Rural Education in the North (REN) discussion panel at UArctic Congress 2026
The Rural Education in the North (REN) research project aims to further strengthen the UArctic Thematic Network for Teacher Education for Social Justice and Diversity through research activities examining rural education provision across the north.
The REN consortium organised a discussion panel at the UArctic Congress 2026 to disseminate the preliminary findings from the eight research case studies situated across the North exploring educational issues such as
- blending Montessori education with traditional food preparation in Northern Canadian early years provision,
- the provision of opportunities for the community to re-engage with traditional foods in Orkney in Scotland,
- the development of culturally and linguistically responsive teacher education programmes in places like Northern Alaska,
- rural schools within urban cities like Rovaniemi
- and the importance of relational pedagogy in rural schools.
The REN panel was composed of both academics and educational practitioners from Finland, Alaska, Iceland, Scotland and Canada and was chaired by REN project lead Mhairi C Beaton with other members of the REN team in the audience and able to participate in the lively discussion with the wider audience attending the session following the presentation of five of the case studies. This helpful discussion will inform future REN project activity.