooperation and education; 2) attitudes, support, policy and vision; 3) students, learning, and teaching. The first theme focused on reviewing the guidelines of the Municipalities Equalization Fund so that the allocation of funds would be independent of diagnoses and in order to increase the time and scope for professional development of teachers, especially in preschools. There were calls for more flexible curricula and timetables and for a more diverse internal organization, as well as ensuring equal access to services regardless of residence, strengthening team teaching in schools and creating a learning community by increasing teacher collaboration and interdisciplinary collaboration within the school, as well as cooperation between staff and management. In the second theme, it was thought that changing the attitudes of everyone in the school community was a prerequisite for increased positivity towards education for all, that expectations and attitudes towards students needed to be characterized by a mindset of growth and development, that school services needed to be holistic and diverse, and that the work of those who provide them needed to be better coordinated. Furthermore, there were calls for a formal process to implement the policy of education for all through an action plan, clear procedures, evaluation, and a follow-up. In the third theme, participants focused on meeting the different needs of all students in school and ensuring that they received suitable assignments; special mention was made of children of foreign origin, precocious students and children with mental health problems. The groups considered it important to develop practices in schools with purposeful reflection at work, diversity, flexibility, and the search for solutions. They considered it important to increase the number of professional teachers and other experts in the schools, to strengthen the pedagogical leadership of education for all, with managers at the forefront, and to support both managers and teachers in their leadership roles. Secondly, the paper aims to present the authors' proposals for promoting education for all in Iceland. The proposals are based on the aforementioned findings from the meetings and underpinned by the results of the external audit of the European Agency (2017) and the knowledge base of inclusion and professional learning communities to create the conditions for improving practice. Furthermore, an ecosystem model of the education system is employed to identify the responsibility of each level and establish a vision of shared responsibility across the levels. The student is the common denominator in all the proposals, whose common goal is to fulfil the objectives of the Icelandic education policy on education for all. This common goal is followed by proposals in six sections: 1) teacher education and career development, 2) learning communities, 3) working conditions in schools, 4) evaluation of schoolwork, 5) school services and 6) the interplay of systems and the utilization of resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract (Icelandic): Menntun fyrir alla er einn af meginþáttum þeirrar stefnu sem íslenskt skólakerfi er byggt á. Í úttekt Evrópumiðstöðvar um nám án aðgreiningar og sérþarfir (hér eftir Evrópumiðstöðin) á framkvæmd stefnunnar, sem var birt 2017, kom fram að þrátt fyrir að stefnan væri skýr hefði skólasamfélagið hvorki skýra mynd af hugtakinu menntun án aðgreiningar né fullnægjandi skilning á hvað skólastarf á þeim grundvelli fæli í sér. Markmið greinarinnar er tvíþætt: Í fyrsta lagi að draga saman niðurstöður 23 funda sem haldnir voru um allt land á vegum stýrihóps Mennta- og menningarmálaráðuneytisins um menntun fyrir alla haustið 2018 með það fyrir augum að skapa umræðu um stefnuna. Til fundanna voru boðaðir fulltrúar leikskóla, grunnskóla og framhaldsskóla, frístundaþjónustu, foreldrafélaga, skólaskrifstofa, félags- og skólaþjónustu auk heilsugæslu. Niðurstöðurnar eru byggðar á greiningu á umræðuverkefni sem lagt var fyrir á hverjum fundi þar sem þátttakendur komu sér saman um mikilvægustu breytingar sem gera þyrfti, og forgangsröðun þeirra, til að styrkja menntun fyrir alla í íslenska skólakerfinu. Í öðru lagi er markmið greinarinnar að leggja fram tillögur greinarhöfunda um aðgerðir til að efla menntun fyrir alla í íslenskum skólum. Þær eru byggðar á niðurstöðum umræðuverkefnisins ásamt niðurstöðum úttektarskýrslu Evrópumiðstöðvarinnar frá 2017. Þær eru settar í samhengi við fræðilegan bakgrunn menntunar fyrir alla og enn fremur líkan af vistkerfi menntunar með það fyrir augum að greina á hvaða stjórnsýslustigum menntakerfisins ábyrgð á framkvæmd hvers þáttar liggur. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

: Copyright of Netla: Online Journal on Pedagogy & Education is the property of University of Iceland, School of Education and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Alternate Title: Awesome respect or respectful awe? On conventional practices in music teaching and learning. (English)

المؤلفون: Guðmundsdóttir, Helga Rut, Gunnlaugsdóttir, Freyja

المصدر: Netla: Online Journal on Pedagogy & Education; 2021, Issue 1, p1-17, 17p

مصطلحات موضوعية: MUSIC education, PHILOSOPHY of education, MUSIC teachers, SCHOLARLY method, COMMUNITY education, TEACHER development, PROBLEM-based learning

مصطلحات جغرافية: ICELAND

Abstract (English): In this article, scholarly writings on conventions and traditions in music education are explored. The purpose is to shed a critical light on current practices in music teaching and learning and it is pointed out, that remarkably little has been written in terms of critique or questioning of the status quo in Icelandic music education. The focus of the article is mostly on music teaching and learning at higher levels of music studies where students are taking private lessons with a master tutor on a musical instrument, including the voice. Severe side effects that can impact professional musicians for life have been known to result from conventional teaching practices at higher levels of music education. This writing is rooted in a desire to search for a positive and healthy learning environment where music students and teachers can grow concurrently as human beings and as artists. The harmful effects of negative or toxic learning environments in music schools can eventually lead to serious consequences for individuals and professional careers. The article begins with a summary of the traditional private-studio and master-apprentice approaches in music education, outlining how these models developed and became the standard in serious or elite music learning in the Western tradition of music education. Then, a discussion follows on the power structures at play in these learning situations and what the consequences can be for individuals and communities. Furthermore, attention is directed towards conventional learning cultures in higher music education and which strategies could be taken towards more democratic and humane approaches to music teaching and learning at the upper levels of music study. The focus of the discussion is directed towards the choices teachers can make and how the learning environment can support the healthy development of individuals within music education institutions. In this context, the ideas of character education within educational reform are explored. Critical theories in music education have investigated conventions and traditions in music teaching and learning and pointed out how power structures in the conventional masterapprentice model can be detrimental to the education and formation of musicians. An overview is provided of several scholarly writings on the philosophy of music education from this perspective. Most of the scholars cited have in common that they build on Critical Theories in their approach to music education with strong references to Dewey and Freire in their view on educational reform. It is imperative that music teachers and music education institutions ask critical questions regarding their role in the education of their students, such as whether it is their role to uphold conventions and traditions handed down for centuries, or whether their duty is to search for new ways to instruct individuals who are allowed to influence their own learning processes. In order to foster progress in music education at any level it is necessary to build education systems that will train individuals to develop and take an active role in their own learning processes. A large number of professional musicians suffer from challenging working conditions that affect their mental and physical health. Professional musicians are known to treat side effects of their careers such as performance anxiety and depression with prescription drugs to a much higher extent than in the normal population. There is more than one possible cause of this problem but many scholars point towards the culture and traditions surrounding the educational systems where musicians are schooled. These traditions are discussed as well as what actions can be taken to change conventional practices in music schools. It is stated that private lessons or the master-apprentice model seems to be the dominant model in Icelandic music schools and even more prominent in the early stages of music studies in Iceland than in many other countries. However, more research is needed on teaching practices in Icelandic music schools. Public or scholarly discussion of methods, conventions and practices in Icelandic music schools has been minimal to this date. Debates in the field of music education at international level in the past decades have seemingly gone more or less unnoticed in the Icelandic music education community. As this article provides a review of some of the scholarly critiques within music education at international level, the authors hope that it will encourage a lively debate and an increased awareness of issues in music education within Iceland and in a wider context of reform in music training and instruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract (Icelandic): Í þessari grein verður fjallað um viðtekna kennsluhætti í tónlistarnámi, ekki síst á efri skólastigum, og litið til fræðilegra skrifa um þetta efni á sviði tónlistarfræða og tónlistarmenntunar. Horft verður til kennsluhátta og samskipta í tónlistarmenntun á efri stigum og skoðað hvaða markmið liggja til grundvallar tónlistarnámi. Rýnt verður í fræðigreinar um áhrif valdaójafnvægis og viðtekinna kennsluhátta í tónlistarnámi á tónlistarnemendur og mögulegar afleiðingar fyrir atvinnutónlistarmenn og þar með tónlistarlífið í heild. Um er að ræða yfirlitsgrein þar sem rýnt er í ólíkar rannsóknir um þetta efni á sviði tónlistarfræða og menntunarfræða tónlistar. Leitað verður í smiðju fræðimanna á sviði heimspeki tónlistarmenntunar sem og almennra menntunarfræða varðandi framtíðarsýn fyrir tónlistarmenntun sem geti alið af sér heilsteypt, skapandi tónlistarfólk og heilbrigt tónlistarlíf, samfélaginu og einstaklingum til heilla. Fórnarkostnaður af neikvæðri reynslu úr tónlistarnámi getur verið umtalsverður og haft alvarlegar afleiðingar, bæði fyrir einstaklinga og tónlistarlífið í heild. Margir tónlistarmenn þjást af vinnutengdum kvillum, bæði andlegum og líkamlegum. Sviðsskrekkur, kvíði og álag er viðvarandi vandamál hjá mörgum tónlistarmönnum og lyfjanotkun er algeng í tónlistarlífinu. Í greininni er bent á mikilvægi þess að tónlistarkennarar og skólakerfið spyrji sig hvort hlutverk þeirra sé að mennta nemendur til að ganga inn í tiltekna hefð eða hvort leitast eigi við að mennta sjálfstæða einstaklinga sem geti haft áhrif á viðteknar hefðir og unnið að því að móta nýtt og betra samfélag. Nauðsynleg framþróun krefst þekkingar á því sem á undan er gengið og ígrundunar á þeim rannsóknum sem farið hafa fram á sviði tónlistarmenntunar. Markmið þessarar greinar er að varpa ljósi á ríkjandi starfshætti og fyrirkomulag tónlistarkennslu sem lítil umræða hefur verið um og hefur hingað til lítið verið gagnrýnt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

: Copyright of Netla: Online Journal on Pedagogy & Education is the property of University of Iceland, School of Education and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Alternate Title: 'It is all about this continuous discussion and problem solving': The implementation of team teaching in twelve Icelandic compulsory schools. (English)

المؤلفون: Sigurgeirsson, Ingvar

المصدر: Netla: Online Journal on Pedagogy & Education; 2021, Issue 1, p1-20, 20p

مصطلحات موضوعية: TEACHER development, SCHOOL building design & construction, TEACHING teams, SCHOOL administrators, CAREER development, PROBLEM-based learning

Abstract (English): The paper presents findings from a study focused on the implementation of team teaching in 12 Icelandic schools. The principals of the participating schools had contacted the author of the paper, seeking advice concerning the implementation of team teaching or how to best approach its development in schools where team teaching had already been implemented. As a result, a decision was made to conduct a study alongside the implementation process. The collaboration with the schools lasted between two and four years. Emphasis was placed on involving teachers in decision-making at all stages of the process, including the composition of the teams. The study is based on over a hundred interviews conducted with team teachers, school administrators and students, framed around the author's counselling regarding the implementation of team teaching in the 12 schools. The interviews were conducted between 2016 and 2020. Before the interviews, the author visited the schools and observed lessons taught by the interviewees. These lessons were recorded and then transcribed. The following key questions were addressed: What have been the benefits of implementing team teaching? What are the main problems and hindrances that have occurred? Team teaching is here defined as teaching where two or more teachers are co-responsible for a class, a mixed age-group, an individual subject or several subjects. Teachers prepare the instruction collaboratively and teach together, at least to some extent, as well as working jointly on assessment and evaluation. It is important to emphasize that team teaching is above all based on shared responsibility. Students have, therefore, not one homeroom teacher or a subject teacher, but two or more. To date, many studies focusing on team teaching have been carried out around the world, and a vast majority of these studies indicate myriad benefits from implementing the approach, despite diverse challenges and obstacles. In the Icelandic context, studies on the implementation of team teaching have been lacking. However, some Icelandic studies have found that schools using team teaching have more diverse teaching methods than schools where teachers work alone, as well as a better school atmosphere, stronger professional development, and more democratic work practices. As a consequence, it is important to further pursue research on the benefits of team teaching, and also to identify possible problems associated with its implementation. The main findings show that the attitudes of the individuals interviewed for the study, most of whom also had experience of teaching alone, was that the central benefit of team teaching lay in the multiple opportunities for dividing tasks. Moreover, team teaching better utilized the different strengths of the teachers in each team and led to an improved distribution of the workload. The cooperation also allowed teachers more oversight with regard to class discipline and in general made them better equipped to meet the diverse needs of their students. Team teaching was by and large considered a way to facilitate diversity in the classroom and stimulated a growing confidence in implementing alternative teaching methods, such as curriculum integration, projectbased learning, problem-based learning and learning centres. Flexibility was also seen as an advantage of team teaching; that is, in organizing teaching for groups of varying sizes, and offering students increased opportunities to seek guidance and instruction from more than one teacher. Interviewees claimed that the foundation for successful team teaching consisted in mutual trust and respect. The key elements were continuous discussions, shared critical reflection, solution-orientated approaches and peer support. The main obstacles were seen as situations where the team failed to get along or find time for planning and collaboration. Furthermore, there were problems in coordinating timetables and in some of the schools the facilities were seen as a hindrance. The findings of this study correspond with findings from international studies on team teaching. It is important to ask why such conclusive findings have not led to comprehensive structural changes in schools in which teachers are more frequently allowed to share responsibilities in the classroom, instead of leaving them alone with the students. The author believes that these findings should have a significant impact on the development of Icelandic school practices, including teacher education, both at the level of basic university education and for teachers' professional development. The same applies to the education of school administrators. One can further hope that team teaching will become one of the main keys to the provision of successful inclusive education in the 21st century. Also, attention needs to be directed to how the design of school buildings and classroom environments can best support team teaching practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract (Icelandic): Í þessari grein er gerð grein fyrir niðurstöðum rannsóknar á innleiðingu teymiskennslu í tólf grunnskólum hér á landi á árunum 2016-2020. Byggt er á rúmlega eitt hundrað viðtölum við kennarateymi, stjórnendur og nemendur sem tekin hafa verið í tengslum við ráðgjöf höfundar um innleiðinguna og mat á stöðu hennar í skólunum. Í viðtölunum var spurt hvernig teymiskennslan gengi, hver hefði verið helsti ávinningur hennar, sem og um helstu áskoranir og hindranir. Teymiskennsla er hér skilgreind sem kennsla þar sem tveir eða fleiri kennarar eru samábyrgir fyrir einum árgangi, aldursblönduðum hópi, námsgrein eða námsgreinum. Kennarar undirbúa sig saman, kenna einnig að einhverju marki saman og vinna saman að mati á námi og kennslu. Viðmælendur töldu helstu kosti teymiskennslunnar vera möguleika á verkaskiptingu. Teymiskennslan var oftar en ekki talin leiða til aukinnar fjölbreytni í kennslu og aukins þors til að prófa mismunandi útfærslur. Þá var sveigjanleiki talinn kostur, meðal annars að geta skipulagt kennslu í misstórum hópum, sem og möguleikar nemenda til að sækja leiðsögn til fleiri en eins kennara. Mat viðmælenda var að forsenda árangursríkrar teymiskennslu væri gagnkvæmt traust og virðing, og lykill að árangri stöðug samræða, sameiginleg ígrundun, lausnaleit og jafningjastuðningur. Helstu hindranir voru tengdar því þegar teymi nær ekki saman og þegar erfitt reynist að finna tíma til samstarfs. Þá er vandi tengdur ósamræmi í stundatöflum kennara og ekki síst óhentugu húsnæði. Þessar niðurstöður eru í samræmi við niðurstöður rannsókna á teymiskennslu sem gerðar hafa verið víða um heim á undanförnum áratugum. Mikill meirihluti rannsókna bendir til þess að teymiskennsla skili meiri ávinningi en þegar kennarar eru einir. Spurt er hvers vegna jafn afdráttarlausar niðurstöður hafi ekki leitt til umfangsmikilla grundvallarbreytinga í skólum í þá átt að fela kennurum oftar sameiginlega ábyrgð á kennslu, í stað þess að þess að ganga út frá því að þeir kenni nemendum einir. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

: Copyright of Netla: Online Journal on Pedagogy & Education is the property of University of Iceland, School of Education and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Alternate Title: Postgraduate education for experienced compulsory school teachers: Continuing professional development towards teaching as 'a profession' or towards teaching as 'a job'? (English)

المؤلفون: ÞÓRÓLFSSON, MEYVANT

المصدر: Icelandic Journal of Education / Timarit um Uppeldi og Menntun; 2020, Vol. 29 Issue 1, p65-82, 21p

مصطلحات موضوعية: CAREER development, TEACHER education, PROFESSIONS, PROFESSIONAL identity, TEACHER development

Abstract (Icelandic): Frá því að Kennaraháskóli Íslands öðlaðist lagaheimild til að útskrifa kennara með framhaldsgráður háskólanáms árið 1988 hefur þar verið boðið upp á fjölmargar leiðir í framhaldsnámi og starfsþróun kennara og fleiri stétta. Vorið 2014 stóð Menntavísindasvið Háskóla Íslands fyrir könnun meðal grunnskólakennara með bakkalárgráðu í samstarfi við Kennarasamband Íslands. Spurt var um æskilegt inntak og skipulag framhaldsnáms, hugsanlega hvata til að sækja slíkt nám og hvernig mætti útfæra það. Af 734 svörum mátti ráða að umtalsverður áhugi væri á slíku framhaldsnámi. Haustið 2015 hófu 35 starfandi kennarar sérsniðið framhaldsnám byggt á niðurstöðum könnunarinnar og stefnu Háskóla Íslands um meistaranám grunnskólakennara. Hér er greint frá rannsókn á viðhorfum og reynslu þeirra sem sóttu hið sérsniðna nám á tímabilinu 2015 til 2019. Sjónum var beint að samhenginu milli fræða (teoríu) og starfs á vettvangi (praxis), hugmyndum þátttakenda um eigin fagmennsku og fagvitund og hugmyndum um möguleika og þarfir á starfsþróun. Niðurstöður benda til þess að tengsl fræða við starfið á vettvangi séu óskýr þegar kemur að starfsþróun og tilteknir þættir í kerfinu hindri jafnvel eðlilega þróun fagmennsku og fagvitundar kennara. Þar ber helst að nefna margþættar væntingar til starfsins og óljósar hugmyndir um það í hvers þágu starfsþróun kennara ætti að vera. This article addresses continuing professional development among experienced compulsory school teachers. In May 2014 a survey was conducted among practicing elementary and lower-secondary school teachers, where 734 participants gave answers to questions about a specially organised master's program. The program was offered to all experienced teachers in elementary and lower-secondary schools, who had not finished a master's degree. Nearly 80% confirmed that they were interested in the program, most arguing that it would strengthen their professional status, they would become more qualified in their professional environment and increase the possibilities of promotions in their work. When asked what kind of contents they would prefer, most participants answered that they wanted to develop their skills regarding ICT and knowledge about general literacy, mathematical literacy and science literacy. Furthermore, many said they needed to strengthen their competence regarding assessment and testing, arts and crafts and, finally, there was considerable interest in inclusive education. The first cohort that started the program in 2015 comprised 35 participants. According to official directives the program was defined as education on a second higher education cycle including a final master's thesis of 30 ECTS. The purpose of this paper is to give an insight into the experience of those first participants in the program. University teachers involved in the program were also interviewed. The first problem organisers had to deal with was how to adjust this new program to the prescribed learning outcomes included in the M.Ed. program for general teacher education. The second hurdle was the fact that most of the students had not attended academic education for some time so they were not expected to be as well prepared for the theoretical part as regular students attending teacher education. Thirdly, the program was offered to teachers working full time in the field, some needing to travel a long way to attend courses at the university. Finally the organisers had to consider the university's policy in adopting the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) stressing defined competences regarding teachers' learning outcomes with respect to praxis and theory. Data comprised interviews and questionnaires. Collection started with the survey mentioned above. Collection of qualitative data took place in March and April 2017 featuring interviews with six students and five university teachers. Finally, a questionnaire was sent to all those who still participated in the program in spring 2019. All this data was organised and analysed from which three main themes emerged, leading to the results. The first theme concerned questions about theory versus praxis. The results indicated that some believed there was a good balance between theory and praxis, but it turned out to be a stronger belief among participants that courses were too theoretical and there was a call for more praxis. The results indicate that participants believe empirical experience in the field (cf. McDonough, 2012) is an important precondition for combining theory and practice. The second theme concerned professionalism and professional identity. According to the findings professional identity appears to be declining and the notion of conceiving teaching as a 'job' seems stronger than conceiving it as a 'profession '. The third theme was professional development, and questions about how to organise it and for whom? According to literature and research regarding professional development, the kind of education offered here has been considered an important part of a three step model of teacher development (Donaldson, 2010); firstly, initial teacher education; secondly, enculturation into the field of practice and; thirdly, actual life-long professional development. Results indicate that after being employed as teachers, most participants appear to find themselves trapped in a 'job' that needs to be done rather than having joined a community of 'professionals'. Opportunities for professional promotion and development seem hard to find, and lack of support from the environment, especially from administrators and local authorities, was confirmed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

: Copyright of Icelandic Journal of Education / Timarit um Uppeldi og Menntun is the property of University of Iceland, School of Education and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Alternate Title: Understanding the world of others is a challenge: Exploring teacher thinking. (English)

المؤلفون: INGVARSDÓTTIR, HAFDÍS

المصدر: Icelandic Journal of Education / Timarit um Uppeldi og Menntun; 2019, Vol. 28 Issue 2, p125-143, 19p

مصطلحات موضوعية: SECONDARY school teachers, HISTORY teachers, TEACHER development, TEACHER collaboration, OBSERVATION (Educational method), QUESTIONING, PROFESSIONALISM

Abstract (English): The purpose of this paper is to present and describe approaches aimed at gaining access to teacher thinking, their attitudes and beliefs about their complex profession. The paper starts by reporting the development of teacher research in the past century. In the final decades of the 20th century a new ideology emerged in researching teachers and teaching (Goodson 1992a; Shulman, 1987). This kind of research is based on constructivist philosophy. Its main aim is to understand teachers and to gain a deeper understanding of their attitudes and beliefs about teaching. New concepts were developed to describe teachers' thought processes: cognitions, beliefs, personal theories, personal practical knowledge, and subjective theories to name but a few. Teachers' personal theories are based on moral values and they comprise both an intellectual and emotional dimension (Pope & Denicolo, 2001). Accordingly, the key to gaining insight into and understanding teachers' personal theories, is to listen and give voice to teachers (Elbaz, 1990). Although previous research methods, named the process-product research, which mainly focused on teachers' observable behaviour, were important and yielded significant knowledge about teaching, a new approach was called for to obtain a more qualitative knowledge. The aim was to gain knowledge on how teachers reason about their multifaceted work. Teachers were now seen as agents of their own professional growth. For this purpose, various approaches, methods and techniques have been developed over the past decades. One important issue is that we no longer talk about research on or about teachers but research in cooperation with teachers. Teachers are not seen as research objects but as co-workers where both partners are looking for a more comprehensive and deeper understanding of the individual teacher's thinking. To get even closer to the core of teachers' personal theories it has been found fruitful to elicit what it is in the lives of teachers, their milieu and work, which they perceive as being influential in forming their theories and embedded values. This interest in investigating teachers' life history reflects a radical turn in our understanding of teaching. To obtain this kind of data, four methods are demonstrated in detail in this paper: classroom observation, river of life, life history, and a self-characterization sketch. To better understand how these approaches can be implemented, the life history of one teacher is exemplified in depth in this paper. His professional life is reported and he describes how he has grown as a teacher over the years. His life history illustrates how his personal theories have developed, both in depth and breadth. The case study starts with classroom observations where Ingi, a secondary school teacher, is teaching English to many classes of diverse proficiency. Subsequently Ingi draws up his river of life and the following life history he shares with the researcher is based on his river of life. To eliminate the researcher's influence on the story as far as possible no beforehand written questioning is used. Lastly, Ingi writes his self-characterization sketch. It is important to be aware that this kind of research makes high moral demands on the researcher; sensitivity and caution are essential. It should be emphasised that as the researcher and the storyteller are co-workers, the story cannot be published without the story teller's consent. To conclude, it should be pointed out that although teachers and their professionalism are the focus of this research, these methods can and have been implemented to understand and give voice to other professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract (Icelandic): Á síðari hluta 20. aldar komu fram kenningar og aðferðir í kennararannsóknum sem endurspegluðu nýja hugmyndafræði sem ætlað var að dýpka skilning á kennarastarfinu. Samkvæmt þessum kenningum er mikilvægt að öðlast dýpri skilning á hugmyndum kennaranna sjálfra og gefa þeim rödd til að efla þá í starfi og þróa skilvirka símenntun. Laða þarf fram hugmyndir kennarans um starfið og gildin sem að baki liggja. Samkvæmt þessari rannsóknarhefð er ekki rætt um rannsóknir á kennurum heldur rannsóknir í samvinnu við kennara. Markmið greinarinnar er að vekja athygli á slíkum aðferðum. Í því skyni eru gefin dæmi um leiðir sem reynst hafa vel til að fá fram hugmyndir kennara og viðhorf til starfsins (starfskenningu). Lífssaga kennara er talin góð leið til að komast að kjarna starfskenningar hans. Tekið verður dæmi af lífssögu eins kennara og saga hans rakin. Siðferðileg álitamál í tengslum við slíkar aðferðir verða einnig rædd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

: Copyright of Icelandic Journal of Education / Timarit um Uppeldi og Menntun is the property of University of Iceland, School of Education and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Alternate Title: Professional learning communities in compulsory schools. Development of a measuring instrument. (English)

المؤلفون: Gísladóttir, Berglind, Pálsdóttir, Auður, Sigurðardóttir, Anna Kristín, Svanbjörnsdóttir, Birna

المصدر: Netla: Online Journal on Pedagogy & Education; 2019, p1-18, 18p

مصطلحات موضوعية: TEACHERS, COMMUNITY-school relationships, EXPLORATORY factor analysis, TEACHING, QUANTITATIVE research, TEACHER development, SHARED leadership

مصطلحات جغرافية: ICELAND

Abstract (English): The aim of this study is twofold. First, to increase our understanding of factors that inf luence the development of a professional learning community (PLC) in an Icelandic context and, second, to develop a reliable instrument to measure the level of PLCs in Icelandic compulsory schools. The literature strongly suggests it is worthwhile for schools to develop PLCs since there are numerous indicators that a PLC positively affects students' academic outcomes and school teaching practices (Burns et al., 2017; Dogan & Adams, 2018; Anna Kristín Sigurðardóttir, 2010). Furthermore, the most successful staff development takes place within a learning community in schools, based on inquiry orientated practice and professional collaboration (OECD, 2019). Several PLC instruments exist (e.g., Hord, 1997; Oliver & Hipp, 2010; Sleegers et al., 2013) but only one instrument has been developed specifically to measure PLCs in the Icelandic context (Anna Kristín Sigurðardóttir, 2010). This was a small-scale survey and did not include the most recent components of PLC, such as the critical use of data. Therefore, there was a need for a measurement instrument that grasps all these critical components in an Icelandic context and reliably measures the level of PLCs within Icelandic schools. The goal was to provide the school community with information based on the views of teachers and school leaders regarding the standing of their own professional environment within schools. Such information is vital to the professional development of teachers and for a sustainable improvement of schools and thus for student learning. Quantitative research methods were used to determine the validity and reliability of the measure for use with teachers and school leaders in Iceland. The development of the instrument was carried out in two steps. First, a pilot survey was conducted in the fall of 2016, when a questionnaire was sent to all teachers and leaders in 13 Icelandic schools. Next, experts evaluated the questionnaire, based on both the literature and on statistical analysis. The survey was then conducted for the second time with a revised version of the questionnaire in 14 schools in two municipalities with the aim of further developing the instrument. An exploratory factor analysis was conducted on the data in order to determine the dimensionality of the revised questionnaire. Statistical analysis resulted in an instrument with 34 statements contained in 6 dimensions. The underlying dimensions were (I) shared vision and values, (II) use of critical data to improve teaching, (III) mutual professional support for teaching and learning (IV) shared and supportive leadership, (V) social climate that supports collaboration and (VI) job satisfaction and engagement. In the discussion, five thought-provoking topics from the findings are considered in light of the literature with considerations as to why some findings were surprising but others were not. Firstly, we discuss the role of data and systematic collection of information to support decision-making regarding daily practice in schools. Secondly, we discuss the role and use of feedback in schools and how to support teachers and school administrators in Icelandic schools in receiving and giving feedback about their work. Thirdly, we discuss the challenge of analysing reflective dialogue between teachers about their practice, since reflective dialogue is considered to be a vital part of a professional learning community within schools. Fourthly, we discuss the partly surprising appearance of job satisfaction as a well-defined and distinct factor in the results (factor IV). Finally, we discuss the argument of Hairon et al. (2017) regarding the difficulty of assessing the influence of out of school factors on a PLC but the instrument presented here only encompasses the influence of factors within the school. The next step in the development and use of the instrument is to further validate the measure with the participation of additional schools and use interviews that can capture participants' view of the results. If the results from participants own schools are consistent with their experience, this would support the validation of the instrument. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract (Icelandic): Markmið þessarar rannsóknar er tvíþætt. Annars vegar að draga fram þá þætti sem einkenna lærdómssamfélag í íslenskum grunnskólum og hins vegar að þróa mælitæki sem gefur upplýsingar um stöðu lærdómssamfélags innan hvers skóla. Tilgangur slíks mælitækis er að fá yfirlit um stöðuna í hverjum skóla og gögn um helstu styrkleika og áskoranir sem þróun lærdómssamfélags innan skólans stendur frammi fyrir. Slíkar niðurstöður má nota af starfsfólki skólans til að rýna í eigið starf en einnig til að sníða ráðgjöf og leiðsögn að þörfum á hverjum stað eða ákveða hvert megi beina starfsþróun starfsfólks skólans. Mælitækið er spurningalisti með staðhæfingum sem mótaður var á grunni annarra spurningalista sem höfðu verið notaðir hér á landi og hann þróaður áfram. Forprófun fór fram meðal kennara og stjórnenda í 13 skólum og eftir gagngera endurskoðun var listinn lagður fyrir í 14 skólum til viðbótar. Niðurstöður leiddu í ljós sex vel afmarkaða þætti sem eru að mestu leyti í samræmi við fyrri rannsóknir á einkennum lærdómssamfélags í skólum. Þættirnir eru (I) sameiginleg sýn og gildi, (II) gagnrýnin ígrundun eigin kennslu, (III) faglegur stuðningur við þróun kennsluhátta, (IV) dreifð og styðjandi forysta, (V) félagslegt andrúmsloft styður samstarf og (VI) starfsánægja. Næstu skref eru að staðfesta (e. validate) listann með hliðsjón af þátttöku fleiri skóla og eigindlegum viðtölum um sýn þátttakenda á hvort niðurstöður þeirra skóla rími við upplifun þeirra og reynslu af starfinu í skólanum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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