– I am very happy, surprised and proud to be appointed Friend of the Year! It feels great to be noticed, especially as the assignment we collaborate on is so important, says Maria Bränström, Coordination Leader at The Children and Youth Administration in Vännäs Municipality.
The assignment Maria refers to comes from the Government and is called ULF. The Swedish acronym stands for Utveckling (Development), Lärande (Learning) and Forskning (Research). It is a national pilot project that aims to develop sustainable collaboration models between the school system and academia regarding research, school activities and teacher education.
A big voice for the small municipality
Here, Maria Bränström has served as a voice for the small municipality since Umeå University, as one of four "ULF-responsible" educational institutions, started working on the pilot in 2018.
– Since the conditions differ greatly between Sweden's school organisers today, it feels important to include the smaller organisers' perspectives in the ongoing research and development action. I see it as my mission to lift that perspective together with Umeå University, she explains.
– I see it as my mission to, together with Umeå University, lift the perspective of the small school organisers, says award winner Maria Bränström.
Photo: Private.
In addition to being part of ULF's operational group, Maria is also responsible for coordinating a three-year R&D project on problem solving in mathematics that is carried out in Vännäs within the ULF framework. According to Associate Professor Stina Westerlund and Professor Johan Lithner who nominated Maria, she is an outstanding partner.
From the motivation: "Maria shows great openness, creativity and a strong will to move forward in a complex development process. With clarity and humility, combined with critical sharpness, she balances in a key position where school management, teachers in school activities and university researchers are intertwined."
Creates new knowledge together
Maria Bränström herself feels inspired by so many people working together to develop school activities. She experiences a genuine interest and a great sensitivity on the part of Umeå University when it comes to capturing the needs that exist in the school today, and trying to find ways to meet the challenges that teachers have to deal with.
– For us, the practice-based research works very well. Despite challenges in the form of Covid-19 and the constantly imminent lack of time, we have found both structures and a culture that makes the collaboration rewarding for both parties. We simply create new knowledge together, researchers and active educators, says Maria.
The plan is to build on the good experiences within ULF, and thereby create new collaboration models that can serve as a basis for both professional practice in schools and for teacher education.
– If we discover good ways of working in one place, we should be able to spread this to others. Something that hopefully leads to our children and young people in the long run getting an even better education.
Due to the pandemic, Vice-Chancellor Hans Adolfsson could not hand out the Friend of the Year diploma in person, but congratulated digitally.
Photo: Lena Holmberg
The investment can become permanent
The work with weaving theory and practice closer together through ULF was actually intended to be completed in 2021, but Vice-Chancellor Hans Adolfsson had more good news when he announced Umeå University Friend of the Year.
– It is very gratifying to see that the Government in the latest bill for research and innovation has invested additional funds in this pilot project, so that the work with practice-based research in schools can continue and hopefully become something permanent, he said.
Maria Bränström was awarded the title under Kunskapsnoden (the Knowledge Node), which this year aptly had the theme Lifelong Learning.
The Umeå University Friend of the Year Award
The award has been instituted by Umeå University to promote collaborations between the university and external parties, and to highlight the Umeå University spirit. The award goes to an external party who has done something good together with Umeå University and has strived for openness and cross-border collaboration. The collaboration must have contributed to the general good as we believe in the power of excelling together.