Shilan Ahmadian

• Brevik, Lisbeth M.; Ahmadian, Shilan & Garvoll, Katharina Køber (2020). English use outside of school: Gamers, Surfers and Social Media Users . In Brevik, Lisbeth M. & Rindal, Ulrikke Elisabeth (Ed.), Teaching English in Norwegian classrooms: From research to practice. Universitetsforlaget. ISSN 9788215032283. p. 190–216.

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• Ahmadian, Shilan; Aspfors-Sveen, Ingeborg & Næsmo, Camilla Bruu (2021). Fortellinger om flukt. Universitetsforlaget. ISBN 9788215047614. 120 p.

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• Kure, Astrid Elisabeth; Ahmadian, Shilan & Brevik, Lisbeth M. (2022). Panel: Time, narrative and technology in English classrooms in Norway. Show summary

  In this panel, we will present two studies from nine English classrooms in Norway across 8th, 9th and 10th grade, where teenagers are video recorded over time concerning their use of narratives and technology. Gee (2007) states that using technology is valuable for narrative engagement, which in turn leads to learning. The present study argues that engagement in narratives and technology has the potential to develop skills critical for education. Digital technologies are considered a crucial aspect of educational policy around the world (Erstad et al., 2021; Ferrari, 2013; Kaarakainen & Saikkonen, 2021). Information and communication technology can complement, enrich and transform education for the better (UNESCO, 2021). The first study addresses how time matters when teenagers engage in two very different narratives by reading a novel and playing an online game to learn about Native Americans. The study draws on video recordings from 30 English lessons in two lower secondary classrooms in Norway, following 60 students during a two-week gaming-based project in 8th grade. Findings showed that time matter. A notable finding is that the combination of reading fiction and playing a video game matter in terms of student engagement, which aligns with research by the UK's National Literacy Trust (2020). One class read the novel before playing the game, while the other class played the game before reading the novel. The students who read the novel before playing the game were more engaged and learnt more about native Americans compared to the students who played the video game before reading the novel. The second study investigates teenagers' use of English across technologies and time. Adapting a national Framework for Digital Skills into an observation protocol (Norwegian Directorate of Education and Training, 2012), this study analysed video recordings from 60 English lessons in seven lower secondary classrooms in Norway, following 186 students across two school years (9th and 10th grade). The results show that students used digital skills critical for education in half of the video-recorded lessons. The main differences within and across classrooms related to the type of digital skills used in any given lesson, and an increase in the use of digital skills over time. First, students’ used basic rather than advanced digital skills. Second, when using digital skills, the main repertoire involved searching for and processing information online, and using digital technology to produce written texts. Third, we identified that the students’ use of digital skills increased over time. In the panel, we will present illustrative examples of how time matters when students engage with digital skills, narratives and online games in English. Implications for practice and the direction of future research are discussed.

• Ahmadian, Shilan; Aspfors-Sveen, Ingeborg; Næsmo, Camilla Bruu & Svarca, Katrina (2021). Forfattertrio: – Noe mer enn en skolebok. [Newspaper]. Utrop - Norges første flerkulturelle avis.
• Ahmadian, Shilan; Aspfors-Sveen, Ingeborg & Næsmo, Camilla Bruu (2021). Ungdom som flykter til Norge . [Internet]. Podcast Rekk opp hånda! Episode 166.
• Ahmadian, Shilan (2021). Conference paper: Gaming-based engagement during English lessons in lower secondary school. Show summary

  Gee (2007) states that using a video game is valuable for engagement in learning, which in turn leads to learning when you master a domain associated with the video game. The present study argues that engagement in video games has the potential to develop critical literacy in lower secondary students. It presents data from lower secondary school (8th grade), where gaming-based activities were used to create engagement and develop students’ ability to critically evaluate the potential of the game for learning in the English subject. The study draws on multiple data sources collected during a two-week gaming-based project about Native Americans in two English classes. In the observed lessons, one class read a book about Native Americans before playing the game This Land is My Land, whilst the other group played the game before reading the book. Data include (a) classroom videos, (b) students’ screen recordings from playing the game, (c) students’ written reflections after playing the game, (d) teachers’ screen recordings during feedback conversations with the students, and (e) teacher surveys concerning the gaming-based project.Findings indicate that students to a certain extent developed a critical stance to the game. A main finding concern their experiences of being engaged in the game, with differences indicating more engagement among the students who read before playing the game, compared to those who played the game before reading the book. Another main finding concern gender differences, in that several girls expressed concerns about the lack of female characters in the game, while the majority of the boys did not mention the gender of the (male) characters at all and instead expressed their opinions about technical aspects of the game.

• Ahmadian, Shilan; Brevik, Lisbeth M. & Sundqvist, Pia (2019). Jentene bruker engelsk til å snakke om fag - guttene bruker engelsk til alt mulig. Bedre Skole. ISSN 0802-183X. p. 82–87.
• Øvereng, Kjersti S; Brevik, Lisbeth M. & Ahmadian, Shilan (2020). MA thesis: The Gender Asymmetry Supported by the Teachers. An observational research of genders in English lessons regarding authentic text discourse in seven lower secondary schools. Universitetet i Oslo.

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