Harpa Rut nominated for the Icelandic Education Awards

Nominations for the Icelandic Education Awards were announced on the International Day of the Teacher last 5th October. The awards aim to raise the profile of educational reform and draw attention to ambitious and high-quality school and leisure activities for children and young people. Harpa Rut Svansdóttir, a nursery school teacher at Smáralundur Nursery School in Hafnarfjörður, is one of this year's nominees for her outstanding music teaching with young children.

The awards are presented in four categories.

The awards are presented in four categories: for outstanding school work or educational improvements, outstanding teacher, outstanding development project, and outstanding vocational or technical education. In addition, an award will be presented to an individual, group or organisation that has contributed to educational reforms considered to be outstanding.

About Hörpu Rut at Smáralundi

Harpa Rut has been nominated for the 2023 Icelandic Education Awards for outstanding music teaching with young children. Harpa Rut graduated with a B.Ed. in Early Childhood Education from the University of Iceland in 1999. She had previously studied piano and music theory at the Reykjavík College of Music. Harpa provides music tuition in Smáralundi and has done so for many years with particularly good results. In addition to music lessons, there are weekly singing sessions where the children also perform pieces they have been practising in their music lessons. Harpa also runs the so-called TónMáls programme, a curriculum in music and language stimulation for three- to four-year-old children. It is based on the principle that good phonological awareness is the foundation of reading skills and that young children are receptive to training through music. Harpa also runs music weeks, during which the children make instruments and work on various musical activities, culminating in a music festival in the hall. Harpa Rut has placed great emphasis on getting other teachers on board and has trained other staff members for this purpose.

Commentary with a proposal for the nomination of Harpa

„Harpa is a great professional and carries out her work with great enthusiasm and dedication. She is brilliant at utilising the human resources … all the staff and parents watch her work with great admiration, all the children love her and everyone asks every day if they aren't going to have music today … Harpa is very ambitious and is supportive and encouraging of all the school's staff. She is always looking for new and fun ideas to develop the music teaching. All the teaching material is taught through play and is all in an old magic bag which is very exciting and mysterious. Since we started with this curriculum, we have seen great progress with the children, and we can also see straight away if a child is not mastering the skill, allowing us to intervene quickly. We at Smáralundur are really lucky to have Harpa on our team.“

The nominees are:

Outstanding school work or educational reforms

One award is presented in this category to a school or other educational institution that has made outstanding educational improvements. The nominated institutions are:

• Brekkubær School in Akranes
• Bungubrekka, recreational centre of Hveragerði
• Mosfellsbær Upper Secondary School
• The Primary School in Vestmannaeyjar
• Ugluklettur Nursery School in Borgarnes

Excellent teacher

One award is presented in this category to a teacher who has contributed to educational improvements that are considered outstanding. The following teachers have been nominated:

• Brynja Stefánsdóttir, teacher at Stapaskóli in Reykjanesbær
• Fiona Elizabeth Oliver, teacher at Víkur School in Reykjavík
• Harpa Rut Svansdóttir, nursery teacher at the Smáralundur nursery, Hafnarfjörður
• Hrund Teitsdóttir, teacher at Hríseyjarskóli
• Ólafur Schram, music teacher at Sjálandsskóli in Garðabær

Outstanding development project

Awards for outstanding development projects are given to projects that meet the highest quality standards for objectives, methods, content, evaluation and presentation, have a social relevance and contribute to the advancement of education in the country. The following projects are nominated:

• The S78 and Tjarnarinnar LGBTQ+ Youth Centre
• Cooperation and Autonomy – The United Nations Global Goals: A Development Project at the Icelandic Business School
• Staff research at Menntaskólinn við Sund
• Do you want to speak Icelandic with me? A joint project of the Icelandic Village and the primary schools in Grafarvogur and Kjalarnesi.
• Collaboration between the social services in Árborg and the youth centre Zelsíuz

Excellent vocational or technical education

An award presented to a teacher, curriculum developer, school or educational institution for outstanding work, work or contribution to vocational or technical education. Nominees receive:

• Haukur Eiríksson, teacher at the Vocational School of Akureyri
• Painting Course of the School of Building Technology, Technical College
• Marín Björk Jónasdóttir, teacher and head of department at Borgarholtsskóli

Notice on the website of the Association of School Development Enthusiasts