Meet the OEB26 Speakers: Annasofie Wædeled-Møller

We are pleased to welcome Annasofie Wædeled-Møller as keynote speaker for OEB 2026. Drawing on experience in Greenland and the Danish and Swedish Defence, she argues for moving beyond educator-centred teaching and creating conditions in which autonomy and curiosity can flourish.

What was your first thought about this year’s conference theme “Sovereign Learning: Trust, Agency & the Education Reset”? 

My first thought was: Hats off to you, OEB. This year’s theme is asking the questions that I think all educational institutions and people working with education more broadly should be asking themselves — and discussing with others. I’m particularly pleased that it sheds some light on the “education reset”. In my view, it is about much more than technology. AI may be accelerating the need to rethink education, and it raises some pretty fundamental questions about what we believe education is for, and how we create the conditions for learners to have agency, participate and take responsibility. My second thought was: Where do I sign up?

If you could look into the year 2046, what do you envision learning will be driven by? 

If we look into the crystal ball and focus on 2046, I see two very different versions. And that is also what makes AI so frightening: it can simultaneously offer both utopia and dystopia. 

There is the AI-supported utopia, where differentiated teaching beautifully balances learner engagement and learner prerequisites, practice-relevant and transformative learning. And then there is the dystopia, where humans have been reduced to thoughtless, will-less pieces on a board. As Edward O. Wilson puts it: “Paleolithic emotions, medieval institutions and godlike technology.” 

At the same time, we know that much everyday teaching still looks, at least in terms of its setup, like something we have been doing for hundreds of years. So, on the other hand, how likely is it really that this will change dramatically within the next twenty years? 

Which learning technology has recently impressed you? 

It’s a little hard to admit in this forum, but I’m really not much of a tech person. I’m very excited about using AI to create trainable scenarios, to differentiate teaching, and for a variety of things related to transformative learning. But otherwise, even though it’s not new (just updated), Learnlab.net is something I use quite often to create learner activation, and I think it works brilliantly. It’s easy, it’s free. Check, check.

Which book should everyone read?  

“Re-think” by Adam Grant. Firstly, because it has a lot of brilliant examples of reflection-on-practice. Secondly, because it says something about how we can navigate in a world where we otherwise love to see things as polar opposites — where people are either right or wrong and you win or lose.  Thirdly, because it’s really well written — and, in my view, being well written means a smooth ride to read, lots of examples, and, if I’m being completely honest, not too long. I also have 100 niche books that I love. But if you’re going to force EVERYONE to read one, I think Grant is the best choice.

What was your most significant learning experience? 

I find it difficult to point out a single one. But I’ve found it incredibly rewarding to work with the Defence, both nationally and internationally, and to work in Greenland. In their own, but very different ways, both are collectivist cultures. And I find that extremely interesting when working with resilience, learning communities and transformative learning, because there is, in my experience, a stronger sense of an “inner orientation towards the community” — for better and for worse.

 

Which question is asked too rarely when we talk about learning? 

Is this lesson (or the whole curriculum) designed to be “just in time” or “just in case”? 

As educators, we often think in terms of what learners might need to know later.  

But what if we developed the habit of thinking in terms of activities and experiences that put learners in a curious or wondering place? Have we created a “teachable moment”, or have we taken the role of the sage on stage, frontloading the learners with information, hoping it’ll make sense eventually? 

Another question, I think it is important that we ask ourselves on a regular basis, is:  

how do we support the psychological needs of the learner— the need for autonomy, competence and a meaningful community — when we design education?

What would be the title of your autobiography? 

Oh, dear. I’d have to come up with something both meaningful and significant, won’t I? Assuming I don’t care about sales figures. Nec semper arcum tendit Apollo. (“Even Apollo does not always keep his bow drawn.”) Despite being really bad at Latin at school, I love Latin expressions and idioms. And British ones. For example, beggars can’t be choosers. I have no idea what the autobiography would be about, but so far it balances nicely between grandeur and self-deprecation — and I suppose that’s a kind of a starting point too.

What are you looking forward to the most at this year’s OEB?  

I’m looking forward to talking to lots of interesting people and learning something new. OEB is good at experimenting with formats, so I’m looking forward to that too. And not to toot my own horn (but here I go anyway), I’m really looking forward to the plenary keynote panel on Friday morning, chaired by Margaret, where I’ll be joining Dr Helen Beetham and Dr Gregory Fowler for “After the Reset: The Space Between What Was and What We Choose to Become.” I think it’s going to be a really interesting conversation.



Thank you, Annasofie! Annasofie Wædeled-Møller will be speaking at OEB 2026.