The main objective of the course is to prepare students for reading, writing and communicating academic texts.

The course will cover various types of scholarly material and its representation. Students will familiarize themselves with different aspects of academic writing and learn to distinguish between different genres. Students will be trained in independent and critical reading of different texts. Copyright, plagiarism, and fake news will also be discussed.

Students will acquire skills in working with academic texts, such as abstracts and summaries and in using sources when writing their own texts. They will also receive instructions in making bibliographies and using citation systems. Students will also be trained in using source material in their own writing and distinguish between their own voice and the source. 

Subjects:

In this course, the focus is on the encouragement and support of language development among preschool-age children in Iceland with different needs. The acquisition and the development of the Icelandic language will be discussed: phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, lexicon, and pragmatics. Icelandic as a second language is an important subject matter and how to best support the language development of multilingual preschool children. The students will be introduced to various methods to encourage and support language development in a diverse group of preschool children, such as listening, oral communication, vocabulary, understanding of language, phonological awareness, reading children´s literature, storytelling, oral narratives, and narrative proficiency. Emergent literacy is one of the course’s subject matters as well as how best to foster language development through school-home connections.

The main aims of the course are that students gain knowledge about, and insight into the role and position of the preschool in the Icelandic educational system, how different ideology, visions and attitudes are embedded in the goals and methods in preschool education, the role of preschool teachers in children‘s learning.

Issues
It is an introductory course in preschool education where the emphasis is on presenting the educational role and the professional workplace of preschool teachers. The fundamental view is that children are entitled to challenging projects and opportunities to participate in society which is based on equality and democratic participation. Among the issues that are addressed are:

• law on preschools, fundamental pillars of education and the curriculum framework
• policy and ideology of preschool practice
• role and practice theory of preschool teachers
• children‘s play and learning based environment
• structure and practice methods in preschools
• cooperation between parents and preschools
• food culture  -  the relationship of environmental issues, nutrition and health

Methods
Lectures, seminars, and assignment work, both individual and team work. 

The emphasis is on that students realise how they can use children's local environment as a source for learning about science and mathematics. The importance of children's outdoor learning and children's motion for their health and development is stressed and how teachers can integrate these into children's education. Students will investigate different approaches to scaffold children's learning of mammals, small animals, plants, water, air, forms, number, and volume in their local environment.

This course introduces students to scholarly writings and research on children’s musical development and teaches current methods in music education for early childhood. The readings of the course are on the current knowledge about the effects of music from birth and through the first years of life. Students learn practial approaches to organising and leading musical sessions in preschools.

The course will promote an understanding of how physical and natural science, multimedia, creative thinking and communication can be integrated and interwoven into daily work and play within preschools, through research and experimentation. It will also introduce ideas on how to work with subject material from within natural sciences; such as  light, colour, electricity, magnets, the interaction between the earth, sun and moon, day and night and the seasons, and explore how research, work practices, multimedia and visual art can be connected. We will be exploring ways of promoting an understanding of how teachers can introduce and be literate in natural science, technology and multimedia through creative thought and their practices. Special attention will be placed on how child orientated experiments, digital technology and visual art can be interlinked through play as a way of expression.

In this course students get acquainted with academic writings about drawing development of children and basic methods and material used in their art education.

Diverse methods of visual arts will be introduced and students will work with two- and three dimensional material. Emphasis is on independent working methods of students.

The course will be mainly tought in three or four on-site sessions for all students.

This course introduces methods of dramatic expression related to caring, trust and feelings of security in children, as a mechanism to bolster tolerance, friendship and expression.

The main emphases in the course are different ideas and perspectives on children's play. Theories on play and influences in early childhood education will be explored. Emphasis will be placed on studies of children's  communication in play, children's culture and relationships. This involves the view that children's learning takes place through their interaction in the social context and ttheir right to influence the learning environment. Documentations of children's learning in play as well as preschool teacher's role and curriculum will be addressed.

The course has a two week (4Ve) practice placement in a cooperating preschool. During the practice placement, students are expected to take part in the daily activities of the preschool, as well as working on practice placement assignments.

The emphasis in the course is on sustainability and sustainability education involving children’s participation in society and their learning about nature in connection to sustainability education. Children’s ideas about the body will be discussed and how it can be connected to their health and wellbeing, as well as biodiversity and how organisms are connected to each other and nature. The importance and purpose of sustainability education will be stressed as well as how man is responsible for many environmental problems and how we can solve these problems among others in the light of the UN sustainability goals. Different strategies of value in sustainability education will be introduced.

Emphasis will be on nature perception and aesthetics and how to work with nature and sustainability in visual arts with children. How to work with the subject of the course in acting will be discussed, such as in; role-playing games, traditional games and spinning, i.e. processing of perceptions, experiences, feelings and ideas in creativity and play.

The course will aim to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the developmental changes that take place from birth through adolescence.

Content:
The course will cover a broad range of developmental changes during different phases of childhood and adolescence, and theories that describe and explain those changes. Theories of cognitive development, emotional and social development, the development of self, and moral development will be discussed. The approaches of behaviourism and ecological theory will also be highlighted. The origins and nature of individual differences, continuity and discontinuity of development, as well as plasticity of development will be discussed. The interaction between development and learning, motivation, parenting practices, culture, and different social environments will be addressed. A strong emphasis will be placed on the importance of understanding child development when working with children in applied settings.

Procedure:
The course will consist of lectures and recitations. Students' will have a chance to discuss the topics of the course and deepen their understanding of the age group they plan to focus on during their studies and work.

In the course, children‘s (1-3 years) perspectives, development, and learning in preschool will be addressed, and how children create their communities through playful actions will be discussed. The transition from home to preschool where communication between preschool teachers, children, and parents is in focus.  Organization of the learning environment, care, play material, and preschool teacher‘s views and how it creates conditions for how children are supported in their play and peer relationships will be addressed. The value of creative work such as music and crafts with young children and how subject areas in the curriculum are interwoven in the preschool work will also be looked into.

The course aims to provide students’ knowledge of the main trends and ideology that influence policy making, curriculum development and evaluation in preschools today, knowledge and ability to promote equality in preschool as well as to reflect on their views attitude and how they affect their daily practice.

The course discusses ideological trends that affect Preschool Education and how they appear in policy making (national curriculum guidelines), pedagogy, planning and assessment in preschools. Also factors shaping teachers professionalism and role, are discussed, focusing on the fundamental pillars, ethics and equality. Concurrently, emphasis is placed on students developing critical thinking on issues in preschool, reflect on their own views and assess how they affect their practice theory.

Students participate in preschools activities paralleled with their assignments for two weeks of the semester, 30 hours per week

• Children's literature as a literary field; characteristics and literary concepts.
• Cultural and artistic assessment of a variety of children's books with special emphasis on recent books and selected themes.
• Children´s books as an important part of youth culture and common cultural awareness.
• Children´s books as a foundation for experience, creation, expression and communication.
• The value of literature in children's education.
•  Children´s books in elementary school: reading for pleasure, reading and literacy, writing and written expression, life skills and ethics.
• Children´s books regarding multicultural issues and equality.
• The relationship between children's literature with other forms of literature and art.

The main objective of the course is to introuduce students to basic features of creative and critical thnking, in particular how such thinking can be undertaken in a group. The possibilities of using dialogue as a method in teaching and research will be explored. The approach of the course will be based on ideas of philosophy for children, but it will be adapted to work with both children at preschool age.

The course is designed to expose students with two main perspectives on educational research. On the one hand methodology related to data collection and data analysis, on the other hand reading and discussing educational research conducted by others. In all sections of the course an emphasis is placed on knowing and understanding concepts and ideas from educational research; students read about them, discuss and apply them in tasks connected to quantitative, qualitative and mixed research methods. They also discuss and apply concepts related to action research.

The course comprises lectures, discourse, student presentations and field-related assignments.

Topics in the course are transitions and continuity between preschool, primary school, and leisure-time centers. From the perspectives of children, teachers, and parents. Continuity in children's learning will be addressed and emphasis placed on teaching diverse approaches that involve children's participation, such as play, Project approach, play with unit blocks, and philosophical discussion with children. In addition, transition to school programs will be examined.

In this course the aim is to teach the students how they, as teachers, can increase physical activity in a class by moving the teaching outside. The students will learn how to plan one day of outdoor teaching as well as longer period for example a semester. The students will get the opportunity to teach and build up teaching facilities in the outdoors. In the end of the course the students should have acquired general understanding and insight into main theories and concepts in outdoor learning, rationalise their decisions and have acquired an open-minded and innovative way of thinking in connection to teaching in the outdoor.

The focus in the course is on diveristy and inclusion in Early childhood Education. Inclusive pedagogy in preschool conneceted to human rights, ecuality and social justice. Collaboration between the preschool and Child-support Services and social workers.

The student´s participate and work on special assignments in two weeks field-work in preschool.

The bachelor thesis for a B.Ed. degree in Preschool Education is a 10-credit written assignment completed under the guidance of a supervisor. The thesis work is undertaken towards the end of the undergraduate studies and aims to deepen the student's understanding of:

• a specific subject matter and its connection to their field of study (discipline and specialization)
• the subject matter must be relevant for the field of early childhood education and care

The course focuses on the value of good games and activities in leisure activities and in schools. This includes presentations on group games, role playing, games to strengthen a group, riddles, puzzles, quizzes, card games, music games, outdoor games, word games, video games and drama to name a few. Participants work on a variety of games and are encouraged to assess them. The participants work in groups collecting games (portfolio) which can be used in leisure activities and schools. 

The aim is to teach students how local woods can be used as a basis for craft and other school activities. 

The course focuses on teaching students about using local woods as a basis for education and utilising wet wood for craft. It, also, shows students how knowledge of woods and woodland and knowledge from various subject areas can be link together, in order to make the woods a basis for educational activities. It, furthermore, deals with the possibilities linking together human beings and nature, within an educational context, in order to meet different needs of students. 

Students in Design and Craft having exchange at schools will undertake specific projects in order to prepare them for their teacher training.

In this course the aim is that students will gain knowledge about life skills. Life skills is a subject that gives students the opportunity to engage in self-reflection, emotional intelligence and self-esteem. Life skills is a platform for working with students as individuals, preparing them for the diversity of life and teaching them self-nurturing. In that context the concepts happiness, participation, well-being, mindfullness and democracy will be discussed. Also students will learn about the main core of life skills and how to use life skills methods in leisure and school work.

The course focuses on direct experiences in Icelandic nature and the natural sciences, with an emphasis on volcanology and glaciology; fire and ice. The course is suitable for those who intend to organize study and field trips in Icelandic nature, e.g. those who work in schools or aim to work in schools, leisure work or tourism.

The course settings will be used to examine the educational concepts outdoor education, nature interpretation, life education and vocational studies, and the tourism studies concepts mountain tourism, climate tourism, science tourism and social tourism. Coordinated social responses to natural disasters and security issues will also be addressed.

The setting of the course will be the volcanic sites in Reykjanes and Breiðamerkursandur in the Vatnajökull National Park, which provides an opportunity to contextualize the sustainable coexistence between man and nature, with special emphasis on volcanic eruptions, glaciers, climate change, extreme weather, natural disasters and natural hazards.

At the core of the course is a four-day journey. We will travel by bus, stay in hostels and take hikes in the nature of Iceland. Participants will be partly responsible for contributing to shared meals. They also need to be prepared for outdoor activities. There is emphasis on reflective practice based on perceptions and experience as well as that participants can enjoy traveling in nature at a slow pace. A preparatory meeting will be held in June , between 4 and 6 PM.

The main themes of the course are related to nature, education and tourism, and how to approach these aspects with responsibility and safety. The topics of the course will be examined in view of the following concepts: dynamics, diversity, interactivity and, last but not least, processes – and how experience and reflection intertwine with these themes.

Teaching and learning

An interdisciplinary team of experts and teachers will be involved in the course and we intend to invite professionals from the areas visited to join the course, with special      emphasis on purposeful presentations, conversations, perception and reflection. Learning takes place from morning to evening, exploring the unclear borders between teaching and learning, and between learning from the environment, other people and the journey itself.

The assessment emphasizes that students are able to reflect on their experiences and place them into context with theoretical topics introduced in the course and their previous experiences. Students will also work on projects where they connect the topics, and their own experience and knowledge to real life practices. This can e.g. take place within schools and leisure activities, social affairs, tourism or research.

The course is a development project connecting parties from e.g. the School of Education, University of Iceland, the Research Center Hornafjörður and Austur-Skaftafellssýsla Secondary School.

Place-responsive education is a learning that is rooted in what is local: the unique history, environment, culture, economy, literature, and art of a particular place.

In this course, the local community provides the context for learning. An experiential approach is used and with the perspective of “sailing and the seashore”. Student work focuses on community needs and interests, and community members will, with educators from the university, serve as resources and partners in teaching and the learning process.

A pedagogy of place in outdoor education allows us to discover and inhabit the world in a manner that acknowledges the historical roots and cultural connections to the stories of our people. As such this moves outdoor education and recreation practice into the 21st century. Moves beyond what was the dominant UK (western) paradigm of imperialistic, white, masculine, colonisation of outdoor spaces as wild landscapes to be conquered. As such place connection, and place responsiveness, helps develop a deeper understanding, respect, and care of these places. By connecting with the stories of the past and present it is possible to conceive of what the future stories may be. These new perspectives and understanding help students to consider the bigger questions around global issues; environmental justice, sustainability, and social justice.

The syllabus will typically include:

• an examination of the concept of place in an outdoor pedagogy and how this challenge the dominant underpinning philosophies of the adventure paradigm;
• opportunities to develop curiosity about place and develop a process to apply this in a variety of settings including in a global context;
• an introduction to the contribution that adventurous activities on the water make to place-responsive outdoor education experiences in a coastal location;
• development of personal experience in adventurous activities used in an outdoor pedagogy;
• development of higher education research skills: reading, digital research, and exploration of local museums and archives.

This course is run as a collaboration of the University of Iceland and the Outdoor Learning team at Plymouth Marjon University UK and is supported by Siglunes Watersport Centre, Oceancluster, Reykjavik Maritime museum, Hostelling International, The Icelandic Lighthouse Society and Reykjavík City Museum. 

Work Methods:

The course is based on active students and participation. The course takes place August xx and xx the year 2026 and is based on teaching throughout the day.  Preparation day is June xx  at 16.30-18.

Emphasis is placed on interdisciplinary approaches, a collaboration between students and teachers of different fields of study. The field of study is the nature of Iceland. Work with three subjects ie. reflection, friluftslif and sustainability with an emphasis on the personal- and professional development of participants.

The course will cover the relationship between man and nature and the reflection of their own experiences.  Issues will be taught and trained about traveling through the wilderness. The ideology of outdoor life is discussed and it is linked to contemporary times.

The layout will be as follows:
Preparatory day 21 May 2025 17-18.30.

Daytrips are scheduled on 25 May, and 1 June 10:00-17:00.

The course field trip is 13 - 15 June 2025 (Friday at 9:00 to Sunday at 18:00). Going out of town, staying in tents, and traveling in nature around Iceland. Further agenda announced in May.

The material fee is ISK 13,000. In addition, students pay the cost of camping, food, and travel. 

Compulsory attendance is in all aspects of the course.

Assessment

To complete the course, each student must do the following:
1. Participate actively in the whole course (preparation day, trip and workshop).
2. Read study material and put it in context.
3. Before departure to have chosen one book out of three and read.
4. Submit a 500-600 word reflection on one book (students choose one of three books) to be selected and read before leaving.
5. Keep a journal, both with the group and one to train them in applying critique or reflective learning methods. The group book is submitted as study material, but the individual book is not returned in its entirety to the teacher, but is used as a basis in the "Analytical refflection on the experience".
6. Submit a project based on a reflective journal. Its scope is 4-6 pages (2500-3500 words), follow APA rules regarding installation and reference to sources. There must be a special chapter where the theoretical basis of thoughtful learning methods is discussed.
7. In August, the group meets again and examines the experience in the context of their own outdoor activities during the summer and the theoretical context of the course.
Assessment is complete / incomplete. It is not possible to complete part of the course.

Aim: To practice green sustainable craft. 

General Description: The course is available for all English-speaking students. The course is without any preliminaries. Maximum number of participants is 12 students. Teaching outside through sustainable design is a new direction in Craft and Design Education. The course focuses on using Icelandic woods and ecological design. Students learn about the ecosystem of the Icelandic woods and how they can design artefacts for daily use from wet wood. They learn to use traditional whittling methods, which can be used securely in school education. 

Working Methods: Craft activities and lectures.

Students will become competent in organizing outdoor education and outdoor activities for people of all ages in both summer and winter. The focus is on the one hand, enjoy nature, and to identify how nature can be a platform for upbringing and education (such as the focus on plants, animals or landscapes).

Emphasis is on the value of outdoor and adventure education and how it can be used as an important and successful tool in working with people, theories about outdoor education and experiential learning, group processes, personal and social growth and development. Focus is on connection to nature, group work and cooperation, team building and improving self-esteem and self-image. Also on practical matters, such as clothing, finding your way in the outdoors and environmental and safety issues.

Students are encouraged to use a reflective journal in the course for reflection, notes and ideas.

Students take one two-night journey 1.10.-3.10. and one overnight stay 11.11.-12.11, 2025.

Students have to pay all travel costs.

Course Assessment

To finish the course students need to:
- Plan, prepare and carrie out an outdoor learning project with peer-students.
- Write a chapter about defined subject in "a student book" on Outdoor Education.
- Reflection and self evaluation about the mutual trips / journeys and the course.
- Go on the mutual trips / journeys and attend classes.
- Distance students have to write summaries from lectures and participate in a class and/or web discussions.
- Reading exames.
5.0 is the minimum grade for each assignment.
Minimum attendanse is 80%

The main objective of the course is to prepare students for reading, writing and communicating academic texts.

The course will cover various types of scholarly material and its representation. Students will familiarize themselves with different aspects of academic writing and learn to distinguish between different genres. Students will be trained in independent and critical reading of different texts. Copyright, plagiarism, and fake news will also be discussed.

Students will acquire skills in working with academic texts, such as abstracts and summaries and in using sources when writing their own texts. They will also receive instructions in making bibliographies and using citation systems. Students will also be trained in using source material in their own writing and distinguish between their own voice and the source. 

Subjects:

In this course, the focus is on the encouragement and support of language development among preschool-age children in Iceland with different needs. The acquisition and the development of the Icelandic language will be discussed: phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, lexicon, and pragmatics. Icelandic as a second language is an important subject matter and how to best support the language development of multilingual preschool children. The students will be introduced to various methods to encourage and support language development in a diverse group of preschool children, such as listening, oral communication, vocabulary, understanding of language, phonological awareness, reading children´s literature, storytelling, oral narratives, and narrative proficiency. Emergent literacy is one of the course’s subject matters as well as how best to foster language development through school-home connections.

The main aims of the course are that students gain knowledge about, and insight into the role and position of the preschool in the Icelandic educational system, how different ideology, visions and attitudes are embedded in the goals and methods in preschool education, the role of preschool teachers in children‘s learning.

Issues
It is an introductory course in preschool education where the emphasis is on presenting the educational role and the professional workplace of preschool teachers. The fundamental view is that children are entitled to challenging projects and opportunities to participate in society which is based on equality and democratic participation. Among the issues that are addressed are:

• law on preschools, fundamental pillars of education and the curriculum framework
• policy and ideology of preschool practice
• role and practice theory of preschool teachers
• children‘s play and learning based environment
• structure and practice methods in preschools
• cooperation between parents and preschools
• food culture  -  the relationship of environmental issues, nutrition and health

Methods
Lectures, seminars, and assignment work, both individual and team work. 

The emphasis is on that students realise how they can use children's local environment as a source for learning about science and mathematics. The importance of children's outdoor learning and children's motion for their health and development is stressed and how teachers can integrate these into children's education. Students will investigate different approaches to scaffold children's learning of mammals, small animals, plants, water, air, forms, number, and volume in their local environment.

This course introduces students to scholarly writings and research on children’s musical development and teaches current methods in music education for early childhood. The readings of the course are on the current knowledge about the effects of music from birth and through the first years of life. Students learn practial approaches to organising and leading musical sessions in preschools.

The course will promote an understanding of how physical and natural science, multimedia, creative thinking and communication can be integrated and interwoven into daily work and play within preschools, through research and experimentation. It will also introduce ideas on how to work with subject material from within natural sciences; such as  light, colour, electricity, magnets, the interaction between the earth, sun and moon, day and night and the seasons, and explore how research, work practices, multimedia and visual art can be connected. We will be exploring ways of promoting an understanding of how teachers can introduce and be literate in natural science, technology and multimedia through creative thought and their practices. Special attention will be placed on how child orientated experiments, digital technology and visual art can be interlinked through play as a way of expression.

In this course students get acquainted with academic writings about drawing development of children and basic methods and material used in their art education.

Diverse methods of visual arts will be introduced and students will work with two- and three dimensional material. Emphasis is on independent working methods of students.

The course will be mainly tought in three or four on-site sessions for all students.

This course introduces methods of dramatic expression related to caring, trust and feelings of security in children, as a mechanism to bolster tolerance, friendship and expression.

The main emphases in the course are different ideas and perspectives on children's play. Theories on play and influences in early childhood education will be explored. Emphasis will be placed on studies of children's  communication in play, children's culture and relationships. This involves the view that children's learning takes place through their interaction in the social context and ttheir right to influence the learning environment. Documentations of children's learning in play as well as preschool teacher's role and curriculum will be addressed.

The course has a two week (4Ve) practice placement in a cooperating preschool. During the practice placement, students are expected to take part in the daily activities of the preschool, as well as working on practice placement assignments.

The emphasis in the course is on sustainability and sustainability education involving children’s participation in society and their learning about nature in connection to sustainability education. Children’s ideas about the body will be discussed and how it can be connected to their health and wellbeing, as well as biodiversity and how organisms are connected to each other and nature. The importance and purpose of sustainability education will be stressed as well as how man is responsible for many environmental problems and how we can solve these problems among others in the light of the UN sustainability goals. Different strategies of value in sustainability education will be introduced.

Emphasis will be on nature perception and aesthetics and how to work with nature and sustainability in visual arts with children. How to work with the subject of the course in acting will be discussed, such as in; role-playing games, traditional games and spinning, i.e. processing of perceptions, experiences, feelings and ideas in creativity and play.

The course will aim to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the developmental changes that take place from birth through adolescence.

Content:
The course will cover a broad range of developmental changes during different phases of childhood and adolescence, and theories that describe and explain those changes. Theories of cognitive development, emotional and social development, the development of self, and moral development will be discussed. The approaches of behaviourism and ecological theory will also be highlighted. The origins and nature of individual differences, continuity and discontinuity of development, as well as plasticity of development will be discussed. The interaction between development and learning, motivation, parenting practices, culture, and different social environments will be addressed. A strong emphasis will be placed on the importance of understanding child development when working with children in applied settings.

Procedure:
The course will consist of lectures and recitations. Students' will have a chance to discuss the topics of the course and deepen their understanding of the age group they plan to focus on during their studies and work.

In the course, children‘s (1-3 years) perspectives, development, and learning in preschool will be addressed, and how children create their communities through playful actions will be discussed. The transition from home to preschool where communication between preschool teachers, children, and parents is in focus.  Organization of the learning environment, care, play material, and preschool teacher‘s views and how it creates conditions for how children are supported in their play and peer relationships will be addressed. The value of creative work such as music and crafts with young children and how subject areas in the curriculum are interwoven in the preschool work will also be looked into.

The course aims to provide students’ knowledge of the main trends and ideology that influence policy making, curriculum development and evaluation in preschools today, knowledge and ability to promote equality in preschool as well as to reflect on their views attitude and how they affect their daily practice.

The course discusses ideological trends that affect Preschool Education and how they appear in policy making (national curriculum guidelines), pedagogy, planning and assessment in preschools. Also factors shaping teachers professionalism and role, are discussed, focusing on the fundamental pillars, ethics and equality. Concurrently, emphasis is placed on students developing critical thinking on issues in preschool, reflect on their own views and assess how they affect their practice theory.

Students participate in preschools activities paralleled with their assignments for two weeks of the semester, 30 hours per week

• Children's literature as a literary field; characteristics and literary concepts.
• Cultural and artistic assessment of a variety of children's books with special emphasis on recent books and selected themes.
• Children´s books as an important part of youth culture and common cultural awareness.
• Children´s books as a foundation for experience, creation, expression and communication.
• The value of literature in children's education.
•  Children´s books in elementary school: reading for pleasure, reading and literacy, writing and written expression, life skills and ethics.
• Children´s books regarding multicultural issues and equality.
• The relationship between children's literature with other forms of literature and art.

The main objective of the course is to introuduce students to basic features of creative and critical thnking, in particular how such thinking can be undertaken in a group. The possibilities of using dialogue as a method in teaching and research will be explored. The approach of the course will be based on ideas of philosophy for children, but it will be adapted to work with both children at preschool age.

The course is designed to expose students with two main perspectives on educational research. On the one hand methodology related to data collection and data analysis, on the other hand reading and discussing educational research conducted by others. In all sections of the course an emphasis is placed on knowing and understanding concepts and ideas from educational research; students read about them, discuss and apply them in tasks connected to quantitative, qualitative and mixed research methods. They also discuss and apply concepts related to action research.

The course comprises lectures, discourse, student presentations and field-related assignments.

Topics in the course are transitions and continuity between preschool, primary school, and leisure-time centers. From the perspectives of children, teachers, and parents. Continuity in children's learning will be addressed and emphasis placed on teaching diverse approaches that involve children's participation, such as play, Project approach, play with unit blocks, and philosophical discussion with children. In addition, transition to school programs will be examined.

In this course the aim is to teach the students how they, as teachers, can increase physical activity in a class by moving the teaching outside. The students will learn how to plan one day of outdoor teaching as well as longer period for example a semester. The students will get the opportunity to teach and build up teaching facilities in the outdoors. In the end of the course the students should have acquired general understanding and insight into main theories and concepts in outdoor learning, rationalise their decisions and have acquired an open-minded and innovative way of thinking in connection to teaching in the outdoor.

The focus in the course is on diveristy and inclusion in Early childhood Education. Inclusive pedagogy in preschool conneceted to human rights, ecuality and social justice. Collaboration between the preschool and Child-support Services and social workers.

The student´s participate and work on special assignments in two weeks field-work in preschool.

The bachelor thesis for a B.Ed. degree in Preschool Education is a 10-credit written assignment completed under the guidance of a supervisor. The thesis work is undertaken towards the end of the undergraduate studies and aims to deepen the student's understanding of:

• a specific subject matter and its connection to their field of study (discipline and specialization)
• the subject matter must be relevant for the field of early childhood education and care

The course focuses on the value of good games and activities in leisure activities and in schools. This includes presentations on group games, role playing, games to strengthen a group, riddles, puzzles, quizzes, card games, music games, outdoor games, word games, video games and drama to name a few. Participants work on a variety of games and are encouraged to assess them. The participants work in groups collecting games (portfolio) which can be used in leisure activities and schools. 

The aim is to teach students how local woods can be used as a basis for craft and other school activities. 

The course focuses on teaching students about using local woods as a basis for education and utilising wet wood for craft. It, also, shows students how knowledge of woods and woodland and knowledge from various subject areas can be link together, in order to make the woods a basis for educational activities. It, furthermore, deals with the possibilities linking together human beings and nature, within an educational context, in order to meet different needs of students. 

Students in Design and Craft having exchange at schools will undertake specific projects in order to prepare them for their teacher training.

In this course the aim is that students will gain knowledge about life skills. Life skills is a subject that gives students the opportunity to engage in self-reflection, emotional intelligence and self-esteem. Life skills is a platform for working with students as individuals, preparing them for the diversity of life and teaching them self-nurturing. In that context the concepts happiness, participation, well-being, mindfullness and democracy will be discussed. Also students will learn about the main core of life skills and how to use life skills methods in leisure and school work.

The course focuses on direct experiences in Icelandic nature and the natural sciences, with an emphasis on volcanology and glaciology; fire and ice. The course is suitable for those who intend to organize study and field trips in Icelandic nature, e.g. those who work in schools or aim to work in schools, leisure work or tourism.

The course settings will be used to examine the educational concepts outdoor education, nature interpretation, life education and vocational studies, and the tourism studies concepts mountain tourism, climate tourism, science tourism and social tourism. Coordinated social responses to natural disasters and security issues will also be addressed.

The setting of the course will be the volcanic sites in Reykjanes and Breiðamerkursandur in the Vatnajökull National Park, which provides an opportunity to contextualize the sustainable coexistence between man and nature, with special emphasis on volcanic eruptions, glaciers, climate change, extreme weather, natural disasters and natural hazards.

At the core of the course is a four-day journey. We will travel by bus, stay in hostels and take hikes in the nature of Iceland. Participants will be partly responsible for contributing to shared meals. They also need to be prepared for outdoor activities. There is emphasis on reflective practice based on perceptions and experience as well as that participants can enjoy traveling in nature at a slow pace. A preparatory meeting will be held in June , between 4 and 6 PM.

The main themes of the course are related to nature, education and tourism, and how to approach these aspects with responsibility and safety. The topics of the course will be examined in view of the following concepts: dynamics, diversity, interactivity and, last but not least, processes – and how experience and reflection intertwine with these themes.

Teaching and learning

An interdisciplinary team of experts and teachers will be involved in the course and we intend to invite professionals from the areas visited to join the course, with special      emphasis on purposeful presentations, conversations, perception and reflection. Learning takes place from morning to evening, exploring the unclear borders between teaching and learning, and between learning from the environment, other people and the journey itself.

The assessment emphasizes that students are able to reflect on their experiences and place them into context with theoretical topics introduced in the course and their previous experiences. Students will also work on projects where they connect the topics, and their own experience and knowledge to real life practices. This can e.g. take place within schools and leisure activities, social affairs, tourism or research.

The course is a development project connecting parties from e.g. the School of Education, University of Iceland, the Research Center Hornafjörður and Austur-Skaftafellssýsla Secondary School.

Place-responsive education is a learning that is rooted in what is local: the unique history, environment, culture, economy, literature, and art of a particular place.

In this course, the local community provides the context for learning. An experiential approach is used and with the perspective of “sailing and the seashore”. Student work focuses on community needs and interests, and community members will, with educators from the university, serve as resources and partners in teaching and the learning process.

A pedagogy of place in outdoor education allows us to discover and inhabit the world in a manner that acknowledges the historical roots and cultural connections to the stories of our people. As such this moves outdoor education and recreation practice into the 21st century. Moves beyond what was the dominant UK (western) paradigm of imperialistic, white, masculine, colonisation of outdoor spaces as wild landscapes to be conquered. As such place connection, and place responsiveness, helps develop a deeper understanding, respect, and care of these places. By connecting with the stories of the past and present it is possible to conceive of what the future stories may be. These new perspectives and understanding help students to consider the bigger questions around global issues; environmental justice, sustainability, and social justice.

The syllabus will typically include:

• an examination of the concept of place in an outdoor pedagogy and how this challenge the dominant underpinning philosophies of the adventure paradigm;
• opportunities to develop curiosity about place and develop a process to apply this in a variety of settings including in a global context;
• an introduction to the contribution that adventurous activities on the water make to place-responsive outdoor education experiences in a coastal location;
• development of personal experience in adventurous activities used in an outdoor pedagogy;
• development of higher education research skills: reading, digital research, and exploration of local museums and archives.

This course is run as a collaboration of the University of Iceland and the Outdoor Learning team at Plymouth Marjon University UK and is supported by Siglunes Watersport Centre, Oceancluster, Reykjavik Maritime museum, Hostelling International, The Icelandic Lighthouse Society and Reykjavík City Museum. 

Work Methods:

The course is based on active students and participation. The course takes place August xx and xx the year 2026 and is based on teaching throughout the day.  Preparation day is June xx  at 16.30-18.

Emphasis is placed on interdisciplinary approaches, a collaboration between students and teachers of different fields of study. The field of study is the nature of Iceland. Work with three subjects ie. reflection, friluftslif and sustainability with an emphasis on the personal- and professional development of participants.

The course will cover the relationship between man and nature and the reflection of their own experiences.  Issues will be taught and trained about traveling through the wilderness. The ideology of outdoor life is discussed and it is linked to contemporary times.

The layout will be as follows:
Preparatory day 21 May 2025 17-18.30.

Daytrips are scheduled on 25 May, and 1 June 10:00-17:00.

The course field trip is 13 - 15 June 2025 (Friday at 9:00 to Sunday at 18:00). Going out of town, staying in tents, and traveling in nature around Iceland. Further agenda announced in May.

The material fee is ISK 13,000. In addition, students pay the cost of camping, food, and travel. 

Compulsory attendance is in all aspects of the course.

Assessment

To complete the course, each student must do the following:
1. Participate actively in the whole course (preparation day, trip and workshop).
2. Read study material and put it in context.
3. Before departure to have chosen one book out of three and read.
4. Submit a 500-600 word reflection on one book (students choose one of three books) to be selected and read before leaving.
5. Keep a journal, both with the group and one to train them in applying critique or reflective learning methods. The group book is submitted as study material, but the individual book is not returned in its entirety to the teacher, but is used as a basis in the "Analytical refflection on the experience".
6. Submit a project based on a reflective journal. Its scope is 4-6 pages (2500-3500 words), follow APA rules regarding installation and reference to sources. There must be a special chapter where the theoretical basis of thoughtful learning methods is discussed.
7. In August, the group meets again and examines the experience in the context of their own outdoor activities during the summer and the theoretical context of the course.
Assessment is complete / incomplete. It is not possible to complete part of the course.

Aim: To practice green sustainable craft. 

General Description: The course is available for all English-speaking students. The course is without any preliminaries. Maximum number of participants is 12 students. Teaching outside through sustainable design is a new direction in Craft and Design Education. The course focuses on using Icelandic woods and ecological design. Students learn about the ecosystem of the Icelandic woods and how they can design artefacts for daily use from wet wood. They learn to use traditional whittling methods, which can be used securely in school education. 

Working Methods: Craft activities and lectures.

Students will become competent in organizing outdoor education and outdoor activities for people of all ages in both summer and winter. The focus is on the one hand, enjoy nature, and to identify how nature can be a platform for upbringing and education (such as the focus on plants, animals or landscapes).

Emphasis is on the value of outdoor and adventure education and how it can be used as an important and successful tool in working with people, theories about outdoor education and experiential learning, group processes, personal and social growth and development. Focus is on connection to nature, group work and cooperation, team building and improving self-esteem and self-image. Also on practical matters, such as clothing, finding your way in the outdoors and environmental and safety issues.

Students are encouraged to use a reflective journal in the course for reflection, notes and ideas.

Students take one two-night journey 1.10.-3.10. and one overnight stay 11.11.-12.11, 2025.

Students have to pay all travel costs.

Course Assessment

To finish the course students need to:
- Plan, prepare and carrie out an outdoor learning project with peer-students.
- Write a chapter about defined subject in "a student book" on Outdoor Education.
- Reflection and self evaluation about the mutual trips / journeys and the course.
- Go on the mutual trips / journeys and attend classes.
- Distance students have to write summaries from lectures and participate in a class and/or web discussions.
- Reading exames.
5.0 is the minimum grade for each assignment.
Minimum attendanse is 80%

The main objective of the course is to prepare students for reading, writing and communicating academic texts.

The course will cover various types of scholarly material and its representation. Students will familiarize themselves with different aspects of academic writing and learn to distinguish between different genres. Students will be trained in independent and critical reading of different texts. Copyright, plagiarism, and fake news will also be discussed.

Students will acquire skills in working with academic texts, such as abstracts and summaries and in using sources when writing their own texts. They will also receive instructions in making bibliographies and using citation systems. Students will also be trained in using source material in their own writing and distinguish between their own voice and the source. 

Subjects:

In this course, the focus is on the encouragement and support of language development among preschool-age children in Iceland with different needs. The acquisition and the development of the Icelandic language will be discussed: phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, lexicon, and pragmatics. Icelandic as a second language is an important subject matter and how to best support the language development of multilingual preschool children. The students will be introduced to various methods to encourage and support language development in a diverse group of preschool children, such as listening, oral communication, vocabulary, understanding of language, phonological awareness, reading children´s literature, storytelling, oral narratives, and narrative proficiency. Emergent literacy is one of the course’s subject matters as well as how best to foster language development through school-home connections.

The main aims of the course are that students gain knowledge about, and insight into the role and position of the preschool in the Icelandic educational system, how different ideology, visions and attitudes are embedded in the goals and methods in preschool education, the role of preschool teachers in children‘s learning.

Issues
It is an introductory course in preschool education where the emphasis is on presenting the educational role and the professional workplace of preschool teachers. The fundamental view is that children are entitled to challenging projects and opportunities to participate in society which is based on equality and democratic participation. Among the issues that are addressed are:

• law on preschools, fundamental pillars of education and the curriculum framework
• policy and ideology of preschool practice
• role and practice theory of preschool teachers
• children‘s play and learning based environment
• structure and practice methods in preschools
• cooperation between parents and preschools
• food culture  -  the relationship of environmental issues, nutrition and health

Methods
Lectures, seminars, and assignment work, both individual and team work. 

The emphasis is on that students realise how they can use children's local environment as a source for learning about science and mathematics. The importance of children's outdoor learning and children's motion for their health and development is stressed and how teachers can integrate these into children's education. Students will investigate different approaches to scaffold children's learning of mammals, small animals, plants, water, air, forms, number, and volume in their local environment.

This course introduces students to scholarly writings and research on children’s musical development and teaches current methods in music education for early childhood. The readings of the course are on the current knowledge about the effects of music from birth and through the first years of life. Students learn practial approaches to organising and leading musical sessions in preschools.

The course will promote an understanding of how physical and natural science, multimedia, creative thinking and communication can be integrated and interwoven into daily work and play within preschools, through research and experimentation. It will also introduce ideas on how to work with subject material from within natural sciences; such as  light, colour, electricity, magnets, the interaction between the earth, sun and moon, day and night and the seasons, and explore how research, work practices, multimedia and visual art can be connected. We will be exploring ways of promoting an understanding of how teachers can introduce and be literate in natural science, technology and multimedia through creative thought and their practices. Special attention will be placed on how child orientated experiments, digital technology and visual art can be interlinked through play as a way of expression.

In this course students get acquainted with academic writings about drawing development of children and basic methods and material used in their art education.

Diverse methods of visual arts will be introduced and students will work with two- and three dimensional material. Emphasis is on independent working methods of students.

The course will be mainly tought in three or four on-site sessions for all students.

This course introduces methods of dramatic expression related to caring, trust and feelings of security in children, as a mechanism to bolster tolerance, friendship and expression.

The main emphases in the course are different ideas and perspectives on children's play. Theories on play and influences in early childhood education will be explored. Emphasis will be placed on studies of children's  communication in play, children's culture and relationships. This involves the view that children's learning takes place through their interaction in the social context and ttheir right to influence the learning environment. Documentations of children's learning in play as well as preschool teacher's role and curriculum will be addressed.

The course has a two week (4Ve) practice placement in a cooperating preschool. During the practice placement, students are expected to take part in the daily activities of the preschool, as well as working on practice placement assignments.

The emphasis in the course is on sustainability and sustainability education involving children’s participation in society and their learning about nature in connection to sustainability education. Children’s ideas about the body will be discussed and how it can be connected to their health and wellbeing, as well as biodiversity and how organisms are connected to each other and nature. The importance and purpose of sustainability education will be stressed as well as how man is responsible for many environmental problems and how we can solve these problems among others in the light of the UN sustainability goals. Different strategies of value in sustainability education will be introduced.

Emphasis will be on nature perception and aesthetics and how to work with nature and sustainability in visual arts with children. How to work with the subject of the course in acting will be discussed, such as in; role-playing games, traditional games and spinning, i.e. processing of perceptions, experiences, feelings and ideas in creativity and play.

The course will aim to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the developmental changes that take place from birth through adolescence.

Content:
The course will cover a broad range of developmental changes during different phases of childhood and adolescence, and theories that describe and explain those changes. Theories of cognitive development, emotional and social development, the development of self, and moral development will be discussed. The approaches of behaviourism and ecological theory will also be highlighted. The origins and nature of individual differences, continuity and discontinuity of development, as well as plasticity of development will be discussed. The interaction between development and learning, motivation, parenting practices, culture, and different social environments will be addressed. A strong emphasis will be placed on the importance of understanding child development when working with children in applied settings.

Procedure:
The course will consist of lectures and recitations. Students' will have a chance to discuss the topics of the course and deepen their understanding of the age group they plan to focus on during their studies and work.

In the course, children‘s (1-3 years) perspectives, development, and learning in preschool will be addressed, and how children create their communities through playful actions will be discussed. The transition from home to preschool where communication between preschool teachers, children, and parents is in focus.  Organization of the learning environment, care, play material, and preschool teacher‘s views and how it creates conditions for how children are supported in their play and peer relationships will be addressed. The value of creative work such as music and crafts with young children and how subject areas in the curriculum are interwoven in the preschool work will also be looked into.

The course aims to provide students’ knowledge of the main trends and ideology that influence policy making, curriculum development and evaluation in preschools today, knowledge and ability to promote equality in preschool as well as to reflect on their views attitude and how they affect their daily practice.

The course discusses ideological trends that affect Preschool Education and how they appear in policy making (national curriculum guidelines), pedagogy, planning and assessment in preschools. Also factors shaping teachers professionalism and role, are discussed, focusing on the fundamental pillars, ethics and equality. Concurrently, emphasis is placed on students developing critical thinking on issues in preschool, reflect on their own views and assess how they affect their practice theory.

Students participate in preschools activities paralleled with their assignments for two weeks of the semester, 30 hours per week

• Children's literature as a literary field; characteristics and literary concepts.
• Cultural and artistic assessment of a variety of children's books with special emphasis on recent books and selected themes.
• Children´s books as an important part of youth culture and common cultural awareness.
• Children´s books as a foundation for experience, creation, expression and communication.
• The value of literature in children's education.
•  Children´s books in elementary school: reading for pleasure, reading and literacy, writing and written expression, life skills and ethics.
• Children´s books regarding multicultural issues and equality.
• The relationship between children's literature with other forms of literature and art.

The main objective of the course is to introuduce students to basic features of creative and critical thnking, in particular how such thinking can be undertaken in a group. The possibilities of using dialogue as a method in teaching and research will be explored. The approach of the course will be based on ideas of philosophy for children, but it will be adapted to work with both children at preschool age.

The course is designed to expose students with two main perspectives on educational research. On the one hand methodology related to data collection and data analysis, on the other hand reading and discussing educational research conducted by others. In all sections of the course an emphasis is placed on knowing and understanding concepts and ideas from educational research; students read about them, discuss and apply them in tasks connected to quantitative, qualitative and mixed research methods. They also discuss and apply concepts related to action research.

The course comprises lectures, discourse, student presentations and field-related assignments.

Topics in the course are transitions and continuity between preschool, primary school, and leisure-time centers. From the perspectives of children, teachers, and parents. Continuity in children's learning will be addressed and emphasis placed on teaching diverse approaches that involve children's participation, such as play, Project approach, play with unit blocks, and philosophical discussion with children. In addition, transition to school programs will be examined.

In this course the aim is to teach the students how they, as teachers, can increase physical activity in a class by moving the teaching outside. The students will learn how to plan one day of outdoor teaching as well as longer period for example a semester. The students will get the opportunity to teach and build up teaching facilities in the outdoors. In the end of the course the students should have acquired general understanding and insight into main theories and concepts in outdoor learning, rationalise their decisions and have acquired an open-minded and innovative way of thinking in connection to teaching in the outdoor.

The focus in the course is on diveristy and inclusion in Early childhood Education. Inclusive pedagogy in preschool conneceted to human rights, ecuality and social justice. Collaboration between the preschool and Child-support Services and social workers.

The student´s participate and work on special assignments in two weeks field-work in preschool.

The bachelor thesis for a B.Ed. degree in Preschool Education is a 10-credit written assignment completed under the guidance of a supervisor. The thesis work is undertaken towards the end of the undergraduate studies and aims to deepen the student's understanding of:

• a specific subject matter and its connection to their field of study (discipline and specialization)
• the subject matter must be relevant for the field of early childhood education and care

The course focuses on the value of good games and activities in leisure activities and in schools. This includes presentations on group games, role playing, games to strengthen a group, riddles, puzzles, quizzes, card games, music games, outdoor games, word games, video games and drama to name a few. Participants work on a variety of games and are encouraged to assess them. The participants work in groups collecting games (portfolio) which can be used in leisure activities and schools. 

The aim is to teach students how local woods can be used as a basis for craft and other school activities. 

The course focuses on teaching students about using local woods as a basis for education and utilising wet wood for craft. It, also, shows students how knowledge of woods and woodland and knowledge from various subject areas can be link together, in order to make the woods a basis for educational activities. It, furthermore, deals with the possibilities linking together human beings and nature, within an educational context, in order to meet different needs of students. 

Students in Design and Craft having exchange at schools will undertake specific projects in order to prepare them for their teacher training.

In this course the aim is that students will gain knowledge about life skills. Life skills is a subject that gives students the opportunity to engage in self-reflection, emotional intelligence and self-esteem. Life skills is a platform for working with students as individuals, preparing them for the diversity of life and teaching them self-nurturing. In that context the concepts happiness, participation, well-being, mindfullness and democracy will be discussed. Also students will learn about the main core of life skills and how to use life skills methods in leisure and school work.

The course focuses on direct experiences in Icelandic nature and the natural sciences, with an emphasis on volcanology and glaciology; fire and ice. The course is suitable for those who intend to organize study and field trips in Icelandic nature, e.g. those who work in schools or aim to work in schools, leisure work or tourism.

The course settings will be used to examine the educational concepts outdoor education, nature interpretation, life education and vocational studies, and the tourism studies concepts mountain tourism, climate tourism, science tourism and social tourism. Coordinated social responses to natural disasters and security issues will also be addressed.

The setting of the course will be the volcanic sites in Reykjanes and Breiðamerkursandur in the Vatnajökull National Park, which provides an opportunity to contextualize the sustainable coexistence between man and nature, with special emphasis on volcanic eruptions, glaciers, climate change, extreme weather, natural disasters and natural hazards.

At the core of the course is a four-day journey. We will travel by bus, stay in hostels and take hikes in the nature of Iceland. Participants will be partly responsible for contributing to shared meals. They also need to be prepared for outdoor activities. There is emphasis on reflective practice based on perceptions and experience as well as that participants can enjoy traveling in nature at a slow pace. A preparatory meeting will be held in June , between 4 and 6 PM.

The main themes of the course are related to nature, education and tourism, and how to approach these aspects with responsibility and safety. The topics of the course will be examined in view of the following concepts: dynamics, diversity, interactivity and, last but not least, processes – and how experience and reflection intertwine with these themes.

Teaching and learning

An interdisciplinary team of experts and teachers will be involved in the course and we intend to invite professionals from the areas visited to join the course, with special      emphasis on purposeful presentations, conversations, perception and reflection. Learning takes place from morning to evening, exploring the unclear borders between teaching and learning, and between learning from the environment, other people and the journey itself.

The assessment emphasizes that students are able to reflect on their experiences and place them into context with theoretical topics introduced in the course and their previous experiences. Students will also work on projects where they connect the topics, and their own experience and knowledge to real life practices. This can e.g. take place within schools and leisure activities, social affairs, tourism or research.

The course is a development project connecting parties from e.g. the School of Education, University of Iceland, the Research Center Hornafjörður and Austur-Skaftafellssýsla Secondary School.

Place-responsive education is a learning that is rooted in what is local: the unique history, environment, culture, economy, literature, and art of a particular place.

In this course, the local community provides the context for learning. An experiential approach is used and with the perspective of “sailing and the seashore”. Student work focuses on community needs and interests, and community members will, with educators from the university, serve as resources and partners in teaching and the learning process.

A pedagogy of place in outdoor education allows us to discover and inhabit the world in a manner that acknowledges the historical roots and cultural connections to the stories of our people. As such this moves outdoor education and recreation practice into the 21st century. Moves beyond what was the dominant UK (western) paradigm of imperialistic, white, masculine, colonisation of outdoor spaces as wild landscapes to be conquered. As such place connection, and place responsiveness, helps develop a deeper understanding, respect, and care of these places. By connecting with the stories of the past and present it is possible to conceive of what the future stories may be. These new perspectives and understanding help students to consider the bigger questions around global issues; environmental justice, sustainability, and social justice.

The syllabus will typically include:

• an examination of the concept of place in an outdoor pedagogy and how this challenge the dominant underpinning philosophies of the adventure paradigm;
• opportunities to develop curiosity about place and develop a process to apply this in a variety of settings including in a global context;
• an introduction to the contribution that adventurous activities on the water make to place-responsive outdoor education experiences in a coastal location;
• development of personal experience in adventurous activities used in an outdoor pedagogy;
• development of higher education research skills: reading, digital research, and exploration of local museums and archives.

This course is run as a collaboration of the University of Iceland and the Outdoor Learning team at Plymouth Marjon University UK and is supported by Siglunes Watersport Centre, Oceancluster, Reykjavik Maritime museum, Hostelling International, The Icelandic Lighthouse Society and Reykjavík City Museum. 

Work Methods:

The course is based on active students and participation. The course takes place August xx and xx the year 2026 and is based on teaching throughout the day.  Preparation day is June xx  at 16.30-18.

Emphasis is placed on interdisciplinary approaches, a collaboration between students and teachers of different fields of study. The field of study is the nature of Iceland. Work with three subjects ie. reflection, friluftslif and sustainability with an emphasis on the personal- and professional development of participants.

The course will cover the relationship between man and nature and the reflection of their own experiences.  Issues will be taught and trained about traveling through the wilderness. The ideology of outdoor life is discussed and it is linked to contemporary times.

The layout will be as follows:
Preparatory day 21 May 2025 17-18.30.

Daytrips are scheduled on 25 May, and 1 June 10:00-17:00.

The course field trip is 13 - 15 June 2025 (Friday at 9:00 to Sunday at 18:00). Going out of town, staying in tents, and traveling in nature around Iceland. Further agenda announced in May.

The material fee is ISK 13,000. In addition, students pay the cost of camping, food, and travel. 

Compulsory attendance is in all aspects of the course.

Assessment

To complete the course, each student must do the following:
1. Participate actively in the whole course (preparation day, trip and workshop).
2. Read study material and put it in context.
3. Before departure to have chosen one book out of three and read.
4. Submit a 500-600 word reflection on one book (students choose one of three books) to be selected and read before leaving.
5. Keep a journal, both with the group and one to train them in applying critique or reflective learning methods. The group book is submitted as study material, but the individual book is not returned in its entirety to the teacher, but is used as a basis in the "Analytical refflection on the experience".
6. Submit a project based on a reflective journal. Its scope is 4-6 pages (2500-3500 words), follow APA rules regarding installation and reference to sources. There must be a special chapter where the theoretical basis of thoughtful learning methods is discussed.
7. In August, the group meets again and examines the experience in the context of their own outdoor activities during the summer and the theoretical context of the course.
Assessment is complete / incomplete. It is not possible to complete part of the course.

Aim: To practice green sustainable craft. 

General Description: The course is available for all English-speaking students. The course is without any preliminaries. Maximum number of participants is 12 students. Teaching outside through sustainable design is a new direction in Craft and Design Education. The course focuses on using Icelandic woods and ecological design. Students learn about the ecosystem of the Icelandic woods and how they can design artefacts for daily use from wet wood. They learn to use traditional whittling methods, which can be used securely in school education. 

Working Methods: Craft activities and lectures.

Students will become competent in organizing outdoor education and outdoor activities for people of all ages in both summer and winter. The focus is on the one hand, enjoy nature, and to identify how nature can be a platform for upbringing and education (such as the focus on plants, animals or landscapes).

Emphasis is on the value of outdoor and adventure education and how it can be used as an important and successful tool in working with people, theories about outdoor education and experiential learning, group processes, personal and social growth and development. Focus is on connection to nature, group work and cooperation, team building and improving self-esteem and self-image. Also on practical matters, such as clothing, finding your way in the outdoors and environmental and safety issues.

Students are encouraged to use a reflective journal in the course for reflection, notes and ideas.

Students take one two-night journey 1.10.-3.10. and one overnight stay 11.11.-12.11, 2025.

Students have to pay all travel costs.

Course Assessment

To finish the course students need to:
- Plan, prepare and carrie out an outdoor learning project with peer-students.
- Write a chapter about defined subject in "a student book" on Outdoor Education.
- Reflection and self evaluation about the mutual trips / journeys and the course.
- Go on the mutual trips / journeys and attend classes.
- Distance students have to write summaries from lectures and participate in a class and/or web discussions.
- Reading exames.
5.0 is the minimum grade for each assignment.
Minimum attendanse is 80%

The main objective of the course is to prepare students for reading, writing and communicating academic texts.

The course will cover various types of scholarly material and its representation. Students will familiarize themselves with different aspects of academic writing and learn to distinguish between different genres. Students will be trained in independent and critical reading of different texts. Copyright, plagiarism, and fake news will also be discussed.

Students will acquire skills in working with academic texts, such as abstracts and summaries and in using sources when writing their own texts. They will also receive instructions in making bibliographies and using citation systems. Students will also be trained in using source material in their own writing and distinguish between their own voice and the source. 

Subjects:

In this course, the focus is on the encouragement and support of language development among preschool-age children in Iceland with different needs. The acquisition and the development of the Icelandic language will be discussed: phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, lexicon, and pragmatics. Icelandic as a second language is an important subject matter and how to best support the language development of multilingual preschool children. The students will be introduced to various methods to encourage and support language development in a diverse group of preschool children, such as listening, oral communication, vocabulary, understanding of language, phonological awareness, reading children´s literature, storytelling, oral narratives, and narrative proficiency. Emergent literacy is one of the course’s subject matters as well as how best to foster language development through school-home connections.

The main aims of the course are that students gain knowledge about, and insight into the role and position of the preschool in the Icelandic educational system, how different ideology, visions and attitudes are embedded in the goals and methods in preschool education, the role of preschool teachers in children‘s learning.

Issues
It is an introductory course in preschool education where the emphasis is on presenting the educational role and the professional workplace of preschool teachers. The fundamental view is that children are entitled to challenging projects and opportunities to participate in society which is based on equality and democratic participation. Among the issues that are addressed are:

• law on preschools, fundamental pillars of education and the curriculum framework
• policy and ideology of preschool practice
• role and practice theory of preschool teachers
• children‘s play and learning based environment
• structure and practice methods in preschools
• cooperation between parents and preschools
• food culture  -  the relationship of environmental issues, nutrition and health

Methods
Lectures, seminars, and assignment work, both individual and team work. 

The emphasis is on that students realise how they can use children's local environment as a source for learning about science and mathematics. The importance of children's outdoor learning and children's motion for their health and development is stressed and how teachers can integrate these into children's education. Students will investigate different approaches to scaffold children's learning of mammals, small animals, plants, water, air, forms, number, and volume in their local environment.

This course introduces students to scholarly writings and research on children’s musical development and teaches current methods in music education for early childhood. The readings of the course are on the current knowledge about the effects of music from birth and through the first years of life. Students learn practial approaches to organising and leading musical sessions in preschools.

The course will promote an understanding of how physical and natural science, multimedia, creative thinking and communication can be integrated and interwoven into daily work and play within preschools, through research and experimentation. It will also introduce ideas on how to work with subject material from within natural sciences; such as  light, colour, electricity, magnets, the interaction between the earth, sun and moon, day and night and the seasons, and explore how research, work practices, multimedia and visual art can be connected. We will be exploring ways of promoting an understanding of how teachers can introduce and be literate in natural science, technology and multimedia through creative thought and their practices. Special attention will be placed on how child orientated experiments, digital technology and visual art can be interlinked through play as a way of expression.

In this course students get acquainted with academic writings about drawing development of children and basic methods and material used in their art education.

Diverse methods of visual arts will be introduced and students will work with two- and three dimensional material. Emphasis is on independent working methods of students.

The course will be mainly tought in three or four on-site sessions for all students.

This course introduces methods of dramatic expression related to caring, trust and feelings of security in children, as a mechanism to bolster tolerance, friendship and expression.

The main emphases in the course are different ideas and perspectives on children's play. Theories on play and influences in early childhood education will be explored. Emphasis will be placed on studies of children's  communication in play, children's culture and relationships. This involves the view that children's learning takes place through their interaction in the social context and ttheir right to influence the learning environment. Documentations of children's learning in play as well as preschool teacher's role and curriculum will be addressed.

The course has a two week (4Ve) practice placement in a cooperating preschool. During the practice placement, students are expected to take part in the daily activities of the preschool, as well as working on practice placement assignments.

The emphasis in the course is on sustainability and sustainability education involving children’s participation in society and their learning about nature in connection to sustainability education. Children’s ideas about the body will be discussed and how it can be connected to their health and wellbeing, as well as biodiversity and how organisms are connected to each other and nature. The importance and purpose of sustainability education will be stressed as well as how man is responsible for many environmental problems and how we can solve these problems among others in the light of the UN sustainability goals. Different strategies of value in sustainability education will be introduced.

Emphasis will be on nature perception and aesthetics and how to work with nature and sustainability in visual arts with children. How to work with the subject of the course in acting will be discussed, such as in; role-playing games, traditional games and spinning, i.e. processing of perceptions, experiences, feelings and ideas in creativity and play.

The course will aim to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the developmental changes that take place from birth through adolescence.

Content:
The course will cover a broad range of developmental changes during different phases of childhood and adolescence, and theories that describe and explain those changes. Theories of cognitive development, emotional and social development, the development of self, and moral development will be discussed. The approaches of behaviourism and ecological theory will also be highlighted. The origins and nature of individual differences, continuity and discontinuity of development, as well as plasticity of development will be discussed. The interaction between development and learning, motivation, parenting practices, culture, and different social environments will be addressed. A strong emphasis will be placed on the importance of understanding child development when working with children in applied settings.

Procedure:
The course will consist of lectures and recitations. Students' will have a chance to discuss the topics of the course and deepen their understanding of the age group they plan to focus on during their studies and work.

In the course, children‘s (1-3 years) perspectives, development, and learning in preschool will be addressed, and how children create their communities through playful actions will be discussed. The transition from home to preschool where communication between preschool teachers, children, and parents is in focus.  Organization of the learning environment, care, play material, and preschool teacher‘s views and how it creates conditions for how children are supported in their play and peer relationships will be addressed. The value of creative work such as music and crafts with young children and how subject areas in the curriculum are interwoven in the preschool work will also be looked into.

The course aims to provide students’ knowledge of the main trends and ideology that influence policy making, curriculum development and evaluation in preschools today, knowledge and ability to promote equality in preschool as well as to reflect on their views attitude and how they affect their daily practice.

The course discusses ideological trends that affect Preschool Education and how they appear in policy making (national curriculum guidelines), pedagogy, planning and assessment in preschools. Also factors shaping teachers professionalism and role, are discussed, focusing on the fundamental pillars, ethics and equality. Concurrently, emphasis is placed on students developing critical thinking on issues in preschool, reflect on their own views and assess how they affect their practice theory.

Students participate in preschools activities paralleled with their assignments for two weeks of the semester, 30 hours per week

• Children's literature as a literary field; characteristics and literary concepts.
• Cultural and artistic assessment of a variety of children's books with special emphasis on recent books and selected themes.
• Children´s books as an important part of youth culture and common cultural awareness.
• Children´s books as a foundation for experience, creation, expression and communication.
• The value of literature in children's education.
•  Children´s books in elementary school: reading for pleasure, reading and literacy, writing and written expression, life skills and ethics.
• Children´s books regarding multicultural issues and equality.
• The relationship between children's literature with other forms of literature and art.

The main objective of the course is to introuduce students to basic features of creative and critical thnking, in particular how such thinking can be undertaken in a group. The possibilities of using dialogue as a method in teaching and research will be explored. The approach of the course will be based on ideas of philosophy for children, but it will be adapted to work with both children at preschool age.

The course is designed to expose students with two main perspectives on educational research. On the one hand methodology related to data collection and data analysis, on the other hand reading and discussing educational research conducted by others. In all sections of the course an emphasis is placed on knowing and understanding concepts and ideas from educational research; students read about them, discuss and apply them in tasks connected to quantitative, qualitative and mixed research methods. They also discuss and apply concepts related to action research.

The course comprises lectures, discourse, student presentations and field-related assignments.

Topics in the course are transitions and continuity between preschool, primary school, and leisure-time centers. From the perspectives of children, teachers, and parents. Continuity in children's learning will be addressed and emphasis placed on teaching diverse approaches that involve children's participation, such as play, Project approach, play with unit blocks, and philosophical discussion with children. In addition, transition to school programs will be examined.

In this course the aim is to teach the students how they, as teachers, can increase physical activity in a class by moving the teaching outside. The students will learn how to plan one day of outdoor teaching as well as longer period for example a semester. The students will get the opportunity to teach and build up teaching facilities in the outdoors. In the end of the course the students should have acquired general understanding and insight into main theories and concepts in outdoor learning, rationalise their decisions and have acquired an open-minded and innovative way of thinking in connection to teaching in the outdoor.

The focus in the course is on diveristy and inclusion in Early childhood Education. Inclusive pedagogy in preschool conneceted to human rights, ecuality and social justice. Collaboration between the preschool and Child-support Services and social workers.

The student´s participate and work on special assignments in two weeks field-work in preschool.

The bachelor thesis for a B.Ed. degree in Preschool Education is a 10-credit written assignment completed under the guidance of a supervisor. The thesis work is undertaken towards the end of the undergraduate studies and aims to deepen the student's understanding of:

• a specific subject matter and its connection to their field of study (discipline and specialization)
• the subject matter must be relevant for the field of early childhood education and care