In a democratic society, knowledge and research grounding play central roles. To support students' learning, it is necessary for teachers to be able to motivate and create challenging and stimulating learning opportunities. Questions regarding academic literacy often lack embodied and aesthetic perspectives (Carlgren, 2015), leading to challenges in bridging the gap between knowledge and teaching. Studies have shown that traditionally academic teaching methods and dualistic conceptions of learning can be identified within certain higher education contexts (Pastorek et al., 2021; Østern et al., 2021). The aim of this paper is to highlight and discuss the possibilitiesof embodiment and aesthetics in teaching and examinations in higher education. To enhance student engagement, a more holistic approach to education is required, where individuals are inspired and given space in various ways (Østern, et al., 2019). By paying attention to students' bodily communication, contact, and presence, the quality of the learning processes can improve (Winther, 2018). Based on research in preschool teacher education (Pastorek et al., 2021), a picture emerges where academic values, such as writing and speaking, take up a significant space in content, goals, and assessments at the expense of aesthetic and bodily perspectives. Instead, embodiment and aesthetic perspectives on knowledge and knowledge production in higher education can be a contribution to varied forms of teaching and examinations and a way to further development in the discussion around Artificial Intelligence (AI).

I ett demokratiskt samhälle spelar kunskap och forskning centrala roller. För att stödja studenters lärande är det nödvändigt att lärare kan motivera och skapa utmanande och stimulerande lärandemöjligheter. Frågor om akademisk kompetens saknar ofta kroppsliga och estetiska perspektiv (Carlgren, 2015), vilket leder till utmaningar i att överbrygga klyftan mellan kunskap och undervisning. Studier har visat att traditionella akademiska undervisningsmetoder och dualistiska föreställningar om lärande kan identifieras inom vissa högre utbildningskontexter (Pastorek et al., 2021; Østern et al., 2021). Syftet med denna artikel är att belysa och diskutera potentialen av kroppslighet och estetik i undervisning och examination inom högre utbildning. För att öka studenters engagemang krävs ett mer holistiskt tillvägagångssätt till utbildning, där individer berörs och ges utrymme på olika sätt (Østern et al., 2019). Genom att uppmärksamma studenters kroppsliga kommunikation, kontakt och närvaro kan kvaliteten på lärandeprocesserna förbättras (Winther, 2018). Baserat på forskning inom förskollärarutbildning (Pastorek et al., 2021) framträder en bild där akademiska värden, såsom skriftlig och muntlig kommunikation, tar upp en betydande plats i innehåll, mål och bedömningar på bekostnad av estetiska och kroppsliga perspektiv. Istället kan kroppsliga och estetiska perspektiv på kunskap och kunskapsproduktion inom högre utbildning vara ett bidrag till varierade former av undervisning och examination samt ett sätt att vidareutveckla diskussionen kring artificiell intelligens (AI).

In a democratic society, knowledge and research grounding play central roles. To support students' learning, it is necessary for teachers to be able to motivate and create challenging and stimulating learning opportunities. Questions regarding academic literacy often lack embodied and aesthetic perspectives (Carlgren, 2015), leading to challenges in bridging the gap between knowledge and teaching. Studies have shown that traditionally academic teaching methods and dualistic conceptions of learning can be identified within certain higher education contexts (Pastorek et al., 2021; Østern et al., 2021). The aim of this paper is to highlight and discuss the possibilitiesof embodiment and aesthetics in teaching and examinations in higher education. To enhance student engagement, a more holistic approach to education is required, where individuals are inspired and given space in various ways (Østern, et al., 2019). By paying attention to students' bodily communication, contact, and presence, the quality of the learning processes can improve (Winther, 2018). Based on research in preschool teacher education (Pastorek et al., 2021), a picture emerges where academic values, such as writing and speaking, take up a significant space in content, goals, and assessments at the expense of aesthetic and bodily perspectives. Instead, embodiment and aesthetic perspectives on knowledge and knowledge production in higher education can be a contribution to varied forms of teaching and examinations and a way to further development in the discussion around Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Interest in school-age educare has been growing internationally. School-age educare in Sweden emphasises learning and participation in aesthetic and creative learning activities. This study aims to critically examine how dance as a learning activity is constructed by educators in Swedish school-age educare. Discourse analysis is used to shed light on discursive constructions made by school-age educators when they reason about dance and learning in their educational practices. The empirical material consists of six focus-group interviews with 18 school-age educators. Three discourses are identified: (1) dance as a joy-filled activity, (2) digital tools as prerequisites for dancing, and (3) pre-choreographed dances as a preference. The results show that there is a lack of aesthetic and creative aspects in dance in school-age educare. School-age educators include dance because it is fun and is carried out by imitating movements without a focus on learning. The educators who appreciate dance lack the know-how to develop pupils' dance skills beyond what they already know. There are holistic ambitions in school-age educare to let care, play, and learning intersect, but creative dance still has an untapped potential to engage pupils in cultural activities and to contribute to gender repositioning. © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Internationally, there is a growing interest in School-Age Educare and the meaning of aesthetic aspects of teaching and learning in educational settings. Even if dancing is beneficial for human wellbeing and can be understood as both a physical activity as well as an aesthetic expression there are few studies that examine dance in School-Age Educare. Dance as an aesthetic expression can be linked to femininity which adds challenges in educational practice. According to UNICEF, dancing is one way for children to develop imagination, creativity, and social skills. Therefore, this study aims to critically examine the prerequisites for teaching and learning dance in School-Age Educare in Sweden. This study sheds light on discursive constructions made by school-age educators when they reason around dance in their education. The empirical material consists of six semi-structured interviews with eighteen educators in sex School-Age Educares in Sweden. Mainly two discourses of how dance is constructed appear in the material. Firstly, a discourse on dance as a joyful “learning” activity. Secondly, a discourse on “teaching” dance by using digital tools. The results show that it is challenging for the educators to encourage pupils while managing the risk that dance as a feminine activity is consolidated. Moreover, in its current form, there is a shortcoming of possibilities for pupils ́to develop their own creativity in dance. Finally, the educators lack the know-how to develop pupils ́ dance skills beyond what they already know. © The International Academic Forum 2023

It is well-known that art and cross-sectoral collaborations are needed and have value in the educational sector. The aim of this article is to describe and problematise beliefs, norms, and experiences that are articulated in descriptions of collaboration surrounding dance teaching in educational contexts in Sweden. This article rests on social constructionist perspectives and is informed by discourse analysis to problematise the experiences of collaboration regarding dance education. The empirical material consists of focus group interviews with dance teachers, pre-school teachers, and school-age educare center teachers. Analysis is focused on the discourses that occur in the empirical material, where different educators describe their experiences of collaborations. Three discourses emerge in the result: first, dance as an eraser; second, the dance teacher as inspirer and physically competent; and finally, ‘Jack in the box’—dance as collaboration? The conclusion drawn from the results is that cooperation is common, but collaborations are not. If one intends to develop shared values, alignment, and equal power relations, collaboration is required. The importance of combining dance competence with pedagogical competence adapted to the specific educational setting is essential. © 2023 Märtha Pastorek Gripson, Torun Mattsson and Anna Lindqvist.