The HVL teachers think it's a party to work with ViteMeir
And both see positive aspects of the collaboration that has existed since the early start-up phase of the science center.
– I would like to work with ViteMeir in order to be able to contribute to the development of ViteMeir , and help create a unique collaboration that can mutually strengthen teacher education and ViteMeir , says Linda Moen Rebni.
She is a lecturer in pedagogy at the University College of Western Norway in Sogndal , and is in a 20% permanent position at ViteMeir .
– So far it has been a pleasure to collaborate with ViteMeir "They are forward-thinking and generous people who think all ideas are good. I look forward to continuing," says Moen Rebni.
In addition to close collaboration, they have an agreement that regulates that HVL will set aside two 20% positions in the work with the science center, with the aim of good interaction. The two positions are Linda and Kristin Myhra Sæterdal.
– Collaboration with ViteMeir has given me a fantastic opportunity to develop as a knowledge communicator in a vibrant environment that is not afraid to take on new challenges, says Myhra Sæterdal.
HVL gets a sense of ownership
HVL and Vitemeir have had a cooperation agreement since 2019, and the overall purpose is to promote the development of teaching and dissemination within kindergarten and primary school teachers, and technical and natural science education.
– An important aspect of our efforts in the first phase is precisely that the college is close to developing a center that could mean a lot for the development of our education content and dissemination methods, says Stein Joar Hegland, professor at the Department of Environmental and Natural Sciences.
He believes that such a collaboration has several great advantages for both parties, including that HVL gains a completely different sense of ownership and influence than just providing a little professional advice every now and then.
– That's why it's so important to have Linda and Kristin and many others involved in the specific development work because then there's a greater chance that it will be relevant for HVL as well, says Hegland.
Better with collaboration than pure operating subsidies
Pro-rector for Education Bjørg Kristin Selvik says that HVL has something professional to contribute, and HVL thinks that such a collaboration with two part-time positions is more fruitful than a pure operating subsidy.
– We have spent money on letting our people work on the construction, and the idea behind this was that we wanted a good connection between ViteMeir and HVL so that when the center is in operation, it is known to us, and there is a greater chance that we will use it actively in our education and other work, she says.
Stein Joar Hegland says that it is important to ensure the quality of the academic content, and he says that HVL is one of the most important driving forces for the creation of a knowledge center at all.
– For example, a hydroelectric power installation that Kristin is currently working on. There she gathers knowledge from the various professional communities in order to be able to say something about the environmental consequences of such energy extraction. Here, the professional community of HVL plays an important role for ViteMeir , says Hegland.
He also says that it will have an impact on teacher education.
– I think HVL can use ViteMeir very active in developing even better teachers, says Hegland.
Kristin Myhra Sæterdal also wants to work to ensure that students at HVL have the opportunity to use ViteMeir as a new learning area for practical teaching and as an arena for collecting data for bachelor's and master's theses.
– The work of creating an area for creative and exploratory mathematics teaching has been particularly exciting and there is no doubt that the collaboration with ViteMeir gives me new ideas that will benefit our students, she says.