Description
Book SynopsisDiverse international perspectives on the ways in which young childrenâs learning and care may be supported converge in this book. Traversing the field of early childhood education and care from its established philosophical underpinnings to 21st century research, policies, and practices, the contributions to this volume draw together past and present discourses as a basis for shaping future trajectories.
In spite of a growing international consensus on the strong influence of early childhood experiences on lifetime outcomes, the nineteen chapters reveal contemporary early childhood pedagogy as a collection of spaces characterised by plurality, complexity, and dissonance. These characteristics signal the importance of recognising early childhood pedagogies: multiple models of practice for the many diverse learning and care contexts that have the capacity to value young children as individuals and enable each to flourish now and throughout their lives. Moreover, such characteristics disrupt notions that a single âoptimalâ early childhood pedagogy is either possible or desirable.
This exciting global collection of empirical research reports and discursive papers provides inspiration to spark new reflections, fresh debates, and innovative endeavours among early childhood students, practitioners, researchers, and policymakers around the world. This book was originally published as a special issue of Early Child Development and Care.
Table of Contents1. Early childhood pedagogies: spaces for young children to flourish 2. Who cares? Infant educators’ responses to professional discourses of care 3. Maternal thinking and beyond: towards a care-full pedagogy for early childhood 4. Pedagogy with babies: perspectives of eight nursery managers 5. Proximity with under two-year-olds in early childhood education: a silent pedagogical encounter 6. Pedagogical positioning in play – teachers being inside and outside of children’s imaginary play 7. Child-initiated pedagogies in Finland, Estonia and England: exploring young children’s views on decisions 8. Children’s agentive orientations in play-based and academically focused preschools in Hong Kong 9. Estonian preschool teachers’ aspirations for curricular autonomy – the gap between an ideal and professional practice 10. Can we have an international approach to child-centred early childhood practice? 11. Developmentally universal practice: visioning innovative early childhood pedagogy for meeting the needs of diverse learners 12. An international perspective on value learning in the kindergarten – exemplified by the value forgiveness 13. Integrating praxeology: engaging early childhood students in service-learning pedagogy 14. Being a tour guide or travel companion on the children’s knowledge journey 15. Family pedagogy: parent–child interaction in shared book reading 16. Age group, location or pedagogue: factors affecting parental choice of kindergartens in Hungary 17. ‘Pedagogic Strategies’: a conceptual framework for effective parent and practitioner strategies when working with children under five 18. Preschool teachers’ perceptions of children’s rough-and-tumble play (R&T) in indoor and outdoor environments 19. Outdoor play in preschools in England and South Korea: learning from polyvocal methods
