Photo: Thor Brødreskift

Hildegunn Stokke Rasmussen

Ålesund
Spjelkavik Upper Secondary School

Winner of the Lærerprisen

Hildegunn Stokke Rasmussen from Spjelkavik upper secondary school is awarded the 2022 Teachers' Prize for her report:"I felt like it was going to be a lot "

Hildegunn Stokke Rasmussen from Spjelkavik upper secondary school is awarded the 2022 Teachers' Prize for her report:"I felt like it was going to be a lot "

In her rapport on the role of the teacher in the Holbergprisen i skolen research conducted by upper secondary school students, Rasmussen reflects on why some of these chose to participate in the research project and why others do not. This is her second time winning the Teacher Prize: the last time was in 2021 for her report on students´ self-reflection.  

Rasmussen teaches sociology at Spjelkavik upper secondary school in Møre og Romsdal on the northern west coast of Norway. At the beginning of this school year, the students were offered the chance to choose between participating in Holbergprisen i skolen and conducting their own research on a topic of their choice—or not participating but instead following the ordinary schoolwork. Out of 60 students, only nine chose to participate.  

In her report, Rasmussen reflects on why so many chose not to participate, even though many of the students seemed inspired and motivated to choose differently. Rasmussen paints a picture of students being stuck in more conservative ways of learning, where the point is to learn as much as possible and get the highest possible grades, and eventually get into the university of their choice. The Holbergprisen i skolen research project combined with other subjects, and for many a strong sense of perfectionism, seemed to be too much to take on for many of the students. This was perhaps especially true for students who do not perform at the very top level, but rather need the time and energy to focus on what they see as the “real” subjects.  

In contrast with many other teacher reports, both this and earlier years, Rasmussen does not focus solely on the work of the research project and what role she as a teacher played in helping and guiding her students. Instead, Rasmussen questions the very motivation of the students both participating and not in the project, as well as the values and educational view of the new curriculum on the student level.  

 

 

The Holberg Prize School Project

20 upper secondary schools and more than 800 students from all over Norway participate in the Holberg Prize School Project each year. The students are assisted by scholars, and the projects are integrated into the students' regular curriculum. Three research projects are awarded prizes of NOK 30,000, NOK 20,000 and NOK 10,000 respectively.

The finalists are announced in mid May, and the Holberg Prize School Project Award Ceremony is held during the Holberg Week in early June each year.

The jury
All submitted projects are evaluated by the School Project's jury. In 2022 the members of the jury have been:

Stine Helena Bang Svendsen, Associate Professor in pedagogy at the Department of Teacher Education, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (Chair of the jury)

Sveinung Arnesen, Research Professor at NORCE, Associate Professor at the Department of Administration and Organization Theory, University of Bergen

Åsne Berge, Head of Section for specialization in general studies at Vest-Telemark Upper Secondary School

Jørn Ljunggren, Researcher at the Centre for Welfare and Labour Research, OsloMet

Hallvard Kjelen,  Associate Professor, Faculty of Education and Arts, Nord University