Network conveners: Liya Kalinnikova Magnusson, Riikka Sirkko and Edda Óskarsdóttir
Liya Kalinnikova Magnusson
Senior lecturer in special needs education [SNE], PhD in special education, associate professor in education
Gävle, Sweden Liya.Kalinnikova@hig.se
Liya Kalinnikova Magnusson: a senior lecturer in special needs education [SNE], responsible for the SNE subject in the Faculty of Education and Business Studies at the University of Gävle, Sweden; graduated as a special teacher and speech therapist from the faculty of defectology at Irkutsk Teacher Training Institute of Russia; defended her PhD dissertation in SNE at the Research Institute of Defectology at the Russian Academy of Pedagogical Sciences in Moscow; affiliated researcher of the Institute of Russian and Eurasian Studies at Uppsala University; she is a docent in psychology (according to the Russian research academic grades). International experience includes research and teaching activities mainly in Eastern European countries, which was granted by prestigious Swedish (VR, STINT, Linnaeus Palme, SI), Nordic, Russian Academic Funds. Scientific interests lie in the field of development of SNE towards inclusion and how this developmental process is contextualised by political choices in educational reforms internationally; comparative studies; dynamics of change of SNE targets, etc.
Riikka Sirkko
Lecturer of special education, PhD
University of Oulu
Finland
riikka.sirkko@oulu.fi
Riikka Sirkko works as a university lecturer of special education at the University of Oulu, Finland. The topic of her doctoral thesis was “Teachers’ professional agency in promoting inclusion.” The article-based thesis studied co-teaching as a way to enhance teachers’ professional agency and via that inclusion. Riikka’s research interest deals with inclusion and inclusive education at all levels, from preschool to higher education. Before her university career Riikka worked for several years as a special education teacher in primary school.
Edda Óskarsdóttir
Associate professor of education, EdD
University of Iceland
Edda completed an MA degree in special needs education at the University of Oregon and an EdD from University of Iceland. She has 20 years of experience as a special needs educator and coordinator for support in compulsory schools. She also has experience as a project assistant at the European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education. Her research field covers inclusive education and in that context teacher education, teacher development, policy and practice that supports education for all.