Keynote

Sanne Akkerman (Utrecht University)
Movement, Interest and Education in Accelerated Times

Educational and learning sciences are uniquely concerned with human development as it unfolds in time. More than many other social sciences, they therefore face the challenge of continuously synchronizing their concepts with a world in motion and with the changing ways in which people move meaningfully through it (Akkerman, Bakker, & Penuel, 2021). In a society increasingly shaped by acceleration, optimization and productivity, the question is not merely how education can help people slow down, but what kinds of movement require slowing down in order for development to occur. In this keynote, I explore this question through two interconnected lines of research. The first examines the everyday development of young people's interests, showing how interests emerge through sustained engagement with people, places and practices. This work suggests that interest constitutes a particular quality of movement: one that invites dwelling, attention and deepening. The second line presents an innovative university programme designed around these principles, creating educational spaces in which interest, movement and temporality become central to learning (Haidari, Akkerman, Kubilius, & Vermeulen, 2026). I conclude by arguing that movement offers a productive lens for rethinking educational development. From this perspective, slowing down is not the opposite of movement but one of its essential qualities. Interest, I suggest, is one of the ways in which meaningful movement becomes possible.

Sanne Akkerman works as a Professor of Education and Learning Sciences in the Department of Education at Utrecht University. Her research focuses on how education and scientific practices can relate to an ever-changing society, including at the individual level of the diverse learning, working, and living environments in which students and professionals find themselves. The challenge that many practices and people face is often described internationally by the term "boundary crossing." She wrote a dissertation on this topic (2006, cum laude) and two literature reviews (Akkerman & Bakker, 2011; Bronkhorst & Akkerman, 2016), in which she mapped out the nature of the challenge, effective strategies, and learning outcomes of boundary crossing in education, science, and work. Her empirical research often focuses on students and professionals who are particularly confronted with multiple perspectives and forms of participation, such as in dual or multidisciplinary programs, academic roles, regional or international projects, and partnerships.

Homepage: https://www.uu.nl/staff/SFAkkerman