Attacks on academic freedom in Turkey have become increasingly systematic in recent years and thousands of academics have been dismissed. This study reflects on the effects of this worsening repression through interviews with academics in the social sciences, both those dismissed and those still active in their profession. Although the dismissed academics are socially in a very precarious position, they are continuing their scholarly activities in alternative, underground forms. This resistance stands in contrast to the accommodation and self-censorship that seem, according to the interviewees, to prevail in university departments.

In wide-ranging attacks on academic freedom in Turkey in recent years, thousands of academics have lost their university positions. At the end of 2016 oppositional academics, many of whom were dismissed from their positions for having signed a peace petition, established a Street Academy as an alternative way to reach out to both students and the public in Ankara. In this study we analyse the experiences of these street academy lecturers from the perspective of Social Representation Theory. Our main aims were to explore teaching experience perceptions and representations and, in addition, also the opportunities and challenges generated by this alternative academy. Data consisted of semi-structured interviews with five female and five male street academy lecturers. The results of a qualitative thematic analysis revealed that the way participants explained their experiences could be organised into three major themes and several subordinate themes. One of the most salient results was that participating in the street Academy had become a way to defend academic freedom. More generally suggested results demonstrated that teaching in this new setting, outside of the universities and away from customised learning environments, was quite a novel experience. The possible implications of street academy lecturers? experiences are discussed.

Utilizing forest gardens as urban settings for outdoor environmental education in Sweden is a new practice. These forest gardens combine qualities of a forest, e.g., multi-layered polyculture vegetation, with those of a school garden, such as accessibility and food production. The study explores both the perceived qualities of forest gardens in comparison to other outdoor settings and forest garden educators’ ideas, purposes, and experiences of activities in a three-year forest gardening project with primary school children. The data were collected through interviews and observations and analyzed qualitatively. Four reported ideas were to give children opportunities to: feel a sense of belonging to a whole; experience self-regulation and systemic dependence; experience that they can co-create with non-human organisms; and imagine possible transformation of places. Four pedagogical forest garden features are discussed.

This study was carried out within a project to promote health and ecosystem services, ?the benefits people obtain from ecosystems?, in preschools in Sweden. The paper applies the concept ?affordance? to capture the functional meaning that children assign to different material aspects of their schoolyards before and after the installation of additional environmental features. The findings from walk-and-talks with 23 preschool children highlight what features children preferred in their yards and why. Few children showed spontaneous attention to the installed features, e.g. insect hotels. This might be more because children were not enough involved within the schoolyard development and experienced little guided exploration of environmental affordances, rather than a lack of interest per se. Given this, we suggest that development projects to upgrade schoolyards for improved ecosystem services should involve children in the design of the ecosystem services promoting features throughout the development work, and thereby, integrally, promote ecological literacy.

Birgitta Hambraeus (C) och Birgitta Dahl (S) var centrala aktörer under två avgörande decennier för svensk miljö- och energipolitik. Under perioden 1971-1991 sökte de, från olika politiska utgångspunkt, skapa en framsynt politik baserad på hänsyn till miljö och klimat. De var ibland motståndare, ibland allierade i denna kamp.

The system of welcoming newly arrived students in Sweden has experienced numerous modifications since its inception. Additionally, because the interpretation of education laws us left to the municipalities and head teachers, the various policies have resulted in a multitude of local practices. Over the years, a very wide range of models for organising newcomer reception have therefore been tried out in Sweden. This makes it possible to draw some conclusions regarding didactic implications, and to identify the most critical aspects. Across the various experiences, it is noteworthy that the reception system remains placed at the margins of the education system as a whole, which leads to inadequacies in teacher training as well as obstacles to the collaboration required across teams, professional groups and institutions. The pedagogy is based on a general perception ofthe incapacity of the student, while the many "specialmeasures" that aim to compensate for perceived deficits do not result in teaching approaches that facilitate the transition between education systems or take into account expectations of the students and their families.

Numerous vulnerabilities have been noted in the current structures of the Gulf economies, including dependency on hydrocarbon exports, the need for fiscal reforms and alternative sources of state revenue, as well as limited incentives in the status-quo for initiative and productive activities. However, diversification, business development and transition away from hydrocarbon dependency require the capacity to make informed and strategic long-term choices, based on not only on existing strengths and competitive advantages within the current global landscape, but taking into account foreseeable needs and future developments. These include both regional or domestic developments and the likelihood of major shocks in global economic landscapes. It has been observed that major restructuring of economies was made possible historically through state intervention (Wade, 2004). States clearly have a privileged position for enabling change, since they can provide necessary infrastructure and create a stable climate that supports investment, allowing businesses to operate with a minimum of risk. Clear and credible visions for the future are a vital condition for long term investments in the domestic economies, while excessive regulations, clientelism and the fear of political upheavals can act as deterrents. In the case of the Gulf states, the question is thus how to develop wise policies and mechanisms, by identifying critical points of leverage rather than using blanket measures.To avoid defensive reactions or flight of capital and capacity, visions for domestic development need to generate confidence and trust, giving sufficient attention to mechanisms of enabling change that simultaneously permit a smooth phasing out of dysfunctional structures. Major challenges observed today include the demographic profile of the countries, expectations as well as the mismatch between existing skills of the labour force and the capacity needed for restructuring the economies. Maintaining a social contract will therefore continue to depend on measures of distribution and ensuring employment for young people in the region, while at the same time orienting the economy towards new types of production.The paper will consider possible pathways towards economic sustainability in the Gulf states drawing on systems and transition theory (Geels, 2005; Twomey & Gaziulusoy, 2014). In the context of the Gulf, it has been argued that conventional distinctions between private and public sectors can be misleading, to the extent that public actors can be stakeholders in the economy. In the analysis, emphasis will therefore be on implications of policy choices for the real economy and future capacity, rather than on public versus private ownership. The analysis will further outline the heterogeneity of the economic fabric and discuss both synergies and conflicts of interest between different sectors and industries.

The beach is the main accessible public space for the inhabitants of Gaza, and plays a central role for leisure time and recreation. However, the water is contaminated and dangerous for bathing, which reflects the major issues Gaza faces with wastewater treatment and adequate infrastructure.

The initiative at the Burj El Barajneh camp is run by a network of local associations and aims at improving living conditions, services, infrastructure and livelihoods for the inhabitants. Burj El Barajneh has a large number of active associations and many highly educated professionals. However, in this complex hyperdense context, any kind of change needs to be carefully considered; there are no simple recipes, and existing professional expertise does not necessarily match the specific conditions of the locality. By working with collective design and collaboration between the camp's inhabitants, it becomes possible to envisage larger coordinated efforts and to solve issues that remain blocked at an individual level. 

Purpose

The paper aims to provide a conceptual map of how to mediate between sustainability theory and practice in higher education and how disciplinary divides can be bridged. It further looks at issues linked to knowledge views and drivers for institutional change that affect opportunities for whole institution development promoting action preparedness.

Design/methodology/approach

Taking its point of departure in the University Educators for Sustainable Development report UE4SD (2014, 2015), the paper discusses ways that ideas and interaction can be mediated in higher education settings, to connect sustainability research with vocational programmes. Different options are considered and compared.

Findings

Although the literature stresses both action orientation and the need for holistic transdisciplinary approaches, many institutional drivers limit opportunities for more integrating approaches.

Research limitations/implications

However, while conclusions may hold for universities at an overarching level, it is likely that certain research and teaching environments have been able to transcend such barriers.

Practical implications

Conceptually mapping the different forms that dialogue, interaction and flows of ideas take within higher education institutions has relevance for whole institution development for sustainability.

Social implications

Importantly, producing sustainability science with relevance to practice in various professions is a fundamental condition to support accelerated transitions to sustainability at societal levels.

Originality/value

The paper makes a significant contribution by focusing on concrete institutional pathways for knowledge exchange and negotiation that can support education for sustainability in higher education.

Cross-disciplinary research has become a political concern for addressing global challenges (Kessel and Rosenfield 2008). However, cross-disciplinary research is no easy road as it generally coupled with resistance from traditional disciplinary university structures, difficulties with collaborating across the disciplines, and national policies drawing in different directions (Turner et al. 2015). Still, interdisciplinary graduate programmes are globally widespread, and much of the politically requested research is carried out by doctoral students and post docs – who face the same challenges as cross-disciplinary researchers do in general (Boden et al. 2011; Felt et al. 2013). At the same time, research on junior scholars’ learning in multidisciplinary environments is scarce (Holley 2015), and explicit guidelines for cross-disciplinary research supervision are still missing although a few exceptions exist (Manathunga et al. 2006). Against this background, the purpose of the current conference contribution is three-fold:Firstly, we will provide a conceptual framework for how the concepts of multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary, and cross-disciplinary can be understood and distinguished from each other. Secondly, we will present some findings from our recent study on cross-disciplinary collaboration and scholarly independence among doctoral students and post docs in two multidisciplinary learning environments at a Swedish university. Data was collected through interviews with leaders, supervisors, doctoral students, and post docs (n=26), and cross-case synthesis (Yin 2014) was used for analysing data. Underpinned by the theoretical notions of ‘epistemic living space’ (Felt et al. 2013) and ‘developmental networks’ (Baker and Lattuca 2010), our analysis revealed how the actors’ engagement in the environments was dependent on their positions in time and space. Thirdly, based on our empirical findings and existing literature within the field, we will outline a theoretical framework for developing cross-disciplinary research supervision and suggest a pedagogy that supports not only doctoral students but post docs as well, as they generally also need support (Scaffidi and Berman 2011). In line with other studies, our conclusions point to the benefits of learning from peers in multidisciplinary settings (e.g. Baker and Lattuca 2010; Boden et al. 2011). Yet the need for qualified supervision may not be underestimated – which implies certain challenges in multidisciplinary environments.

Allvarliga kränkningar av den akademiska friheten förekommer idag i flera av Europarådets medlemsstater och det är ofta samhällsvetenskaperna som utgör måltavlan. Situationen är särskilt allvarlig i Turkiet där tusentals universitetslärare avskedats. Intervjuer med avskedade turkiska samhällsvetare och samhällsvetare som lever under hot om avsked ger en sammansatt bild: här finns både resignation och motstånd.

The aim of this study is to investigate how patterns of collaboration and scholarly independence are related to early stage researchers’ development in two multidisciplinary learning environments at a Swedish university. Based on interviews with leaders, supervisors, doctoral students, and post docs, results show how early stage researchers’ development is conditioned by their relative positions in time (career stage) and space (geographical and epistemic position). Through the theoretical notions of ‘epistemic living space’ and ‘developmental networks’, four ways of experiencing the multidisciplinary learning environment were distinguished. Overall, the environments provided a world of opportunities, where the epistemic living space entailed many possibilities for cross-disciplinary collaboration and development of scholarly independence among peers. However, depending on the members’ relative positions in time and space, this world became an alien world for the post docs who had been forced to become “over-independent” and find collaborators elsewhere. Moreover, it became an avoided world for absent mono-disciplinary supervisors and students who embodied “non-collective independence”, away from the environments’ community. By contrast, a joint world emerged for doctoral students located in the environment, which promoted their “independent positioning” and collaborative ambitions. Thus, early stage researchers’ collaboration and development of scholarly independence were optimised in a converged learning space, where the temporal and spatial conditions were integrated and equally conducive for learning. Based on these results, the authors provide suggestions for how to improve the integration of scholars who tend to develop away from the community because of their temporal and spatial positions. 

Ingress: Vilda platser, som skog och naturområden, har ett högt lekvärde, visar ny forskning. Här upplever barn att de själva bestämmer över leken. – Vi har inte rätt att bygga bort sådana platser, säger pedagogikforskaren Maria Hammarsten.

Ingress: Vilda platser, som skog och naturområden, har ett högt lekvärde, visar ny forskning. Här upplever barn att de själva bestämmer över leken. – Vi har inte rätt att bygga bort sådana platser, säger pedagogikforskaren Maria Hammarsten.

Ingress: Oredigerade platser, som skog och grönområden, har ett högt lekvärde, visar ny forskning. Här upplever barn att de själva bestämmer över leken. – Vi har inte rätt att bygga bort sådana platser, säger pedagogikforskaren Maria Hammarsten.

Farmers as volunteers in research could potentially provide a rich resource for exploring sustainable agricultural research questions. To discern emerging patterns in citizen science-based studies on topics with relevance for sustainable agriculture and reveal salient challenges and opportunities for conducting such studies, we conducted a literature review of 27 articles from the period 2004–2019 of 250 publications screened from Google Scholar. These articles were thematically grouped under the topics: Soil health, climate adaptation, pest/pathogen monitoring, invasive species, inputs and outputs and pollination. Participants’ characteristics, motivations, study design and project outcomes in the reviewed articles were summarized and discussed. Both observational and experimental studies were represented in the articles, while emerging trends point towards field experimentation and ‘Large-N′ trials by lay farmers. Crowdsourcing lends itself to projects where the main role of the public is local visual observations and reporting, such as in pest/pathogen monitoring. Challenges included methodological issues such as validation procedures, but above all motivation, recruitment, and retention of volunteers. Despite the importance of participatory approaches for deeper citizen involvement for sustainability transitions and for the quality of knowledge outcomes, the role of citizens was overall restricted to data collection. Several of the methodologies proposed would be difficult to implement in low-income countries, and relatively few studies pertained to agricultural concerns of the global South. To lend value to farmers' time, we recommend projects relevant to livelihoods, health issues or local farming problems, accompanied by well-structured data feedback protocols, routing study results back to farmers. 

As the benefits of outdoor learning have become of increasing interest to the education sector, so the importance of understanding and overcoming challenges associated with this pedagogy has gained greater significance. The Natural Connections Demonstration Project recruited primary, secondary, and special schools across south-west England with a view to stimulating and supporting ‘learning in the natural environment’ across the region. This research paper examines qualitative data obtained from case study visits to 12 of these schools. The results from teaching staff interviews and focus groups show that schools face many and varied challenges to embedding outdoor learning, and a raft of strategies are presented for tackling these challenges and integrating learning in the natural environment into much of the current curriculum. 

Ingress: Att utomhuspedagogik kan vara bra för både inlärningen och motion ifrågasätter inte en forskare i utomhuspedagogik vid högskolan i Jönköping. Men hon varnar också:

– Vi har en tradition av Bullerbyn och Astrid Lindgren-värld. Vi romantiserar allt som är utomhus, ibland kan det vara dumt att gå ut, säger doktorand Maria Hammarsten.

From foreword: This report describes how civil society and the public sector in Jönköping municipality collaborated with each other in assisting the welcoming and integration of the refugees who arrived in the municipality during the so-called ‘migrant crisis’ of 2015.

Från förordet: Den här rapporten handlar om hur civilsamhället och offentlig sektor i Jönköpings kommun har samarbetat för att hjälpa till att välkomna och integrera alla de flyktingar som kom i samband med flyktingkrisen 2015. Rapporten är en del av en större studie som i förlängningen syftar till att jämföra civilsamhällets roll i mottagningssystemen i Kanada och Sverige och är finansierad av Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council i Kanada.

The Green Schools Movement in Sweden has a long history. In this chapter we will start with a historical review of the long interest of green issues in Swedish society and how these have influenced curriculum and teaching. We will address the different teaching traditions that evolved in environmental education in Sweden over time. Then we will describe how the green school movement been promoted in Sweden through initiatives from NGOs such as Håll Sverige Rent and World Wide Fund for Nature. This has led to certification systems for schools to participate with the possibility to be accredited as “green schools”. These certification systems have turned from an environmental perspective to a perspective towards Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). Finally we will go through the extensive research conducted in Sweden the last years of the effects these certification systems has had in the schools at student, teacher and school organization level, and what we can learn from these studies in order to develop the green school movement for the future.

New measurement of students' learning and teaching concepts is essential for creating constructive alignment in teaching and support formative assessment to promote epistemic development. The Epistemological Development in Teaching Learning Questionnaire (EDTLQ) was developed to meet these needs. In the present study, the factor structure of EDTLQ was examined using a sample of 643 students from a Swedish University. The results show that the correlated six-factor model fits the data the best. The result is consistent with the developmental theory that posits development as a dynamic highly correlated process varying across and within domains. There is a potential to use EDTLQ as a tool for adapting teaching to appropriate levels of understanding within different domains. The EDTLQ is one of the few measurements that can be used to assess students' learning concepts so that education/teaching can be adapted to support students? development of more complex levels of thinking about learning.

This book provides a framework for understanding the components of woodland wellbeing. Based around the collaborative project, Good from Woods, the book spotlights multiple case studies to explore how wellbeing and health are promoted in woodland settings and through woodland inspired activity.  It illustrates forms of wellbeing through real examples of woodland practice and draws out implications for the design of programmes to support health and wellbeing across different client groups. Chapters discuss health and wellbeing from a variety of perspectives such as psychological, physical, social, emotional and biophilic wellbeing.

The book will be of great practical use to commissioners, providers and users of woodland based activity who want to take a deeper look into how trees, woods and forests support human health and happiness, as well as of interest to academics and students engaged in research in outdoor activities, urban forestry and natural health and wellbeing. 

Region Jönköpings län inledde 2016 tillsammans med JU, Riksbyggen, Vätterhem och nio förskolor i regionen ett forskningsbaserat samverkansprojekt för att utveckla multifunktionella urbana förskolegårdar med förstärkta ekosystemtjänster för hälsa, lek, lärande och hållbarhet.

Ekosystemtjänster är ett sätt att benämna produkter och tjänster som naturen förser oss med, såsom försörjande ekosystemtjänster, som ger oss frukter, bär och ätbara blad; stödjande ekosystemtjänster, som bidrar med skydd mot UV-ljus, förbättrad luftkvalitet, vattenreglering och kolbindning samt kulturella ekosystemtjänster, såsom, rekreation, välbefinnande, möjligheter till lek, rörelse och lärande, vilka bidrar till gemenskap i närmiljön.

Ekosystemtjänstperspektivet har använts både vid planering, utveckling och utvärdering av multifunktionella utomhusmiljöer vid förskolorna i ett systematiskt kvalitets- och utvecklingsarbete. De 9 deltagande förskolorna utformade sina visioner och mål för sina utemiljöer i varsin workshop. Detta skedde i samverkan med forskare från SER-gruppen vid JU, av förskolorna specifikt inbjudna gäster samt en hållbarhetschef vid Riksbyggen som ledde samtliga workshops via länk.

I respektive workshop inventerades och dokumenterades 15 befintliga ekosystemtjänster i Riksbyggens digitala mätverktyg för ekosystemtjänster. Deltagande förskollärare beskrev också sin vision för hur de vill att förskolegården ska utvecklas. Även denna fördes in i Riksbyggens digitala verktyg. Forskarna och Riksbyggen har förutom att dokumentera processen också funnits med som resurs genom att komma med förslag till möjliga åtgärder.

Förutom att varje förskola har haft en egen workshop om sin specifika förskolegård har de tillsammans med de övriga medverkande parterna deltagit i gemensamma föreläsningar och erfarenhetsutbyten vid inspirationsträffar arrangerade av regionens folkhälsoavdelning.

Ett syfte med forskningsstudien har varit att undersöka vilka ekosystemtjänster som prioriteras och utvecklas av deltagarna under såväl som efter förbättringsarbetet, samt hur urvalet av ekosystemtjänster gått till.

Förskolornas workshops spelades in under våren 2017 och har analyserats kvalitativt med utgångspunkt från deltagarnas utsagor, som framkom under nämnda workshops. I dessa workshops deltog lärarna från respektive förskola, Riksbyggens representant samt projektets forskare från HLK. Efter ett och ett halvt år fick förskolorna dessutom besvara en enkät om vilka åtgärder för att stärka ekosystemtjänster som genomförts.

Preliminärt visar resultaten, i flera fall, på likheter i de val av ekosystemtjänster som förskolorna valde att lyfta fram, men även att idéen till att satsa på olika ekosystemtjänster kan komma från olika kategorier av workshopdeltagare. Lärarna lyfter vid flera fall fram verksamhetens förutsättningar som grund för val av åtgärd. De åtgärder som flest förskolor valt att genomföra, enligt enkäten, var att anlägga insektshotell, plantera blommande växter för pollinerare, odla i pallkragar och sätta upp fågelholkar. Åtgärder som genomfördes av få förskolor var exempelvis utplacering av död ved och anläggning av vattenspegel. Vid den aktuella tillämpningen av Riksbyggens mätverktyg är en svaghet att ekosystemtjänster inte kvantifieras i tillräcklig grad.

I denna möjlighetsbok leder oss Harold Göthsons röst som en introducerande och analyserande röd tråd genom berättelser om lärprocesser runt om i vårt land, från ettåringars förskolevardag till kommunnivå. Ur olika perspektiv får vi härmed praktiknära inblickar i hur hela förskoleorganisationen arbetar med att bygga demokrati, likvärdighet och förståelse för hur allt hänger ihop i en väv mellan oss människor, djuren och naturen.

Den här inspirerande och tankeväckande antologin vänder sig till alla er studerande och verksamma inom förskolan som vill sätta dialogen i centrum för att med våra yngsta världsmedborgare upptäcka möjligheter och överbrygga hinder i ett ”learning by doing” för demokrati och en hållbar framtid.

Palestinian refugee camps were formed in Lebanon after 1948, and are today home to approximately half a million inhabitants. Estimates are highly uncertain, since many refugees live in Lebanon informally, due to stringent Lebanese residency regulations and the massive crisis in neighbouring Syria. Besides the Palestinians newly arriving from Syria, camp populations have been swollen by the general crisis, pushing migrant workers and poor Lebanese to seek the cheapest possible accommodation. 

Camp conditions were difficult already before the recent war, but have dramatically worsened. The pressure on infrastructure and housing has multiplied, due to the sudden increase in population. Conditions are further affected by the pressures on power and water supplies outside the camps. At the same time, restricted livelihoods and skyrocketing prices of materials leave little resources to proceed with necessary upgrades and maintenance of facilities and the built environment. Desperate homeless families are prepared to live in buildings that are compromised and unsafe, since they have no other options. At the same time, poor infrastructure leads to a vicious circle, since local workshops that could provide livelihoods also depend on access to transport, power supplies, water, and effective management of wastewater, waste and fumes to minimise environmental impacts.Sustainable camps is a project initiated by the Centre for Middle Eastern Studies at Lund University in collaboration with community centres at Beddawi and Bourj-el-Barajneh, aiming to address the dual need for education and improved living conditions in the camps in Lebanon. Existing community centres will be used as hubs for learning, training and innovation. Young people living in the camps will collaborate with students in Lebanon and abroad to develop low-cost and environmentally friendly solutions to the local infrastructure challenges, in the context of carrying out necessary repairs and upgrades. Interconnecting centres in different camps allows sharing knowledge and know-how.

Ingress: Stäng inte in klätterstenen med ett staket. Elever behöver få pröva sitt risktagande, skriver Maria Hammarsten i en debattartikel.

Syfte

Syftet med studien är att undersöka vad elever gör på oredigerade platser och för att få en bättre förståelse vad dessa platser betyder för dem.

Hur upplevs oredigerade platser ur barns perspektiv?

Hur används oredigerade platser ur barns perspektiv?

Metod/genomförande

Studien använder samtalspromeander (Klerfelt & Haglund, 2015), i kombination medfotografering (Einarsdóttir, 2005; Änggård, 2015). Metodvalet ger barn möjlighet att uttrycka sig både verbalt och icke-verbalt. Barnen kan visa, peka och fotografera samt visa med kroppen.

17 samtalspromenader med enskilt fritidshemsbarn.

Fyra olika fritidshem som ligger i tre olika kommuner.

Varje elev deltog enskilt på en samtalspromenad och tog två bilder på sina oredigerade platser. Fältanteckningar gjordes från två icke deltagande observationer med två olika elevgrupper på fritidshem.

Resultat

Resultatet visar att oredigerade platser för barn skapar olika handlingserbjudanden (affordances) som exempelvis fysiska, emotionella och sociala aspekter. Oredigerade platser erbjuder möjligheter för utforskande, fantasi och fri lek, upplevelser med alla sinnen, liksom fysisk aktivitet, social interaktion, tid att vara ensam och möjligheter för barnen att skapa sina egna aktiviteter.

Analys/diskussion/reflektion

Analys

Det teoretiska begrepp, affordances, applicerades på studiens empiriska datamaterial om vad barnen uppgav utifrån oredigerade platsers företeelser. Affordances som kan översättas med handlingserbjudanden som en plats eller miljö kan ge barn. Begreppet används för att beskriva både betydelsen av egenskaper och användning av oredigerade platser ur barns perspektiv.

Diskussion/Reflektion

Utifrån resultatet argumenteras det att förtätning av städer behöver göras med beaktande av barns perspektiv och möjliggöra att det finns platser för barn och barns platser (Rasmussen, 2004). Kunskapsbidraget från studien är att lära sig mer om vad barn gör på oredigerade utomhusplatser och ge barn röst om dessa platser. Studien är ett bidrag till stadsmiljödesign, att bevara oredigerade platser inom byggda utomhusmiljöer. 

Barn utgör en femtedel av Sveriges befolkning (SCB, 2020), och 2020 blev barnkonventionen lagstiftad i Sverige. Konventionen garanterar bland annat barns rätt att uttrycka sina åsikter, och att dessa skall tillmätas betydelse (United Nations, 1989). Rätten gäller även närmiljön, vilken har stor betydelse för barns välmående och utveckling. Tidigare studier visar hur barn använder och uppfattar redigerade platser som skolgården (Rönnlund, 2015; Mårtensson & Fägerstam, 2020), förskolegården (Almers et al., 2020), eller stadsmiljön (Orellana & Hernandez, 1999), men få studier berör oredigerade platser. Studien tar avstamp i barndomssociologi, där barn betraktas som aktiva, kompetenta aktörer och kan ge ett kunskapsbidrag (Cosaro, 1997; James, Jenks & Prout, 1998). I studien berättar, visar och fotograferar elever i fritidshem sina egna oredigerade platser. Syftet med studien är att undersöka vad elever gör på oredigerade platser och för att få en bättre förståelse vad dessa platser betyder för dem. Metoden är samtalspromenader (Klerfelt & Haglund, 2015), med fotografering (Einarsdóttir, 2005; Änggård, 2015). Resultatet visar att elevers oredigerade platser skapar olika handlingserbjudanden (affordances) som exempelvis fysiska, emotionella och sociala aspekter. Utifrån resultatet argumenteras det att förtätning av städer behöver göras med beaktande av barns perspektiv och möjliggöra att det finns platser för barn och barns platser (Rasmussen, 2004).

Ingress: Vi, 1 620 forskare samt lärare vid universitet och högskolor, är eniga med de unga bakom Auroramålet: De drabbas och riskerar att drabbas allvarligt av klimatkrisen under sin livstid.

Låt inte matematiklärandet stanna innanför tröskeln när närmiljö blir lärmiljö. Du som är lärare i särskolan har många möjligheter att använda och se skolgården som en pedagogisk resurs. När vi använder de utomhuspedagogiska glasögonen så öppnas en annan lärandearena och en pedagogik med utomhusdidaktisk inriktning. Lärandet som kan bedrivas utomhus är både en friskfaktor, inspirerande och lärorikt. 

This study aims to contribute to an in-depth understanding of children’s plant blindness. Plant blindness is explored through close study of how children perceive and use a forest garden. The theoretical framework is based on social studies of childhood and the assumption that children are active, social and competent. The study includes 28 children, the majority of whom were 9 years old, who participated in walk-and-talk conversations during which they took photos. Gibson’s concept of affordances has been used as the analysis tool. The analysis centered on those elements of the forest garden, which the children had photographed most frequently and considered to be important, memorable, and/or special. The results show that plants, including trees and shrubs, are a markedly dominant feature for children and are linked to sensory, emotional and aesthetic affordances that the children describe. This study suggests that the environment of the forest garden, in conjunction with the forest garden educators’ pedagogical approach including various mini projects with plants can contribute to preventing children’s “plant blindness”. The study concludes that it is important to plan for plant exploration in children’s immediate outdoor environments.