Terese Kerstinsdotter

PhD student at the Department of Literature, History of Ideas, and Religion, Gothenburg University 

For fifteen years, I taught Swedish and English at an upper secondary school in Sweden which besides national programmes also offers the International Baccalaureate programme. I met students from across the world: one of my last groups consisted of thirty students who had lived in sixteen different countries and spoke eighteen languages between them. A challenge shared with other language and literature teachers is how to make the most of this diversity and help create classrooms that recognize, utilise and create mutual respect for the students' various backgrounds and contexts.

Swedish and international research suggests that there are teachers who hesitate in broaching the subject(s) of diversity and who do not feel that they can offer a literature education that can help students engage in issues related to various cultures and social justice. My research will focus on what happens when an approach such as culturally responsive pedagogy is recontextualised in a Swedish teacher education context. How does a culturally responsive literature education compare to other approaches pre-service upper secondary teachers in Sweden have studied and experienced? Can engaging in reading literature in digitally connected groups encompassing undergraduates from across the globe help pre-service teachers become aware of important aspects when planning how to work with literature with their future students?

In my spare time, I enjoy reading a book with a cat in my lap whilst eating candy.