Exploring Nordic Early Childhood Education: Nature, play and democracy

About the programme

This course focuses on the Nordic approach to Early Childhood Education, which emphasizes child-centred pedagogy, highlighting children's agency and participation. It fosters core values such as social relations, community, and sustainability. The course adopts a holistic and ethical approach to early childhood education and care, incorporating the whole body into learning processes and emphasizing outdoor education. 

The course is built around three main areas: 

• Outdoor life/Friluftsliv (15 ECTS) 
• Society, religion, sustainability, and everyday life (7,5 ECTS) 
• Pedagogy with the youngest children (1-3 years) (7,5 ECTS) 

What will you learn?

This course teaches how outdoor and nature pedagogy benefits children's learning, focusing on body and movement, nature and ecology, and play and wonder. It also emphasizes the importance of physical activity and movement for young learners.

Explore the Nordic countries' unique approach to early childhood education for children aged 0 to 3, focusing on participation, recognition, and holistic learning. The course examines how these values are applied in practice and the potential challenges faced

This course covers how kindergarten teachers use their ethical competence to nurture children's philosophical curiosity and exploration of religion and worldviews. It also examines the relationship between kindergarten and society, emphasizing diversity, democracy, and equal opportunities.

Course structure

This exchange programme takes place during the fall semester, from August to December.

During your studies, you will also get the opportunity to complete a two-week teaching practice in one of our partner kindergartens. Together with Norwegian students, you will take part in activities and assignments that are guided and assessed by a teacher in the kindergarten. This person will be your mentor and is responsible for supporting you throughout your placement and evaluating your performance.

Certificate of Good Conduct

Before participating in teaching practice, all students must sign a declaration of confidentiality and present a Certificate of Good Conduct issued by the police or a confirmation from the home institution that the valid certificate is in their possession.

Learning environment

As a student in this course, you will be part of the Early Childhood Teacher Education programme at the University of Agder (UiA), which integrates multiple subjects alongside Norwegian students. You must be prepared to actively participate in both outdoor and indoor teaching activities.