The primary and secondary teacher education program at NTNU has since 2007, then at the Department of Teacher Education, Sør-Trøndelag University College, maintained a practice partnership with schools in Livingstone and Mongu, Zambia. The cooperation has also included the teacher education institutions David Livingstone College of Education (DALICE) and Mongu College of Education (MOCE).

In Zambia, student teachers encounter a school reality and a learning culture that is different from what they are familiar with in Norway. In this research group, we explore what students gain from engaging in an unfamiliar school culture and examine a range of academic issues, particularly related to understanding diversity and global perspectives in teacher education. We also study teaching in various subjects in Zambian schools, with a special focus on literacy practices and democracy and citizenship education.

The group aims to promote national and international research collaboration through co-publications and the development of joint project proposals. The collaborates with several Norwegian and international partners and seeks to design research-based teaching for students preparing for international placements. This includes stages such as preparation, guidance during the stay, and follow-up afterwards. The group is interdisciplinary, with participants from thesocial sciences, literacy, English, and pedagogy.

Projects:

• Student Mobility in Practice (STUPRA), Project funded by HK-dir
• Global Teaching for Sustainable Society (GLOSS), Project funded by Norplus
• Global and intercultural competence through practicum in the south (GIPS), Project funded by Norplus

Overview of all publications in The Norwegian Research Information Repository (NVA)

2027

• Spring: Internal seminar on experiences and implementation of the program for staff and students at ILU. Organize a dissemination seminar related to evaluation and research for other Nordic teacher education institutions through the GLOSS network.
• Autumn: Final seminar with project participants in Zambia. Participation in national teacher education conferences and international conferences.

2026

• Autumn: Two-day evaluation seminar in Livingstone with staff from ILU, DALICE, and MOCE, as well as principals and teachers from partner schools. Participation in the SANORD conference together with colleagues from Zambia.

2025

• Spring: Workshop with Zambian supervisors and teachers on the role of the follow-up teacher in multicultural practice groups.
• October 16, 2025: Seminar in Trondheim with staff and students from ILU focusing on the development of an international R&D assignment for overseas practice.
• October 28, 2025: Presentation of the project at the HK-Dir conference ‘Internationalization in Teacher Education’ at Campus Hamar, INN-University.

2024

• Autumn: One-week seminar in Trondheim with 10 invited guests from partner institutions in Zambia. School visits to our university schools and guest lectures by the partners for staff at ILU.

• Samwangala Kaumba, David Livingstone College of Education (DALICE)
• Stephen Munalula, Mongu Catholic College Of Education (MOCE)
• Hege Knudsmoen, Faculty of Education and International studies, Oslo Metropolitan University
• Gerd Wikan, Universitetet i Innlandet
• Tove Leming, Department of Education, UiT
• Ane Bergersen, Høgskolen på Vestlandet
• Getahun Yacob Abraham, University of Borås (SE)
• Kaisa Pihlainen, School of Educational Sciences and Psychology, University of Eastern Finland. 
• Ariana Mihalik Ward Jespersen, Department of Education, University College Northern Denmark (UCN)
• Nina Thelander, Department of Educational Studies, Karlstad University