Åpent klasseromsklima og klasseromsdiskusjoner i norsk ungdomsskole

Abstract

An open classroom climate, where students experience that they can ask critical questions and express themselves without fear of consequences from either fellow students or teachers, has a positive effect not only on the student's democratic competence, but also on their future participation. Among pupils in Norwegian lower secondary schools, several surveys show that the perception of an open classroom climate is high. But what does this open classroom climate look like – and what is it used for? Based on classroom observations of Social Studies teaching and interviews with 31 pupils in the 9th grade in Norwegian lower secondary school, this article discusses how Social Studies teachers facilitate for an open classroom climate, and how pupils perceive and experience their classroom discussions in Social Studies. Our contribution is to discuss how teachers both facilitate and limit an open classroom climate, and what obstacles the students themselves identify. In the article, we also discuss the didactic implications of this for current and future Social Studies teachers in Norwegian schools.