There is a convincing body of empirical evidence supporting the benefits of trust. A number of recent publications have paid a great deal of attention to possible negative consequences of the trusting process, but there has been little interdisciplinary focus on the potentially unconstructive aspects of the trusting process between learners and teaching authorities. The authors argue here that unmonitored student trust in a teacher's expertise in the context of higher education might sabotage the use and development of higher cognitive skills (for example, the ability for critical thinking), and that the direct consequence of this is a further amplification of the existing asymmetrical distribution of power which exists between students and teaching stuff. In the first part of the article, the authors briefly review the literature on trust and specifically focus on contributions emphasizing its potentially negative consequences. In the second part, the authors present arguments which support the idea that excessive trust limits students' abilities to think critically. The limitations of the present analysis are discussed and areas of potential future research on this topic are outlined. The article concludes by stating that there are sufficient grounds to pursue this idea further in terms of theoretical and empirical research.

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The phenomenon of silence as a communication is explored in the dialogue between patient and therapist. The focus is on examining silence in the context within which it occurs, providing the opportunity to understand its variations while keeping in mind that the therapist's own awareness of the meanings is also part of what must be considered. Our aim is to highlight some different meanings and functions that silence can play in the psychotherapeutic relationship, from the perspectives of both the patient and therapist. In the closing section, we not only reflect on the more frightening aspects of silence, but also remind the reader that silence has the potential to help individuals reorient their lives, and that shared silence can function as a gateway for healing.

The analysis is based on some moral experiences taking place during a terrorist attack on the Norwegian Labor Party's youth camp on the island of Utøya (outside of Oslo) July 22, 2011, where 69 young people were killed and several seriously injured. After the attack many of the survivors told stories of how strangers spontaneous had helped and cared for each other. In the midst of the horror there occurred sudden ''moments of goodness'' or ''points of light'' that revealed hope for the persons involved, as well as for the society. The article examines these spontaneous moral practices in light of moral educational theory, as well as discusses the terrorists own way of thinking and acting. The spontaneous practices point toward another basis for a moral approach then a cognitive development tradition. The importance of community is underlined, as well as an interpersonal dimension. In the last section the fostering of moral and ethical thinking and acting is discussed in light of general education and the three functions of education proposed by Biesta (Beyond learning: democratic education for a human future. Paradigm Publishers, Boulder, 2010). It is suggested that moral education could contribute something to all of the three dimensions but based on the experiences from Utøya, there will be a particular emphasis on the subjectification function of education.

The transitions between the statuses of pupil, student teacher and professional teacher remain some of the most fundamental challenges for student teachers. Teacher education programs emphasize that students should become equipped with competences to cope with change and adhere to career-long learning. In this study, we make use of inquiry-based learning (IBL) and qualitative data collected from student teachers at three different departments at a university in Norway to investigate how student teachers reflect on these transitions. The findings suggest the need to assist the students in engaging in a dialogue between theory and practice in relation to these transitions, and that IBL cannot be developed hermetically at the university without a close dialogue with the practice field.

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In this article we wish to discuss different normative dilemmas that teachers and psychotherapists meet in their work with the student and the patient. We argue that crucial for a good practice is not the actual choice between normativity and freedom, between generalized or authorized standards and individual dialogue. Rather it is the professional’s continuous reflection on the form and quality of the interactions with the pupil and the patient, and the preservation of the balance between personal ethos and professional responsibilities that best safeguard respect for the other's autonomy and self-determination. By illustrating psychotherapeutic malpractice and systematic mistreatment of children in the name of education, we wish to remind the reader that official governmental authorization of the professions pedagogy and psychology/psychotherapy is not automatically a guarantee for high professional standards or for the best possible teaching and psychotherapy.