The Norwegian Equality and Anti-Discrimination Act (chapter 2, section 6) states that: 

Discrimination on the grounds of gender, pregnancy, maternity leave or adoption, caring responsibilities, ethnicity, religion, beliefs, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age or combinations of these grounds is prohibited. Ethnicity includes national origin, descent, skin colour, and language. 

This conference teaches you how to implement the law into practice in schools and in teacher education.  

Teacher education has a major social responsibility to educate future teachers with high professional ethics and professional integrity in a Norwegian school characterized by diversity. Norwegian schools are based on the values of inclusion and equity. NTNU's new focus area community (fellesskap) emphasises the importance of trust and democracy, as well as counteracting social inequality and exclusion. Trondheim municipality has active work against youth exclusion high on its agenda. 

The teaching profession in Norway should reflect the diversity in the classroom, and we need increased recruitment of student teachers. We need to reach out to new applicant groups who can see themselves as future teachers in schools and teacher education based in the values of inclusion and equity. 

Diversity competence and diversity management are also central to the organizational development of our Department of Teacher Education. The diversity at our own teacher education is an important value on which to build community and collaboration. 

Everyone must be included and onboard in order to solve the challenges facing schools, teacher education and society in a world undergoing major changes.

We hope YOU will join us at this conference - a warm welcome!

Artistic opening with Elen Øyen and Ingeborg Dugstad Sanders from DansiT Choreographic Center and The Dance Laboratory.

Welcome by Deputy Head of Department Ruth Grüters and teacher candidate at the department Herman Nesse.

Introduction by Libe García Zarranz and Stine Helene Bang Svendsen

Feeding the rabbit in the hat - A backstage look at the secrets behind promoting equality and combating discrimination in education

Christopher Gambert, Likestillings- og diskrimineringsombudet

Norwegian schools have the legal duty to promte equality, combat discrimination and ensure an equal learning experience for all pupils. Despite these strict standards, studies show that schools are failing to live up to their duty. Many pupils and their guardians report that they do not experience an equal learning environment or home/school partnership. Why is this, and what can educators and educational institutions do to turn this trend? This keynote aims to demystify the work needed to ensure equality in education, taking a closer look at the practical consequences of theories of anti-oppressive pedagogy while exploring examples of good practice.

Christopher Gambert (cand.polit., University of Oslo) is Policy Director at the Equality and Anti-Discrimination Ombud, and heads the Ombud’s work to follow up the public sector equality duty. Gambert has previously served as project coordinator for the Dembra for teacher education program, and has over twenty years of experience in the field of equality and anti-discrimination.

Introduction by Sikunder Ali.

Diversity and diversity competence – different understandings, different practice

Claudia Lenz and Peder Nustad, Dembra

What is diversity, and what does it mean to develop diversity competence?

This workshop provides an introduction to different understandings of diversity and diversity competence and how these are reflected in different practices in schools.

The workshop illuminates how norm criticism and critical diversity competence can contribute to reflection on how one's own perceptions, assumptions and understandings leave a mark on teaching, relationships and the learning environment.

There will also be an opportunity to apply these perspectives, and reflect on how they affect situations in everyday school life.

Introduction by Stine Helene Bang Svendsen.

Pink Competency School - Gender and sexual diversity and inclusive professional practices

Eivind Bjørkgård Moe and Miriam Aurora Hammeren Pedersen

How can we help ensure that pupils who do not conform to norms of gender and sexuality can be themselves and feel safe and included at school?

Pink Competency is an academic department of FRI - The Organization for Sexual and Gender Diversity, which offers skills development training for school employees as well as for those studying to become teachers. Pink Competency School delivers knowledge-based and professionally relevant courses in accordance with the legal and professional guidelines pertaining to the school sector. The speaker will be covering topics such as gender identity, sexual orientation, norms, minority stress, intersectionality, and inclusive practices, exploring these topics in their relation to everyday work at school. The course content is very much transferrable to other fields related to diversity, social exclusion and minority/majority perspectives.

Introduction by Kathy Barolsky.

Workshop with The Norwegian Centre against Racism

Vivian Brattsti Sørensen and Mohamud A. Hersi

Teachers face different issues in their work. Among other things, they have to take care of the students they meet, in addition to teaching. Teachers must deal with students who are subjected to racism and students who practice racism. Some have colleagues who practice racism or are subjected to racism. Some are subjected to racism themselves. Everyone benefits from understanding how racism affects us all.

In this workshop, you will get some useful tools to use in your work, including tools to recognise racism. Can everyone be included? We will go through some concepts that are useful to know, and a little about language. We will also discuss everyday racism, structural racism, norm thinking, and white privilege.

Reflection over the conference and looking to the future by teacher candidate Synne Bråthen and staff at the department Sevil Sümer, Bergljot Utstrand, Lars Unstad. Juliette Boks-Vlemmix and Tone Pernille Østern.

The Forum for Equity, Inclusion and Diversity is a leader-supported forum at the Department of Teacher Education, NTNU. 

The forum is an advisory body for the leadership. 

The forum’s task is to recommend measures that can strengthen equity, diversity and inclusion at ILU and provide input on strategic initiatives. The measures must encompass the entire organisation: recruitment of staff and students, administration, research, study programmes, teaching, outreach, collegial collaboration, working environment, and in partnership with the field of practice. 

The forum consists of: Tone Pernille Østern (Head of Forum), Katrine Dalbu Alterhaug, Sikunder Ali, Ingvild Håkestad, Steven Holland, Sevil Sümer, Eir-Anne Edgar, Libe Garcia Zarranz, Lars Unstad, Stine H. Bang Svendsen, Sunniva Skjøstad Hovde, Andrea Jorde Petersheim (departmental student representative), Maria Kasseth (departmental student representative), Marit Ping Bersås (lecturer student representative).