Almedalen Week – textbook anthology

Almedalen Week (also referred to as Politician’s Week) has taken place for the last 50 years since 1968 when Olof Palme first spoke to the people of Almedalen. It is the world's largest democratic meeting place for social issues and the week-long programme features numerous speeches, seminars and other activities. More details can be found on the Almdalen Week website.

Tim Oates CBE, Group Director of Assessment Research and Development at Cambridge Assessment has been invited by Rickard Vinde, the Managing Director of the Swedish Association of Educational Publishers, to take part in a panel discussion about textbooks. The panel is chaired by Rickard, along with members of the Swedish Association of Educational Writers and the Educational Writers Organisation. Tim has been widely reported in Sweden for his firm belief that good teaching materials are required for both quality and equivalence of learning, including an article last December in the Swedish magazine for teachers, Lärarnas Tiding.

Tim’s involvement follows on from last year's Nordic Läromedel Publishers Conference in Stockholm, where he explained ‘Why Textbooks Count’, looking at the role of textbooks and digital materials, and exploring the key features of high quality materials.

Tim Oates and Rickard Vinde both spoke at the recent International Summit on Textbooks co-hosted by Cambridge Assessment and the UK Department of Education.