The identity of the teacher-researcher in an early childhood classroom is complex, weighed down w... more The identity of the teacher-researcher in an early childhood classroom is complex, weighed down with social and cultural perceptions regarding academic research and the education of young children. Certain levels of education, such as a bachelor’s or master’s degree, are considered ‘appropriate ’ and are valued in early childhood educators. However, the degree of doctorate is not considered ‘appropriate ’ for a teacher of early childhood, and the desire to remain in the classroom while holding this degree is often met with surprise and disapproval. What does this mean in terms of our attitudes toward early education? Do some students warrant a teacher with a doctorate while others do not? This narrative inquiry examines one ‘over-educated ’ teacher’s experience of situating herself within the preschool classroom as both teacher and researcher, both insider and outsider. Triumph and Guilt: the interview I sit in the cool of the school office clutching the phone and trying to act nonc...
What does it mean to be an early childhood teacher in a time of pandemic? Which stories remain co... more What does it mean to be an early childhood teacher in a time of pandemic? Which stories remain constant in our profession and which are lost to the hand of physical distance? This narrative inquiry explores the persistent role of story in the creation of the body of the classroom community, and the sustaining of a practice of an early childhood teacher. Through narratives, one teacher explores the stories emerging in her classroom in the fall of 2020, and how, through narrative, community both evolves and retains the pervasive stories of early childhood.
What does it mean to engage in transformational learning with young children? In a time when “tec... more What does it mean to engage in transformational learning with young children? In a time when “technology” is hallowed as all-important, how do we frame young children as empowered, critical thinkers around technologies, instead of just consumers? This article looks closely at a child-centered, emergent curricular process within an early childhood classroom. Framing the “having of ideas” as the essential technology in children’s lives, a teacher chronicles and analyzes children’s idea-having process and the pedagogies around it. Focusing on children’s talk, questioning, critique, and negotiation, this article shifts away from notions of traditional technologies, looking closely at the transformational learning inherent in children’s collective having-of-ideas.
Rethinking Readiness in Early Childhood Education, 2015
What does it mean to be “ready” for kindergarten? How are we preparing children to bring their st... more What does it mean to be “ready” for kindergarten? How are we preparing children to bring their strongest possible selves into the kindergarten classroom? What lasting experiences will they take from preschool to help t hem navigate their transition to kindergarten? These are compelling questions for concerned preschool educators who seek philosophies of education and “preparation” for their students that will best support their future educational experiences. Given the current shift toward an increasingly academic focus in kindergarten classrooms (Hatch, 2002), the discontinuities between play-based, emergent preschool classrooms and many of the kindergartens that receive their graduates have become more pronounced in recent years. Despite ample evidence to support emergent approaches to teaching and learning at the preschool level (Diamond, 2010; Gopnik, 2005), there is also increasing pressure on young children in kindergarten classrooms to meet the expectations imposed by a more academic curriculum (Bodrova, 2008; Diamond, 2010).
The authors used qualitative case study methodology to explore parents' perceptions of their chil... more The authors used qualitative case study methodology to explore parents' perceptions of their children's readiness for kindergarten. The authors interviewed parents, focusing on their children's experiences during their transition from a child-centered, play-based preschool setting guided by an emergent curriculum into a range of diverse kindergarten environments. Using data from parent interviews at the end of the children's kindergarten year and from the children's formative preschool assessments ("developmental stories"), the authors focused on six children's experiences of transition to kindergarten. Findings suggest that habits of mind developed during the preschool experience figured prominently in the children's transition processes into a variety of kindergarten settings, enabling them to successfully navigate their new, more structured environments.
Abstract This collaborative classroom research study examines the ways in which preschoolers made... more Abstract This collaborative classroom research study examines the ways in which preschoolers made sense of same-sex marriage through a critical reading of the book King and King by De Haan and Nijland. Acknowledging the importance of community in doing critical and political work, this article details the ways in which a preschool teacher and a group of four-year-olds collectively problematized and expanded narrow and exclusive definitions of marriage. Through their words and actions, these preschoolers invite readers to reconsider the centrality of lesbian and gay issues in the early childhood curriculum. Building on work that posits that lesbian and gay issues are an elementary school issue, this article proposes that they are an early childhood issue as well. Weaving reflection and description and theorizing from practice, this article seeks to shed light on the power and possibility of engaging in work that leads to inclusive understandings of marriage with young children in early childhood classrooms. Why? Because, as a four-year-old stated, ‘That’s fair and that’s how it works.’
The concept of social justice and critical thinking are prevalent topics in conversations about e... more The concept of social justice and critical thinking are prevalent topics in conversations about early childhood education. Usually, critical conversations around these practices tend to involve academics in discussion rather than include practitioners. In today’s world, young children are frequently confronted with the realities of violence and tragedy. It is through critical pedagogy in critical-thinking classroom communities that children are able to develop empowered, thoughtful, agentive perspectives on these experiences that shape their lives. This article addresses an important intersection in social justice in early childhood: a critical perspective from the stance of a practitioner. As a preschool teacher, the author situates herself as a critical participant in the practice of social justice and critical awareness in her classroom as she and her students work to make sense of the Boston Marathon bombings. The author examines the dimensions of this practice, addressing not j...
This study addresses the role of artistic practice as it exists in the lives of young children. V... more This study addresses the role of artistic practice as it exists in the lives of young children. Viewing children as unified learners (Dewey, 1902; Franklin, 1994), the role of artistic practice is reconceptualized as a tool which children employ fluidly throughout their daily experiences, rather than as belonging to a discreet subject. The artistic practices of a group of 30
This article addresses the practices of multiculturalism and social justice as they are explored ... more This article addresses the practices of multiculturalism and social justice as they are explored by an early childhood classroom. In response to the school requirement of participation in the Martin Luther King assembly, the children and their teachers seek to create a meaningful contribution reflective of the children’s voices and conceptions of justice and equality. The article examines classroom practices as children and teachers co-construct meaning around multiculturalism in early childhood. Through classroom research and discussion, the children develop their own concepts around these issues, finding meaningful ways to share their knowledge with the larger school community.
The identity of the teacher-researcher in an early childhood classroom is complex, weighed down w... more The identity of the teacher-researcher in an early childhood classroom is complex, weighed down with social and cultural perceptions regarding academic research and the education of young children. Certain levels of education, such as a bachelor’s or master’s degree, are considered ‘appropriate ’ and are valued in early childhood educators. However, the degree of doctorate is not considered ‘appropriate ’ for a teacher of early childhood, and the desire to remain in the classroom while holding this degree is often met with surprise and disapproval. What does this mean in terms of our attitudes toward early education? Do some students warrant a teacher with a doctorate while others do not? This narrative inquiry examines one ‘over-educated ’ teacher’s experience of situating herself within the preschool classroom as both teacher and researcher, both insider and outsider. Triumph and Guilt: the interview I sit in the cool of the school office clutching the phone and trying to act nonc...
What does it mean to be an early childhood teacher in a time of pandemic? Which stories remain co... more What does it mean to be an early childhood teacher in a time of pandemic? Which stories remain constant in our profession and which are lost to the hand of physical distance? This narrative inquiry explores the persistent role of story in the creation of the body of the classroom community, and the sustaining of a practice of an early childhood teacher. Through narratives, one teacher explores the stories emerging in her classroom in the fall of 2020, and how, through narrative, community both evolves and retains the pervasive stories of early childhood.
What does it mean to engage in transformational learning with young children? In a time when “tec... more What does it mean to engage in transformational learning with young children? In a time when “technology” is hallowed as all-important, how do we frame young children as empowered, critical thinkers around technologies, instead of just consumers? This article looks closely at a child-centered, emergent curricular process within an early childhood classroom. Framing the “having of ideas” as the essential technology in children’s lives, a teacher chronicles and analyzes children’s idea-having process and the pedagogies around it. Focusing on children’s talk, questioning, critique, and negotiation, this article shifts away from notions of traditional technologies, looking closely at the transformational learning inherent in children’s collective having-of-ideas.
Rethinking Readiness in Early Childhood Education, 2015
What does it mean to be “ready” for kindergarten? How are we preparing children to bring their st... more What does it mean to be “ready” for kindergarten? How are we preparing children to bring their strongest possible selves into the kindergarten classroom? What lasting experiences will they take from preschool to help t hem navigate their transition to kindergarten? These are compelling questions for concerned preschool educators who seek philosophies of education and “preparation” for their students that will best support their future educational experiences. Given the current shift toward an increasingly academic focus in kindergarten classrooms (Hatch, 2002), the discontinuities between play-based, emergent preschool classrooms and many of the kindergartens that receive their graduates have become more pronounced in recent years. Despite ample evidence to support emergent approaches to teaching and learning at the preschool level (Diamond, 2010; Gopnik, 2005), there is also increasing pressure on young children in kindergarten classrooms to meet the expectations imposed by a more academic curriculum (Bodrova, 2008; Diamond, 2010).
The authors used qualitative case study methodology to explore parents' perceptions of their chil... more The authors used qualitative case study methodology to explore parents' perceptions of their children's readiness for kindergarten. The authors interviewed parents, focusing on their children's experiences during their transition from a child-centered, play-based preschool setting guided by an emergent curriculum into a range of diverse kindergarten environments. Using data from parent interviews at the end of the children's kindergarten year and from the children's formative preschool assessments ("developmental stories"), the authors focused on six children's experiences of transition to kindergarten. Findings suggest that habits of mind developed during the preschool experience figured prominently in the children's transition processes into a variety of kindergarten settings, enabling them to successfully navigate their new, more structured environments.
Abstract This collaborative classroom research study examines the ways in which preschoolers made... more Abstract This collaborative classroom research study examines the ways in which preschoolers made sense of same-sex marriage through a critical reading of the book King and King by De Haan and Nijland. Acknowledging the importance of community in doing critical and political work, this article details the ways in which a preschool teacher and a group of four-year-olds collectively problematized and expanded narrow and exclusive definitions of marriage. Through their words and actions, these preschoolers invite readers to reconsider the centrality of lesbian and gay issues in the early childhood curriculum. Building on work that posits that lesbian and gay issues are an elementary school issue, this article proposes that they are an early childhood issue as well. Weaving reflection and description and theorizing from practice, this article seeks to shed light on the power and possibility of engaging in work that leads to inclusive understandings of marriage with young children in early childhood classrooms. Why? Because, as a four-year-old stated, ‘That’s fair and that’s how it works.’
The concept of social justice and critical thinking are prevalent topics in conversations about e... more The concept of social justice and critical thinking are prevalent topics in conversations about early childhood education. Usually, critical conversations around these practices tend to involve academics in discussion rather than include practitioners. In today’s world, young children are frequently confronted with the realities of violence and tragedy. It is through critical pedagogy in critical-thinking classroom communities that children are able to develop empowered, thoughtful, agentive perspectives on these experiences that shape their lives. This article addresses an important intersection in social justice in early childhood: a critical perspective from the stance of a practitioner. As a preschool teacher, the author situates herself as a critical participant in the practice of social justice and critical awareness in her classroom as she and her students work to make sense of the Boston Marathon bombings. The author examines the dimensions of this practice, addressing not j...
This study addresses the role of artistic practice as it exists in the lives of young children. V... more This study addresses the role of artistic practice as it exists in the lives of young children. Viewing children as unified learners (Dewey, 1902; Franklin, 1994), the role of artistic practice is reconceptualized as a tool which children employ fluidly throughout their daily experiences, rather than as belonging to a discreet subject. The artistic practices of a group of 30
This article addresses the practices of multiculturalism and social justice as they are explored ... more This article addresses the practices of multiculturalism and social justice as they are explored by an early childhood classroom. In response to the school requirement of participation in the Martin Luther King assembly, the children and their teachers seek to create a meaningful contribution reflective of the children’s voices and conceptions of justice and equality. The article examines classroom practices as children and teachers co-construct meaning around multiculturalism in early childhood. Through classroom research and discussion, the children develop their own concepts around these issues, finding meaningful ways to share their knowledge with the larger school community.
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