Global Challenges, Local Solutions: A Bridge to Tomorrow’s Teachers (New Research - New Voices)

Interdisciplinarity in teacher education is the central focus underscoring the importance of how teacher education remains on the cutting edge of progressive and hopeful changes in schools. This book emerged out of the work conducted in a multi-year, cutting-edge project called BRIDGES and argues that interdisciplinary work is decisive in the rapidly changing educational landscape and a future fraught with uncertainties. Furthermore, there is a need to collaborate across different disciplines to address the social and political challenges we face by bridging the gaps between what is advocated for at a national level and what is taught in schools.

Karl Christian Alvestad, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Social Studies (Medieval History) at the University of South-Eastern Norway. He holds a PhD in History from the University of Winchester (UK) from 2016. His research focuses on social studies education, the history of education, medievalism, and medieval studies. He served as project leader for BRIDGES from 2022 to 2024.

Heidi Biseth, Ph.D., is Professor Emerita at the University of South-Eastern Norway and engages with comparative and international education. This includes interdisciplinary lenses on work in school and teacher education, particularly on democracy, citizenship and sustainable development. She served as the BRIDGES project initiator and leader from 2020 to 2022.

Supriya Baily, Ph.D., is Professor of Education at George Mason University. She also serves as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution. From 2022 to 2023, she was President of the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES). Her research examines how structures of power intersect with education, contributing to unequal educational systems.