Early childhood education for tomorrow: Communication, interaction and values Course Code: DSP230_1, Credits: 5 credits Offered by: Faculty of Arts and Education, Department of Early Childhood Education Semester tuition start & duration: Autumn, 1 semester Exam term: Autumn Language of instruction: English Note: The course does not start before autumn 2015. Course staff Eva Marianne Johansson (Course coordinator ) Introduction Early childhood education for tomorrow: Communication, interaction and values is a PhD Course funded by NordForsk, involving a maximum of 20 PhD students. The course deals with values education in Nordic preschools. Values education as a concept refers to educational practice through which children are assumed to learn values. Although a value perspective is embedded in the core curricula and legislation regarding ECEC (Early Childhood Education and Care) in all of the Nordic countries, values education remains one of the most neglected areas. While there is a strong focus on the subject areas and academic learning, there is a tendency to overlook values. The aim of this PhD-course is to deepen understanding of the institutionalized fostering of values according to theory, methodology, and empirical research. Deadlines: A draught paper should be submitted together with the application to the course (by 15th of September 2015). A more developed draught is to be submitted within November 9, 2015. The full paper should be submitted within 2 weeks after the final seminar (December 14th, 2015). Subject teacher(s): Professor Jóhanna Einarsdóttir, University of Iceland PhD, Senior researcher Anna-Maija Puroila, University of Oulu PhD Anette Emilson, Linneus University Professor Stig Broström, Ahrhus University Professor Eila Estola, University of Oulu, page 1
DSP230_1 - Early childhood education for tomorrow: Communication, interaction and... Professor Eva Johansson, University of Stavanger Guest lecturers: Professor Roberth Thornberg, Linköping University Professor Ann-Christine Vallberg Roth Malmö University College Special conditions The course will cover following costs for students accepted: Accommodation (advised and booked by the UiS). Coffee and lunches during course, one dinner Final dinner Learning outcome The course will provide the participants with the following learning outcomes: Knowledge By the end of the course: The students will gain insight and knowledge of theoretical and methodological approaches to research on values education in ECEC. The students should develop insight in and knowledge about research on: - Values communicated on a policy level - Values communicated on an institutional level - Values communicated on a personal level Skills By the end of the course, the students should be able to: Critically value different methodological approaches and perspectives in studies on page 2
values education. General competence By the end of the course, the students will/should be able to: Reflect on ethical issues in research on values education. Content The course contents consists of three areas: a) values connected to society and policy, b) values connected to educational practice including teacher- and child, and child-child interactions c) values connected to gender- and ethnicity dimensions. The draught papers produced by the students before the course will also be discussed, analysed and reviewed and thereby amount to the thematic contents. The intention is to challenge students to examine critically theoretical frames, research and praxis. Teaching methods The course includes both lectures and working seminars with discussions of reading material and student presentations, where active participation is required. The students are also required to deliver draught papers before the course. The papers will be analysed and reviewed by students and teachers in small groups during the course. Different forms of work including lectures, discussions and student presentations. Language will be English. The course is organised in three themes and runs over 5 days from lunch the 1st day to lunch the 5th day. A detailed schedule will be sent to the participants in due time. Required prerequisite knowledge None Exam Wt. Duration Marks Aid Individual paper 1/1 Pass - Fail Evaluation will be based on a student's individual paper of 10-12 A-4 pages/ 4500 words (+/- 10%). The paper will be graded Pass/Fail. Students will be awarded 5 credits for completion of the course. The student's workload is approximately 20 days of work. Open to Available for private candidates: No page 3
DSP230_1 - Early childhood education for tomorrow: Communication, interaction and... Only available to: The course is open to PhD candidates and research fellows within the Educational Sciences and related scientific fields in the Nordic countries. A maximum of 20 participants can join the course. If there are places available, PhD applicants from elsewhere may attend. Course assessment The course participants are encouraged to contribute to the course evaluation. The course evaluation will include a dialog-evaluation and a questionnaire. Literature Literature (604 pages): Bayati. Z. (2012). The Space for Individualism and Solidarity in Swedish Teacher Education. In Eva Johansson & Donna Berthelsen (Eds.) Spaces for Solidarity and Individualism in Educational Contexts, 49-64. GOTHENBURG STUDIES IN EDUCATIONAL SCIENCES 318. Göteborg: Acta universitatis Gothoburgensis. (15) Berkeley, T.R. & Ludlow, B.L. (2008). Ethical dilemmas in rural special education: A call for a conversation about the ethics of practice. Rural Special Education Quarterly, 27(1/2), 1-9. (9) Biesta, G.J.J. (2010). Why What works still won t work: From evidence-based education to value-based education. Studies in Philosophy and Education, 29(5), 491-503. (12) Biesta, G. (2009). Good education in an age of measurement: on the need to reconnect with the question of purpose in education. Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability, 21, 33-46. (13) Bigsten, A (2012). What problems do teachers face when anchoring individualism and solidarity in preschool? I E. Johansson & D. Berthelsen (red.), Spaces for solidarity and individualism in educational contexts 65-82 (Gothenburg Studies in Educational Sciences 318). Göteborg: Göteborgs universitet. (17) Blum. L. (2012). Solidarity, Equality, and Diversity as Educational Values in Western Multi- Ethnic Societies, In Eva Johansson & Donna Berthelsen (Eds.) Spaces for Solidarity and Individualism in Educational Contexts, 33-48. GOTHENBURG STUDIES IN EDUCATIONAL SCIENCES 318. Göteborg: Acta universitatis Gothoburgensis (15) Broström, S. (2006). Care and education: towards a new paradigm in early childhood education. Child & Youth Care Forum.. Vol. 35, nr. 5-6, dec. 2006, p. 391-409. (18) Broström, S. (2012). Children s participation in research. Special issue of International Journal of Early Years Education,Volume 20, Number 3, 1 September 2012, pp. 257-269(13) ID: 715407 DOI:10.1080/09669760.2012.715407 (13) Emilson, A. & Johansson, E. (2009). The Desirable Toddler in Preschool: Communicated Values in Teacher and Child Interactions. In D. Berthelsen, J. Brownlee, & E. Johansson (Red), page 4
Participatory Learning and the Early years. Research and pedagogy. Routledge, Taylor & Frances Group. (26) Emilson, A. & Johansson, E. (in press). Values in Nordic early childhood education democracy and the child s perspective. In Marilyn Fleer & Bert van Oers, International Handbook on Early Childhood Education and Development. Dordrecht, the Netherlands: Springer. (22) Einarsdottir, J., Puroila, A-M., Johansson, E., Broström, S., & Emilson, A. (2014). Democracy, caring, and competence: values perspectives in ECEC curricula in the Nordic countries. International Journal of Early Years Education. DOI: 10.1080/09669760.2014.970521.(18) Einarsdottir, J. (2012). Play and Literacy: A Collaborative Action Research in Preschool. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research 2 17 (15) Estola, E., Farquhar, S. & Puroila, A-M. (2013). Well-being narratives and young children. Educational Philosophy and Theory. Online first. DOI: 10.1080/00131857.2013.785922 (13) Dockett, S., Einarsdottir, J. & Perry, B. (2009). Researching with children: Ethical tensions. Journal of Early Childhood Research, 7 (3), 283-298. (15) Einarsdottir, J. (2014).. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal 22 (5), 679-697 (18) Fugelsnes, K., Röthle, M. & Johansson, E. (2013). Values at Stake in Interplay Between Toddlers and Teachers. In O.F. Lillemyr, S. Dockett, & B. Perry (Eds.) Varied Perspectives on Play and Learning. Theory and Research on Early Years Education (pp.109-126). Charlotte, NC, USA: Information Age Publishing, INC. (17) Halstead, J.M. & Taylor, M.J. (2000). Learning and teaching about values: a review of recent research. Cambridge Journal of Education, 30(2), 169 202. (33) Hansen, D.T. (2004). A poetics of teaching. Educational Theory, 54(2), 119 142. (23) Hellman, A. (2012) Democracy Among Girls and Boys in Preschool: Inclusion and Common Projects. In Eva Johansson & Donna Berthelsen (Eds.) Spaces for Solidarity and Individualism in Educational Contexts, 99-113. GOTHENBURG STUDIES IN EDUCATIONAL SCIENCES 318. Göteborg: Acta universitatis Gothoburgensis (14) Hyry-Beihammer, E-K., Estola, E., & Syrjälä, L. (2012). Issues of responsibility when conducting research in a northern rural school. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 26 (8), 1062-1078. (12) Johansson, E. (2006) Children s morality Perspectives and Research. In B. Spodek & O. Saracho (Eds.). Handbook of Research on the Education Education of Young Children. (pp. 55-83). Mahwah, New Jersey, London: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. (27) Johansson, E. (2007). Morality and Gender Preschool Children s Moral Contracts. In O. N. Saracho & B. Spodek (Eds.), Contemporary Perspectives on socialization and social development in early childhood education, (pp. 267-300). Vol. 7. Charlotte, NC: Information Age publishers. (33) Johansson E. (2009). Doing the right thing. Different life-worlds and similar values in toddler page 5
DSP230_1 - Early childhood education for tomorrow: Communication, interaction and... interactions. In D. Berthelsen, J. Brownlee, & E. Johansson (Eds.), Participatory Learning and the Early Years. Research and pedagogy (pp. 44-60), New York and London Routledge, Taylor & Frances Group. (16) Johansson, E. (2011). Investigating morality in toddler's worlds. In E. Johansson, & J. White, (Eds), Educational research with our youngest: Voices of infants and toddlers (127-140). Dordrecht, Heidelberg, London, New York: Springer Scienc+Buisness media. (13) Kjörholt, A-T. (2011). Rethinking young children s rights for participation in diverse cultural contexts. I M Kernan & E Singer (Eds.), Peer relationships in early childhood education and care (s. 38 48). Oxon: Routledge. (10) Lunn Brownlee J., Johansson E., Cobb-Moore, C., Boulton-Lewis G., Walker, S., & Ailwood J. (2013). Epistemic beliefs and beliefs about teaching practices for moral learning in the early years of school: relationships and complexities. Education 3-13: International Journal of Primary, Elementary and Early Years Education (10). Löfdahl, A. (2010). Who gets to play? Peer groups, power and play in early childhood settings. I L. Brooker & S. Edwards (red.), Engaging Play (s.122 135). London: Open University Press. (13) Löfdahl, A., & Hägglund, A. (2012). Diversity in preschool: Defusing and maintaining differences. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood. 37(1): 119-126. (7) Osgood, J. (2006). Deconstructing professionalism in early childhood education: Resisting the regulatory gaze. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 7(1), 5 14. (9) Puroila, A-M. & Estola, E. (2014). Not babies anymore: Young children s narrative identities in Finnish day care centres. International Journal of Early Childhood, 46(2), 187-203. DOI: 10.1007/s13158-013-0096-z (16) Puroila, A-M., Estola, E. & Syrjälä, L. (2012). Having, loving, and being: Children's narrated wellbeing in Finnish day care centres. Special issue: Early Child Care and Education in Finland. Early Child Development and Care, 182(3 4), 345-362. DOI: 10.1080/03004430.2011.646726 (17). Swanson, D. M. (2010). Value in shadows: A critical contribution to values education in our times. I T. Lovat, R. Toomey & N. Clement (Eds.), International research handbook on values education and student wellbeing (s. 137 152). London: Springer. (15) Taggart, G. (2011). Don't we care?: the ethics and emotional labour of early years professionalism. Early Years: An International Research Journal, 31(1), 85-95. (10) Thomas, L. (2011). New possibilities in thinking, speaking and doing: early childhood teachers professional identity constructions and ethics. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 37(3), 87-95. (13) Thornberg, R. (2008). The lack of professional knowledge in values education. Teaching and Teacher Education, 24(7), 1791 1798. (7) Thornberg, R. (2009). The moral construction of the good pupil embedded in school rules. Education, Citizenship and Social Justice, 4, 245 261. (16) page 6
Thornberg, R. & O uz, E. (2013). Teachers views on values education: A qualitative study in Sweden and Turkey. International Journal of Educational Research, 59, 49 56.(6) Vallberg Roth, Ann-Christine (2014). Nordic Comparative Analysis of Guidelines for Quality and Content in Early Childhood Education. Journal of Nordic Early Childhood Education Research, 8(1), 1-30 (30) page 7