Social Relations, Conflicts and Power in Preschool Class and Primary School Grades 1-3

The course covers studies of social relations, conflicts and power relations that characterize the everyday of schools in the meetings between pupils, teachers, guardians and other parties. With a theoretical-critical basis, the course highlights the complex character of social relations while both making visible and problematizing the norms that characterize these. This theoretical basis comprises social-psychological and sociological perspectives on social relations with particular focus on issues related to power relations and meetings between people within a society that is characteristically diverse. As well, social media is covered as an arena for the social relationships of children, adolescents and adults. As such, the course covers the common value systems from a social perspective on sustainable development with focus on equality and the equal value of each human being. During the placement, students are expected to take on more responsibility for teaching in relation to previous placements. They are given opportunity to reflect on the work that schools do in terms of value systems and equality; the school as a moral and social arena; and the way in which these affect the role as educational leader as well as didactical considerations. Here, students meet didactical issues that are particularly tied to teaching in English as well as the development of reading and writing skills of children. These issues are highlighted, defined and analysed as part of the placement studies with the support of literature from subject courses.