Early Childhood Theories and Contemporary Issues: An Introduction PDF
Preview Early Childhood Theories and Contemporary Issues: An Introduction
Early Childhood Theories and Contemporary Issues An Introduction Also available from Bloomsbury Early Childhood Studies: Enhancing Employability and Professional Practice, Ewan Ingleby, Geraldine Oliver and Rita Winstone Good Practice in the Early Years, Edited by Janet Kay Maria Montessori: A Critical Introduction to Key Themes and Debates, Marion O’Donnell Early Childhood Theories and Contemporary Issues An Introduction Mine Conkbayir and Christine Pascal Bloomsbury Academic An imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc 50 Bedford Square 1385 Broadway London New York WC1B 3DP NY 10018 UK USA www.bloomsbury.com Bloomsbury is a registered trade mark of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc First published 2014 © Mine Conkbayir and Christine Pascal, 2014 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publishers. Mine Conkbayir and Christine Pascal have asserted their right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as Authors of this work. No responsibility for loss caused to any individual or organization acting on or refraining from action as a result of the material in this publication can be accepted by Bloomsbury Academic or the authors. British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN: 978-1-7809-3594-2 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress. Typeset by Fakenham Prepress Solutions, Fakenham, Norfolk NR21 8NN For Paul and Delilah Contents Foreword viii Preface ix Acknowledgements xiii List of Tables and Figures xiv 1 An Overview of Theory and Practice in the Early Years 1 2 Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712–78) 9 3 Friedrich Froebel (1782–1852) 21 4 Rachel McMillan (1859–1917) and Margaret McMillan (1860–1931) 31 5 Sigmund Freud (1856–1939) 41 6 John Bowlby (1907–90) 53 7 Jean Piaget (1896–1980) 65 8 Lev Vygotsky (1896–1934) 75 9 Jerome Bruner (1915–) 87 10 Colwyn Trevarthen (1931–) 97 11 Urie Bronfenbrenner (1917–2005) 109 12 Bridging the Gap: Understanding the Use of Neuroscience in the Early Years 123 13 What Next? Reconceptualizing Early Years Education 139 14 Bringing the Theories Alive – How to Undertake Action Research in Your Setting 155 15 Back to the Future: Lessons from the Past into the Present 171 Glossary of Terms 189 Bibliography 195 Index 205 Foreword This book brings theories alive and places them right at the heart of the setting. It can be difficult to make theories immediately accessible to busy staff but this book achieves this not least because of Mine Conkbayir’s combined skill as a writer and experience as a nursery practitioner and tutor and Professor Christine Pascal’s academic credibility. Together they see the importance of practitioners understanding the relevance of theories to better inform high quality practice. They acknowledge that theories are not truths that can apply to every situation but support the use of theories as a helpful way of guiding practitioners to act responsibly and enable learning to take place successfully. Mine is clear that what matters is for practitioners to be able to make informed decisions about how best to respond to the needs of children, their families and the communities in which we work. Written eloquently with many ideas, questions and suggestions, Early Childhood Theories and Contemporary Issues: An Introduction illuminates the salient ideas of traditional theorists and more modern thinkers. The book takes into account the more challenging aspects of embedding learning in the workplace by ensuring questions are built into each chapter to further stimulate debate and dialogue as we work together to ensure practitioners become increasingly more reflective in their work. As CEO of the London Early Years Foundation, I will be delighted to see this book in our nurseries for staff to use as the need takes them. It will also be on our library shelves as a reference book for those staff who are currently making deeper studies including completing their Early Years qualifications. June O’Sullivan mbe, Chief Executive, London Early Years Foundation (LEYF). Preface Having a good grasp of early childhood theories and what these look like in practice can make a positive difference to how you understand babies and children and the ways in which they learn. This book provides early years practi- tioners with easy access to a wide range of theories – both traditional and more recent, which can helpfully address the dilemmas and issues faced by today’s workforce. We have therefore used those theories that we think have a resonance today, as a platform to discuss three key contemporary issues that practitioners grapple with at present. These being: ● Practitioners’ knowledge base concerning development from conception to three. ● Creating inclusive and enabling environments. ● The importance of parents and the home learning environment. These contemporary issues were highlighted by the practitioners as being particularly challenging in terms of providing high quality provision for babies and the under-twos. A range of sub-issues were also identified by the practitioners which we have categorized under each of the three contemporary issues. The final chapter (15) is where it all comes together, because putting your knowledge into action then acts as a catalyst for reflective practice – a vital charac- teristic of professionalism. The work of Donald Schön (1983: 68) on ‘reflection in action’ encompasses the importance of not only seeking new information but allowing oneself to modify existing beliefs and ways of behaving in light of this new information: The practitioner allows herself to experience surprise, puzzlement, or confusion in a situation which she finds uncertain or unique. She reflects on the phenomenon before her, and on the prior understandings which have been implicit in her behaviour. She carries out an experiment which serves to generate both a new understanding of the phenomenon and a change in the situation. We each enter the realm of early years from vastly different cultural, religious and social backgrounds, and hence, bring with us different perspectives about how
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