Elin Eriksen Ødegaard

Field of work

Elin Eriksen Ødegaard is the research director at 'KINDknow - centre for Systemic Research on Diversity and Sustainable Futures', also called BARNkunne in Norwegian. The Research Council Norway (2018-2018) finances the center. She is a capacity builder with a commitment to sustainability and equity and an active researcher in Early Childhood Education. With specialisation on children's narrative meaning-making, play and exploration, co-creation, and pedagogical innovation for sustainability, she has published 13 scholarly books, 70 scientific articles and book chapters, 10 research reports, 85 outreach to the public and feature articles for the teacher profession. She is a popular keynote speaker and has been invited to speak at numerous seminars, conferences, and doctoral courses at universities and NGOs in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Greece, China, South Korea, Australia. 

In collaboration with others (MedieLan, HVL and the artists Vilde Tuv and Håkon Hoffart), she has produced 12 documentaries and animated films, for example:

(42) HAVPORTRETT TRAILER ENGLISH SUBTITILES 2 - YouTube

'Becoming .- the first 1000 days of early childhood.

Plum Skum - YouTube

'Hva betyr det å leve?' En film om utforskende pedagogikk i barnehagen - Collaborative exploration - YouTube 

Kom la oss leve med våre barn – sanger fra Friedrich Fröbels Mutter-, Spiel- und Koselieder (youtube.com)

Distinctions, invitations and roles of trust

• Won the Award for "Best Educational Concept, where film is used" at the Tromsø Educational Film Festival, 2024.
• Guest Professor at University of Tromsø – The Arctic University of Norway (2014-2023)
• OMEP World Treasurer & Member of Executive Committee in World Organisation for Early Childhood Education - OMEP (2020-2023)
• Member of the board of NAFOL- The National Research School for Teacher Education (2016-2022)
• Scientific Advisor for  'World Care' led by Ditte Winther-Lindquist, Financed by the Daish Research Fund and Aarhus University (2022 - 2025). 
• Scientific Advisor for 'Playful learning Research' led by Helle Skovbjerg, Founded by Lego Foundation (2020 - 2024)
• Scientific advisor in Children's grief and grive in ECEC, ledet av Lasse Lipponen, finansiert av Finnish Academi
• Scientific Advisor for 'The Second Language Learners Plus Intervention' led by  Kari-Anne B. Næss, financed av NFR, UiO and HVL
• Scientific Advisor for 'Play responsive teaching' led by Niklas Pramling, University of Gothenburg
• Member of the board 'International Journal of play' (2011 -ongoing)
• Leader of the Secretary of BIN-Norden (2012-2016)
• Editor in Chief of Nordic Journal of Early Childhood Research (2020-2023)
• Prize: FoU Prisen - 2013 For excellence in research concerning children's collaborative meaning-making, narratives and play and for capacity building and research leadership. 
• Ministry of Education & Research; Leadership of the working group that delivered a draft to a new Norwegian Frameworkplan for kindergartens in 2014 and later an advisor for the legal document (2013-2016).

Current projects

- Exploration and cultural formation – One Ocean, climate and weather-landscapes

- EX-PED-LAB 

- Sustainable design in kindergarten sector through ‘Exploration and Pedagogical Innovation Laboratory’ 

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ORCID; ResearchGate; Twitter @sereptine; Google Scholar Citation 

Courses taught

PhD supervision

PhD NORCHILD Research School

Professional development 

Research areas

• Play, Move, Explore, Cultural formation, 
• EX-PED-LAB Exploration and Co-creation
• Narrative Inquiry
• Sustainability - Weather landscapes and emergent ocean literary 

Research groups

• Kindergarten as an arena for cultural formation