Hildegunn Stokke Rasmussen

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.