Background and aim

Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) provides direction for both development and research and are therefore appropriate in collaboration between researchers and schools when the aim is to develop practice in schools. In the context of CHAT, the researcher is called a formative interventionist researcher, meaning that the role of teacher educators as formative interventionist researchers is to provoke and sustain an extensive transformation process led and owned by leaders and teachers. During development work research (DWR) findings are used to give direction to further development processes. CHAT presents models that can be used as development tools. The aim of the research group is to develop a methodological competence that can connect research and development in DWR, and thus develop a research role that is called for in Lærerutdanning 2025. Nasjonal strategi for kvalitet og samarbeid i lærerutdanningene [Teacher Education 2025. National strategy for quality and collaboration in teacher education institutions (Ministry of Education, 2017), and, furthermore, publish findings from DWR. The intended result is the members’ competence, qualifications and positions in the teacher education institution. 

Current activities

Six of the members in the group (May Britt Postholm, Anne Berit Emstad, Kåre Hauge, Gro Marte Strand, Lise V. Sandvik and Karen Birgitte Dille) are also members of a national group lead by May Britt Postholm (see https://www.activitytheorygroup.no/ for description of the group). This national group arranged the Nordic ISCAR conference in Trondheim, 18.-20. June, 2019.

The members of TedSChat have all a Phd. With such qualifications we aim for external projects. In 2019-2023 May Britt Postholm led the collaboration project Learning, Assessment and Boundary Crossing in Teacher Education (LABTed) funded by the Norwegian Research Council (NRC) together with members of the research group. In 2023 we got funding from the NRC to accomplish the project Leadership and Learning for the Development of Teachers’ Professional Digital Competence (LeadDig) (2023-2027). In the LeadDig-project four members of the group, Postholm (leader), Emstad, Hauge and Strand, together with invited co-researcher (se below) collaborate with schools in one municipality, altogether six schools from primary to lower secondary level using CHAT as the framework. We also collaborate with international researchers in the project: Professor emeritus Yrjö Engeström at CRADLE, University of Helsinki, Professor Annalisa Sannino. University of Tampere in this project, and Professor Marilyn Cochran-Smith, Boston College.

As regular activities in the research group, we read articles that we discuss, and give feedback on each other’s research activity, from process to product. We also have monthly meetings collaborating in the research group to discuss and plan activities in LeadDig.

Invited members (when working in the LeadDig-project):

• Associate Professor Mari Ann Letnes (Department of Teacher Education)
• Assistant professor Ingunn Valbekmo (Norwegian Centre for Mathematics Education)
• Assistant professor Bård Vinje (Norwegian Centre for Mathematics Education)
• Assistant professor Olav Tokle (Norwegian Centre for Mathematics Education)

One specific research focus in the LeadDig project is on the research group itself, examining the processes within the team and how the diverse perspectives of its members influence its formation. Additionally, the focus is on how these processes are framed and led by the group leader.