Student Story: Anna Peterson in Iceland

(submitted by Anna)

During Anna Ingibjörg Peterson's second year as a M.Ed. student in the Faculty of Education at Queen's University she lived in Reykjavík, Iceland. Home to volcanic landscapes, tapestries of moss, and 320,000 eclectic people, Iceland is a captivating country full of magic and imagination.

Her interest to study and work abroad evolved as she began to explore the interconnectedness of school architecture and education. Many countries, including Canada, are presently engaged in the enormous task of renovating existing schools and the construction of new educational facilities. "Current estimates suggest that between 2000 and 2007, 5,000 schools ...have been built in the U.S.A." (Plympton, Conway & Epstein, 2000 as cited in Upitis, R., 2004, p. 20). A substantial number of these schools, however, are being built with little or no awareness of the impact of architectural design on academic achievement and student behaviour. This is not always the case in other countries, such as Iceland, who are members of the Program on Educational Building (PEB). "PEB promotes the international exchange of ideas, information, research and experience in all aspects of educational building. ...The overriding concerns of the program are to ensure that the maximum educational benefit be obtained from ...educational buildings" (PEB website, 2008). Canada is not a PEB member.

Several schools in Iceland were featured in the 2006 PEB: Compendium of Exemplary Educational Facilities. Curious to learn more about Icelandic students’ experiences of their schools, she began to explore the possibilities of conducting her research in Iceland. To her delight several schools were interested to participate. Before undertaking a project of this nature, however, it was essential that she become more familiar with the Icelandic language, the country’s medieval history, and its contemporary culture.

Dr. Rena Upitis has been instrumental in making this once impossible dream her everyday reality. In June, she had the pleasure of attending the Icelandic Field School hosted by Dr. Birna Bjarnadóttir, Graduate Chair and Acting Head of the Department of Icelandic at the University of Manitoba. In August, she participated in the Intensive Language Preparation Course for Foreign Exchange Students coordinated by Dr. Peter Weiss, Director of the University Centre of the West Fjords. This unique combination of courses provided endless opportunities to explore the dynamic complexities of Iceland. If you would like more information about the realities of living and researching in Iceland, please contact Anna at  petersonanna@gmail.com