SDU and partners receive millions in grant money to develop new concept of Bildung

Today, technology and science play a relatively minor role in both primary and secondary school subjects, and the knowledge that students acquire in these subjects is rarely utilised in social studies, Danish, history or practical-musical subjects. The traditions of the subjects and their self-perception of having a different Bildung-related purpose than the natural sciences contribute to the separation.

If we, as a society, are to tackle major challenges such as climate and biodiversity, misinformation, the use of new technologies and global security, children and young people need a broad understanding of science and technology in their education and Bildung.

In the project ‘Advancing Bildung in School: Science and Technology in SHAPE’, the researchers will rethink the concept of Bildung and develop a new understanding of it that transcends the boundaries between scientific/technical subjects and Danish, history, social studies and the practical-musical subjects – the so-called SHAPE subjects – an internationally recognised term for 'Social Sciences, Humanities and the Arts for People and Economy’. 

A new concept of Bildung is needed

The researchers’ starting point for the project is that all subjects contribute to a shared Bildung project and that all subjects can incorporate scientific and technological perspectives. 

One of the tasks of the project will therefore be to develop a new didactic understanding of Bildung in which science and technology are at the core of the SHAPE subjects – rather than as an addition or an interdisciplinary perspective. This will be done through both ideological and empirical classroom studies. 

- The relationship between the technical and natural sciences and the role of the humanities in Bildung and education is deeply rooted in the history of ideas that influence our present. The interdisciplinary ABIS project is a unique opportunity to bring the history of ideas into play in a close interdisciplinary collaboration that addresses a key societal challenge’, says Professor Casper Andersen, Aarhus University, co-leader of the project.

In practice, the research project will follow the LIFE Foundation’s development programme STEM-in-SHAPE. The programme develops and tests teaching materials and courses with scientific and technological perspectives on social studies, history and Danish in both primary and secondary schools. 

The assumption is that the ability to incorporate scientific and technological knowledge in and between subjects will increase students’ knowledge, engagement and ability to participate actively as actors in society. Rather than ‘STEMifying’ all subjects, the project seeks to contribute to a rethinking of the concept of Bildung and to the integration of science and technology in the humanities and social sciences on the terms of these subjects.

Researchers believe that a lack of coherence and collaboration between subjects means that students are unable to apply knowledge and skills across subjects to understand and solve complex problems. Conversely, the researchers hypothesise that the inclusion of scientific and technological aspects, viewed from humanities, social science and practical-musical perspectives, can strengthen the work on the major challenges in society.

The project is carried out in close collaboration with practitioners

The head of the project (PI) is Professor Nikolaj Elf from the Centre for Basic Education Research, SDU. The project is carried out in close collaboration with Casper Andersen, Professor of the History of Ideas at Aarhus University; UCL University College, University College South Denmark, the Danish National Archives, SDU’s Centre for Upper Secondary and Vocational Education Research, the LIFE Foundation and a large number of schools, teachers and students at primary, lower secondary and upper secondary level. 

With this grant, the project will build on the Centre for Basic Education Research’s and the Centre for Upper Secondary and Vocational Education Research’s close collaboration with practitioners in the field of education.

As a final component of the project, a skills development programme for teachers will be developed, drawing on insights from the research project and the LIFE Foundation’s development programme. The goal is to make the integration of technology and science practical and meaningful in primary and secondary schools, even after the project has ended.

The development of concrete programmes and a better didactic understanding of opportunities and barriers will give teachers a good starting point to gain skills and experience in integrating natural sciences and technology in the SHAPE subjects to a greater extent than is currently the case. At the same time, researchers gain insight into what is being done in practice and how teachers perceive their work.

- This grant makes it possible to work with both theoretical and conceptual development and very concrete teaching development at the same time. The aim of the project is to expand both primary and secondary schools’ opportunities to work with the students’ Bildung journey in relation to major societal challenges across all subjects and also throughout the different levels of the education system. This is done by developing experimental learning processes that allow teachers and students to incorporate knowledge across subjects. From a research perspective, the interdisciplinary and interinstitutional collaboration with all project partners will be a tremendous asset in terms of linking idea development and practice throughout the project period, says Professor Nikolaj Elf, head of the project. 

More about the project

Professor Nikolaj Elf from the Centre for Basic Education Research, the Department of Design, Media and Educational Science, together with the History of Ideas at Aarhus University, UCL University College and University College South Denmark, the Danish National Archives and the Centre for Upper Secondary and Vocational Education Research have received almost DKK 21 million from the Novo Nordisk Foundation for the project ‘Advancing Bildung in School: Science and Technology in SHAPE’.

The project is carried out in close collaboration with the LIFE Foundation and will investigate conceptions of Bildung across humanities and social science subjects in primary and secondary education.

The project Advancing Bildung in School: Science and Technology in SHAPE – ABIS for short – is based on the premise that science, technology and our understandings of nature are fundamental building blocks in the development of modern society, culture and science.
Both historically and today, scientific and technological knowledge plays a central role in changing society and solving the challenges we face.

A key question guiding the project is how science, technology and our understanding of nature interact with the school’s general tasks in terms of education and Bildung – especially in the humanities and social sciences. 

In the project, the researchers will map how technology and science have historically been incorporated into the academic and Bildung ideals of schools from the early 1900s to the present day. At the same time, the researchers will follow the teaching when the LIFE Foundation develops and tests new teaching modules that integrate scientific and technological perspectives in subjects such as Danish, social studies and history at primary, lower secondary and upper secondary level.

The insights from both theory and practice will form the basis for the development of a new concept of Bildung and for innovative rethinking of Danish, history and social studies. In addition, the project will conduct a major skills development programme for primary and secondary school teachers.