Early childhood education and care regulation: a comparative perspective

Although all industrialized countries regulate early childhood education and care establishaments, regulatory regimes differ substantially. Early childhood education and care regulation is provider-focused in France and Germany, child-focused in Sweden, and facility-focused in the United States. Regulatory enforcement also varies sharply, with France, Germany, and Sweden stressing technical assistance, while the United States stresses compliance. A review of controversies reveals opportunities for cross-national learning and for regulatory reform.     

Creativity: a reaffirmation of its place in early childhood education

At a time when early years educators feel under increasing pressure from the government to adopt more formal approaches to learning, this article sets out to reaffirm the importance of developing each child's creative capacity to the full. The point is made that through the application of creative capacity a vital dimension of human intelligence is demonstrated. It is argued that creative growth is too often hampered by misunderstandings that continue to distort the relationship between creativity and education. Issues that are vital to the development of understanding about the nature of creativity are made explicit and the conditions most likely to promote creative thought and action are identified. In the interest of clarity the term ‘early years’ will be applied to children between the ages of three and eight in diverse educational settings.     

Avoiding sexism in early childhood education

Conclusion Television, other media, and adults in their daily interactions give children cues about what's appropriate for girls and for boys. It is the daily, continual combination of these events, occurring without thought of the hidden messages they convey to children, which creates an environment organized around sex roles. The message to all of us who work with young children is clear: Provide equal access of space and materials to every child; expect children to engage in all kinds of activities regardless of sex; expect children to exhibit a full range of behavior and reinforce them without regard to sex; and, finally, “liberate” the teacher's role by providing equal access and choices to adults and expecting a full range of responses from men and women alike. Above all, we must recognize that the maintenance of sexist environments and practices prevents every one of us from realizing his or her fullest potential.     

Child-initiated activity: Its importance in early childhood education

The teacher is discussing the activities of the day with a group of fifteen four-year-olds. She explains that first the total group will go to the art area and then to the science demonstration. Then the children will have a snack and go outside. When she is finished talking, all of the children get up and move to the art tables.Janis R. Bullock is Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Education, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT.     

Challenging partnerships in Australian early childhood education

Partnerships that form to advance early childhood education are influenced by history and purpose. They are enacted in diverse social, cultural, economic, geographic and educational contexts. Using the theme of ‘strong and equal partnership’ between family and school, and taking a theoretical standpoint that values social cohesion and the agency of the child, this paper investigates ways in which partnership developed in three different Australian contexts. Particular early childhood programs in Queensland and Western Australia, and a literacy support program in New South Wales fostered education partnerships between parents and teachers, and among professionals, as a key component of effective curriculum. The prevailing management approaches and conceptions of power in the contexts enabled partnerships to be enacted in different ways. Reflection on the program management of curriculum work may be valuable in settings where players are working to achieve a cohesive approach to early education, especially an approach that foregrounds the agency of the child.     

Situating ICT in early childhood teacher education

Education and Information Technologies - Preparing the next generation of preschool teachers who can integrate and make use of ICT to capitalise on and develop young children’s digital...     

文化学习与幼儿教育

幼儿应该学什么?什么时候开始学?如何才能学得好?我怎样才能知道我已经回答了上述三个问题?第一个问题主要是关于课程的目标与目的,第二个问题是关于如何看待儿童长远发展问题,第三个问题是关于如何贯彻课程计划,第四个问题是关于评估。这四个问题是所有打算制定幼儿教育课程的人必须回答的。本文对这四个问题作了初步讨论。     

浅谈幼儿家庭劳动教育

家庭劳动教育是幼儿教育不可或缺而又极易被忽视的重要组成部分,本文根据现实生活、工作及学习中了解到的情况,结合部分学者的研究,提出广大幼儿家长和幼教从事者在幼儿家庭劳动教育中应注意的问题,对正确劳动教育观念养成、使用正确的劳动教育方法等方面进行简单思考并提出若干建议。     

Out of Place: Economic imperialisms in early childhood education

New Zealand has received world-wide accolades for its Early Childhood Education (ECE) curriculum, Te Whāriki. This paper explores the tension between economic imperialism, and a curriculum acknowledged as visionary. The foundational ideas of Te Whāriki emanate from sociocultural and anti-racist pedagogies. However, its implementation is hampered by the overarching policy discourse of Human Capital Theory (HCT), with its instrumental emphasis on economic outcomes. While Te Whāriki offers local cultural and educational possibilities, HCT is presented by those espousing economic disciplines, as having universal application. These tensions, largely unacknowledged and unexplored, place ECE teachers in positions of difficulty. While trying to meet aspirational curriculum goals in their daily practices, teachers’ attempts are constrained by supranational economic discourses. I ask how Edward Said’s (1999, Out of place: A memoir, New York, Knopf) concept of contrapuntal readings can offer spaces for resistance to the dominance of economics.     

The new Turkish early childhood teacher education curriculum: a brief outlook

This article aims to describe and reflect on the new early childhood teacher education curriculum in Turkey. The new curriculum is part of a large-scale reform agenda to improve education at all levels. The article begins with a brief history of early childhood education and early childhood teacher education in Turkey. Then, the needs for the curriculum revision and major characteristics of the revised curriculum are discussed. The article concludes with brief discussion about the innovations and suggestions for future research dealing with the implementation and effectiveness of the revised curriculum     

儿童早期教育价值——基于心理学视角

早期教育是人生教育、终身教育的起点。早期教育对一个人以后的习惯、道德、能力有着深远的影响,对早期教育价值的科学探讨和研究已成为教育研究的重要领域。本文试从心理学角度分析早期教育对儿童的价值,以及如何正确应用早期教育理念。     

Socially constructed learning in early childhood science education

This paper outlines the findings of a study in which the concept of electricity was introduced to young children in a child care centre. Three areas were examined: first, the perceived difficulties associated with the teaching of science to very young children (3–5 year olds); second, a discussion of the approach used to teach electricity to young children, and finally, the study and its findings. When the teaching of electricity (through a unit on torches) followed a socially constructed approach to learning, all of the children were able to connect up a simple electric circuit and talk about the electricity flowing around the circuit. Specialization: early childhood science education.     

Continuity in early childhood education: transition from pre-school to school

Entrance to Primary School seems to be one of the most difficult and important changes in early childhood education. In this study it is examined the extent to which the differences between home or nursery school and primary school may cause difficulties to children in their psychological adjustment to the first grade of schooling. It is also investigated to see if some pedagogical strategies can make smoother the child's transition to school. The research was conducted in Greece during the period 1992–1993. Subjects were 75 nursery teachers, 566 first grade primary school teachers and 566 parents with first grade children. All subjects completed a questionnaire in which they evaluated the differences between home and primary school and between nursery school and primary school, as well as some pedagogical strategies. The results are presented in the tables I-IV. It seems that the differences between the environment in which the child lives before school and the primary school environment are so different that entrance to school is problematic for the child's adjustment. Some pedagogical strategies, however, may make smoother the children's passing from pre-school to school.     

Artefacts and utilization schemes in mathematics teacher education: place value in early childhood education

In this article, I discuss a case of pre-primary and primary school teacher education concerning place value in number representation. In primary school (in Italy, in grades 1 and 2), the topic is usually introduced by means of manipulatives (for instance, abaci and base ten blocks). But it is well known that no artefact is transparent for mathematical meaning, unless the social practices of the mathematics classroom, initiated by the teacher, are effective. The aim of this study is to report on tasks given in a four-session (16 h) workshop for 27 prospective pre-primary and primary school teachers, where the use of artefacts in learning place value in base ten was tackled, within a suitable theoretical framework. Different sessions of the workshop are analysed, focusing on tasks related to different components of mathematics knowledge for teaching. Effectiveness for professional growth is reported, quoting documents written by students and by external evaluators. In a final paragraph, the implication for pre-primary school teacher education is addressed.