Held on 18.9.-20.9.2024

Programme

Venue: Arktikum (Pohjoisranta 4)

9:00–10:00 Registration and Science Week for Grades 1-12
10:00– 11:30 European Space Education Resource Office ESERO Finland 45 min and Taivo Productions 45 min (room: Aurora)
11:40 Transportation to the University of Lapland
12:00– 13:00 Lunch
13:00–14:30 Teacher Education Networking (Eeli’s hall)
14:30–15:00 Coffee break
15:00–17:00 Art Gallery Walk and Work Shop

17:30 Informal get-together, restaurant Petronella (at own cost)

Venue: University of Lapland (Yliopistonkatu 8)

8:15–9:00 Registration and coffee/tea
9:00–9:10 Welcome address (Fellman hall)
Kirsti Lempiäinen, Vice-dean, University of Lapland, Faculty of Education
9:10–9:20 Teacher Training School’s Children Choir

9:20–10:00 Keynote 1 Education in the Arctic or Arctic Education: A northern perspective
Mhairi Beaton, Professor, Carnegie School of Education, Leeds Beckett University

10:00–10:25 Interactive session
10:30–12:00 Parallel sessions
1A: room A178
1B: room A179
1C: room A180
1D: room D210
1E: room D239
1F: room D244

12:00–13:15 Lunch

13:15–14:45 Parallel sessions
2A: room A140
2B: room A141
2C: room D156
2D: room D210
2E: room A181
2F: room A182 -> A179
2G: room F2018

14:45–15:30 Coffee break, Walking Poster Gallery

15:30–16:10 Keynote 2 PISA as a benchmark for learning outcomes in Finland (Fellman hall)
Arto Ahonen, National Project Manager of the PISA survey, University of Jyväskylä, Finnish Institute for Educational Research

16:10–16:50 Panel Discussion (in Finnish)
Moderator Outi Kyrö-Ämmälä, University Lecturer, University of Lapland
Panelists:
Heidi Sinevaara Niskanen, University Lecturer, University of Lapland
Sanna Illikainen, Lecturer, Teacher Training School, University of Lapland
Heidi Harju-Luukkainen, Professor, University of Jyväskylä and Nord University
Matti Rautiainen, Senior University Lecturer, University of Jyväskylä

18.30 Conference dinner, Lappish Restaurant Gaissa (at own cost)

Plant literacy programme (multiplier event)
Venue: University of Lapland (Yliopistonkatu 8)

8:15–9:00 Registration and coffee/tea

9:00–9:45 Keynote 3 From plant illiteracy towards understanding the importance of plants
Ilkka Ratinen, Professor and Dean, University of Lapland, Faculty of Education

9:45–12:00 Parallel sessions
3A: room C154
3B: room D169
3C: room D210
3D: room D262
3E: room E123

12:00–13:00 Lunch

13:00–13:15 General info on the results of the Education for Plant Literacy project
13:15–15:00 Parallel workshops – Dissemination of the results of the Education for Plant Literacy project
Workshop 1: Developing Plant Literacy – Teaching activities for pre-service teachers’ preparation (in Finnish, room D195)
Workshop 2: Modern teaching on plants – Teaching activities for secondary school (in Finnish, room D195)
Workshop 3: Modern teaching on plants – Teaching activities for primary school (in Finnish, room D195)
Workshop 4: Developing Plant Literacy – Modern teaching activities (in English, room D196)

Participation in the Friday programme alone is free of charge. Participation is paid by the Plant Literacy Project (Erasmus+). This option does not include the possibility to give your own presentation.

Keynote speakers

Mhairi C. Beaton

Professor, Carnegie School of Education, Leeds Beckett University
Mhairi C. Beaton is a merited researcher of education, an accomplished instructor, and an influential actor within international networks. She has extensive experience in the supervision of doctoral students and development of master’s programmes, and she has led many national and international research projects. Her research interests lie at the interface of inclusion, student voice, and teacher education.

Keynote title: Education in the Arctic or Arctic Education: A northern perspective

The University of the Arctic Thematic Network for Teacher Education for Social Justice and Diversity is now nearly ten years old. As an organisation, it has provided a platform for educational researchers from around the circumpolar north to promote educational research as a discipline among the teacher education programmes in the member universities. In this keynote, Mhairi will reflect on her experience of the organisation as a northern researcher, consider whether there are distinctive features to our research as a result of its geographical location and suggest how the network might contribute towards sustainable, innovative research which contributes to more socially just educational provision for all during the next decade.

Arto Ahonen

Arto K. Ahonen is an Associate Professor of Educational Assessment with a Doctorate in Education. He currently works as a Senior Researcher at the Finnish Institute for Educational Research, which is a part of the University of Jyväskylä. Since 2016, he has been the National Project Manager of the PISA survey. His research focuses on comparative assessment, as well as the factors that affect competencies in the school context.

Keynote title: PISA as a benchmark for learning outcomes in Finland

The Finnish education system has gone through an exciting developmental path from a follower into a role model. Finland’s performance during the two-decade history of PISA studies has been impressive, making it one of the world’s top-performing nations. However, there has also been a substantial decline in recent years. The latest PISA 2022 study has gained a lot of attention since it revealed an unprecedented drop in 15-year-old students’ proficiency in mathematics and reading. The long-term trend raises the question of what has happened to the education system over the last two decades. The effects of education policies may only be visible after a long delay, and it is often difficult to pinpoint the individual decision or solution behind a particular development. However, after two decades, it is possible to reflect upon some educational policy actions and changes that the school has faced over time. This presentation focuses on Finland’s long-term trend in educational outcomes and provides insights into some of the changes the education system has undergone.

Ilkka Ratinen

Ilkka Ratinen is a professor in sustainability and outdoor education at the University of Lapland. He graduated from university of Joensuu with Ph.D in physical geography in 2005 and from university of Jyväskylä with Ph.D in science education in 2016. His research focuses on sustainability education especially measuring sustainability competences and outdoor education.

Keynote title: From plant illiteracy towards understanding the importance of plants

Lack of knowledge about plants and their role in our environment is a major problem in our society. Due to people’s limited knowledge of plants, plant blindness and plant illiteracy are considered to be stumbling blocks to sustainable development, which is visible in Europe, for example in discussions about forests and agriculture. Plant blindness and illiteracy have their roots in school education. Students are not as interested in plants as they are in animals, and learning about plants is seen as boring and difficult. In addition, several key topics, such as the role of evaporation in cooling the climate, the role of vegetation in the water cycle or the interaction between plants and the atmosphere, are underrepresented in science education. To ensure a sustainable economy and environment in the future, there is a need to tackle plant blindness, improve citizens’ plant literacy and make the study of botany more attractive. This presentation will reflect on the results of the Plant Literacy E+ project on how to improve the role of plants in school science education.

Abstracts and presentation guidelines

We invite you to join us at EAF 2024 and contribute to the advancement of Arctic education through your valuable insights and experiences. You can propose your presentation in all session types either in English or in Finnish.

  1. Sustainable teacher education for social justice: Abstracts are encouraged on sustainable teacher education programs that foster social justice, diversity, and inclusivity. Share your experiences and research on inclusive classroom practices, culturally responsive teaching methods, and initiatives that empower teachers to address the unique challenges faced by Arctic learners.
  2. Best practices and practical innovations in Arctic education: We invite abstracts showcasing practical, real-world solutions in Arctic education. Topics may encompass hands-on teaching methods, community-driven educational initiatives, effective online learning strategies, and successful curriculum designs that enhance educational outcomes in the Arctic context.
  3. Plant literacy enriching education: We welcome abstracts exploring innovative approaches to integrating plant literacy into Arctic education. Topics may include indigenous plant knowledge, sustainable harvesting practices, and environmental education initiatives that promote a deep understanding of Arctic flora within educational curricula.
  1. Engaging hands-on workshops: Interactive sessions where participants engage in hands-on activities, curriculum planning, and practical demonstrations.
  2. Paper presentations: Researchers present their papers on specific research findings and methodologies related to the event’s themes. We also welcome papers already grouped as a self-organised symposium.
  3. Interactive poster session/gallery walk with 2-3 min
    presentations; separate session :     Researchers and educators showcase their projects, initiatives, and best practices through visually appealing posters and a short presentation. Posters are presented in a separate session where the presenters will have 2-3 minutes to share the highlights of their poster.

The duration of the oral presentation is 15 minutes, followed by 5 minutes for questions and discussion.

Electronic presentation materials (.ppt, .pptx, or .pdf) related to the oral presentations will be centrally managed in the session rooms. Please send the presentation materials via email to the Rovaniemi-Lapland Congresses services no later than 8:00 AM on the day of the presentation, address: congress[at]ulapland.fi.

Title the message: EAF 2024: oral presentation and name the file with the presenter’s surname. If your presentation has special requirements or includes links, videos, etc., please inform us when sending the file so that the presentation can be tested for functionality.

It is not possible to use your own laptop or thumb drive in the session rooms.

Posters will be displayed in the main lobby of the University of Lapland throughout the event. The event organiser will provide poster boards and fasteners. Presenters are responsible for setting up their own posters and removing them at the end of the event. Posters should be set up at the beginning of the event or at the latest when the presenter arrives at the university.

Poster presentations should follow general academic practices. The maximum and recommended size for the poster is vertical A0 (841×1189 mm).

During the coffee break on Thursday (2:45 PM – 3:30 PM), each poster presenter will be allocated approximately 2 minutes for a presentation.

Interactive workshops involve practical activities. The duration of the workshop is 40 minutes.

The recommended structure for the workshop is:

  • Introduction: 10 minutes
  • Interactive workshop: 20 minutes
  • Q & A: 10 minutes

Electronic presentation materials (.ppt, .pptx, or .pdf) included in the workshop will be centrally managed in the session rooms. Please send the presentation materials via email to the Rovaniemi-Lapland Congresses services no later than 8:00 AM on the day of the presentation, address: congress[at]ulapland.fi.

Title the message: EAF 2024: workshop and name the file with the presenter’s surname. If your presentation has special requirements or includes links, videos, etc., please inform us when sending the file so that the presentation can be tested for functionality.

It is not possible to use your own laptop or thumb drive in the session rooms.

Friday afternoon workshops are part of the Education for Plant Literacy -project (Erasmus+) and will last approximately two hours.

Publication opportunity

Presentations from the event will be compiled into a special issue of the scientific journal “Education in the North.” The special issue is scheduled for publication in late 2025. Those who submitted abstracts will receive a publication invitation in October-November 2024. There is an opportunity to publish a scientific article or a shorter review article based on the presentation.