Maria Olson Professor
Contact
Name and title: Maria OlsonProfessor
Workplace: Department of Teaching and Learning Länk till annan webbplats.
Visiting address Room P340Svante Arrhenius väg 20 A
Postal address Institutionen för ämnesdidaktik106 91 Stockholm
About me
I am a professor in Subject education at the Department of Teaching and Learning. My main area of expertise is democracy and citizenship in relation to education, school and civil society - in a national, Nordic and (EU) perspective. The focus is on both formal school and education systems, and on educational and teaching contexts that take place outside of this. The aim has repeatedly been to develop and communicate research-based mapping, guiding principles and concrete tools to work for the continued existence of democracy and citizenship in today's and tomorrow's society.
Since my doctoral dissertation, I have been part of several international research projects in the academia, but also in collaboration with various authorities, organisations and companies. The focus has often been on inclusion, diversity, values, coexistence and human development in and for society both a practical and theoretical light. My subject didactic focus is on the social studies subjects, especially social science and religious education.
I currently teach the course Theory of Science and Research Methodology at the Department of Philosophy, and within the Master's programme for humanities and social sciences, as well as in practical training courses for prospective subject teachers. I also supervise students in their degree projects ('Independent Work') at undergraduate and graduate levels, as well as doctoral students in research education. In addition, I am a teacher on the university-wide research supervision course for prospective research supervisors at the Centre for University Teacher Education (CeUL).
My research includes questions about the role and function of school, school subjects and education in society - politically, socially, economically and culturally. Especially when it comes to the survival of society in terms of democracy and citizenship, in a local, national and international/global perspective.
I currently run a research project that deal with existential and life-issues related perspectives in psychology and religious education at upper secondary school, and the possible significance of such perspectives for students' widening of their understanding of the subjects; Existential aspects in subject teaching - religious education and psychology The project is funded by the the Swedish Institute for Educational Research, and is a practical collaborative project involving four researchers and four upper secondary school teachers. The project is about exploring how the actual encounter between students and the subject in subject teaching takes shape, based on the question of what raises existential questions and experiences in them. More precisely, the focus is on what touches, concerns and is experienced as meaningful in an existential way in the teaching of these subjects. The ambition is to identify and map in what ways, if at all, such existential actualisation can contribute to a widened subject understanding. And further, to carve out didactic points that need to be taken into account in subject teaching, in order to open up opportunities for students to encounter the subject in ways that have the potential to touch and concern them in an existentially meaningful way that is at the same time integrity-based.
In addition to this, I have been part of various assignments, such as international research reviews and research collaboration, school and teacher professional development, and government agency and municipal together with civil society organisations development. I lead the research group DEMSOD - Democracy and citizenship in the didactics of socially oriented subjects. The group has a Nordic reach with affiliated researchers and research groups.