International Perspectives on Early Childhood Education and Care

306 Pages·2013·16.076 MB·English

by  Jan Georgeson, Jane Payler

InternatIonal PersPectIves on
early chIldhood educatIon and care

“The book rightly challenges common assumptions about the value of Western
perspectives of ECEC and skilfully enables the reader to recognize the various
social, political and economic drivers and processes that have shaped early
years pedagogy on a global level.”
Dr Janet Rose, Early Years Education Award Leader, Bath Spa University, UK
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“Given the ever increasing interest and importance of global early childhood t
education and care, this critically informed book offers valuable and der
challenging internationalised comparative arguments for students and n
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academics at all levels.” t
Dr Guy Roberts-Holmes, Senior Lecturer, Early Years and Primary Education Department, Io
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University of London, UK n
a
al
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there is a growing interest in understanding how early years care and education is ter
organized and experienced internationally. This book examines key influential approaches s
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to early years care as well as some less well-known systems from around the world. In Ie
c
o
particular the book aims to: t
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• Inform those studying early years about perspectives in other countries e InternatIonal Pers PectIves on
ns

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• Encourage critical thinking about issues, influences and the complexities of early
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years provision around the world ae early chIldhood
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• Promote critical reflection on students’ own provision and the current context of
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that provision l
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Each chapter provides an overview of early years provision and explores historical and
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current influences in context, as well as offering insights into daily life through short h
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vignettes, longer case studies and commentary from practitioners. I
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Whilst many approaches – such as Reggio Emilia, Te Whariki and Head Start – are a
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widely admired, it is important for reflective practitioners to understand the motivation
which gave rise to these influential approaches in their original context. Additionally, ro
o c a r e
broadening understanding through information on less widely known systems, the book
provides students with a good grounding in the international context of early years, the ed a n d
provenance of different early years approaches and principles, and the influences on their
own countries’ provision.
Written in a straightforward and accessible style, the book is designed to meet the
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needs of students studying modules related to international perspectives on a range of &n
foundation, bachelor and master’s degrees in early years. Ja Ge
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Jan Georgeson is research Fellow at Plymouth University, UK. PayrGed b
Jane Payler is senior lecturer in early Years at the University of Winchester, UK. leresoy
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edIted by Jan GeorGeson & Jane Payler
International Perspectives on Early
Childhood Education and Care
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International
Perspectives on
Early Childhood
Education
and Care
Edited by Jan Georgeson and Jane Payler
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Open University Press
McGraw-Hill Education
McGraw-Hill House
Shoppenhangers Road
Maidenhead
Berkshire
England
SL6 2QL
email: [email protected]
world wide web: www.openup.co.uk
and Two Penn Plaza, New York, NY 10121-2289, USA
First published 2013
Copyright © Jan Georgeson and Jane Payler 2013
All rights reserved. Except for the quotation of short passages for the purposes of criticism
and review, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording
or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher or a licence from the
Copyright Licensing Agency Limited. Details of such licences (for reprographic reproduction)
may be obtained from the Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd of Saffron House, 6–10 Kirby
Street, London, EC1N 8TS.
A catalogue record of this book is available from the British Library
ISBN-13: 978-0-33-524591-8
ISBN-10: 0-33-524591-9
e-ISBN: 978-0-33-524592-5
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
CIP data applied for
Typeset by Aptara, Inc.
Printed in Great Britain by CPI Antony Rowe, Chippenham, Wiltshire.
Fictitious names of companies, products, people, characters and/or data that may be used
herein (in case studies or in examples) are not intended to represent any real individual,
company, product or event.
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Contents
List of figures viii
List of tables ix
Contributors x
Acknowledgements xvi
PART 1
Setting the scene
1 The importance of international perspectives 3
JAn GeoRGeson, JAne PAyleR And VeRiTy CAmPbell-bARR
2 Widening awareness of international approaches: an imperative
for twenty-first-century early years practitioners? 9
VAleRie HuGGins
3 International recognition of children’s rights and its influence on early
childhood education and care: the case of Zambia 18
JuliA moRGAn
PART 2
How approaches have developed
4 Embedding early childhood education and care in the socio-cultural
context: the case of Italy 31
FedeRiCA CARuso
5 The new face of early childhood in the United States 42
nAnCy mcdeRmoTT
6 A critique of euro-centric perspectives on early childhood education
and care in the Gambia 53
RebeCCA CARTeR dillon
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vi ContEnts
7 Estonia: socio-historic and political influences on the early childhood
education and care system 64
KeRsTin KööP
8 Early childhood education in Norway and Sweden today: education for
democracy 76
elin ødeGAARd
PART 3
Workforce issues
9 South Africa: who are the early years practitioners and
where do they work? 93
HAsinA bAnu ebRAHim
10 The quest for quality early childhood education and care: leadership in
a changing political context in England and Hong Kong 103
VeRiTy CAmPbell-bARR, CARoline leeson And doRA Ho
11 India: early childhood educators in changing patterns of early childhood
education and care 114
CHAndRiKA deVARAKondA
12 Early childhood education and care in the Czech Republic: recent
developments within a changing society 125
PHiliP selbie And AlenA dRžAloVá
PART 4
Putting it into practice: curriculum and pedagogy
13 Day to day in Italian preschools: environments for learning
and development 141
PAolo soRzio
14 A day in the life of a New Zealand kindergarten teacher:
a curriculum of open possibilities 152
CARmen dAlli
15 HighScope today: pedagogy for learning and development 165
beTH mARsHAll
16 China: pedagogy today and the move towards creativity 179
KeAnG-ienG (PeGGy) VonG
17 Canada: developing an ethical pedagogy and curriculum 190
Anne HunT
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ContEnts vii
18 Diverse theories for diverse learners? The Australian early years
learning framework 204
JoCe nuTTAll And susAn edWARds
19 Using Leuven observation and assessment tools to investigate
outdoor provision 216
Annie dAVy
20 Hungary: kindergarten as a public education institution 229
ÉVA KoVáCsnÉ bAKosi (TRAnslATed by zsuzsA meGyesinÉ VARGA)
21 The Japanese view of nature and its implications for the teaching
of science in the early childhood years 243
mAnAbu sumidA
22 Early childhood education and care in the UK: piecemeal development
through philanthropy, propagation, pluralism, and pragmatism 257
JAne PAyleR, JAn GeoRGeson And KARen WiCKeTT
Subject Index 275
Author Index 283
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figures
9.1 An ECD centre reaching out to households 95
12.1 A kindergarten’s education plan is guided by statutory
frameworks in its development of key competencies 131
12.2 Example of a daily programme for preschool children
aged 5–6 years 132
12.3 Sleep and rest during the early afternoon is an important
part of the daily routine 133
15.1 The HighScope Preschool Wheel of Learning 168
15.2 HighScope greeting time 173
16.1 Children dress up for dramatic play 184
18.1 Relationships between Principles, Practices, and
Learning Outcomes in the EYLF, leading to sub-outcomes
and descriptors for Learning Outcome 2 207
19.1 Learning through Landscapes cycle of change 219
19.2 The SICS Scale for Well-being 220
19.3 The SICS Scale for Involvement 221
20.1 System of playful activities 234
20.2 Sample project plan (competence-based teaching and
learning project in Hajdú-Bihar county) 240
21.1 Japanese and Western Language-Culture (L-C) modes
of understanding nature 249
21.2 Multiple and integrated learning through the
Ladybird activities 254
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tables
8.1 Concepts of democracy in Norwegian and Swedish ECEC 84
11.1 Coverage under various ECEC initiatives 118
15.1 HighScope Preschool Curriculum content: key
developmental indicators 170
18.1 Relationship between EYLF principles and
theoretical perspectives 209
21.1 ‘Desired experiences’ in the content field ‘Nature’: National
Course of Study for Japanese Kindergarten, 1956 246
21.2 Aims, elements, and means of addressing the elements
of the content field ‘Environment’: National Course of
Study for Japanese Kindergarten, 1989 247
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