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- Klaar, Susanne, 1964-
(författare)
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A democratic approach on inclusive learning environment in Swedish preschools : What counts, and who counts?
- 2019
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim is to understand more about inclusive learning environments in preschool. This is done by investigating how different aspects of democracy become visible in teacher's talk about inclusive learning environments, and by discussing possible consequences for children's meaning making. UNESCO (2009:10) states that inclusive "education for all" has to be linked to learners' needs and be relevant for their diverse lives. In similar ways there is a large emphasis on democracy and equality in the curriculum for Swedish preschools (Pramling Samuelsson, Sheridan and Williams 2006:26). However, this inclusive approach on education highlights a complex dilemma between education as compensatory and education as participatory (Nilholm 2006:30). The use of democracy is based on three characteristic aspects of democracy in Swedish preschool education; i) support autonomy, ii) develop solidarity, iii) socialise to institutional norms (Klaar and Öhman 2014). The methodology is based on pragmatic curriculum theory and selective traditions (Öhman 2006, Svennbeck 2004). Walk-and-talk interviews (Klerfelt 2016) have been conducted with four different preschool teachers in four different preschools, and their utterances have been qualitatively analysed. Ethical approval was sought from the preschool teachers and the interviews were conducted when no children were present. The analysing process is still in progress but one preliminary result shows a tension between supporting autonomy and developing solidarity that differ depending on preschool location and current group of children. With a large focus on the autonomy aspect of democracy there is a possibility that the solidary aspect of democracy is left in the background
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| 2. |
- Klaar, Susanne, 1964-
(författare)
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A practice-oriented development of a didactical tool for observation, documentation and reflection in preschool
- 2017
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim is to contribute to the field of pedagogical documentation in preschool by developing a theory-based didactical tool for practice-oriented reflections on teaching and possibilities to learn. The Swedish preschool curriculum (Lpfö98/2016)highlights preschool teachers' responsibility to observe and analyse children's development and learning in order to develop the preschool practice. Despite this, former research shows that preschool teachers often observe and estimate children individual maturity and development, and do not include a critical review, or a focus on the development of practice (VallbergRoth 2012, Eidevald 2013, Formosinho & Formosinho 2015). As a result of this criticism, there is a demand for ways to observe, document, and reflect that highlight possibilities for learning from a practice-oriented perspective (Eidevald 2013). The theoretical starting point is John Dewey's transactional perspective (Dewey & Bentley 1949/1991), where learning can be described as undertaking actions and experiencing their consequences, changing actions and experiencing potentially new consequences. We will work together with teachers from two different preschools using a method based on ParticipationAction Research (Herr & Anderson 2005, McIntyre 2008, and Reason & Bradbury 2009). Ethical approval has been sought from the preschool teachers, and will be sought from the parents. The research project is in progress but results will be discussed as e.g. differences between preschools, and questions about diversity and multiculturalism in documenting processes. The ambition is, from a practice-oriented perspective, to deepen critical reflections about children's learning and the learning possibilities offered by preschools.
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| 3. |
- Klaar, Susanne, 1964-, et al.
(författare)
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Action with friction : a transactional approach to toddlers’ physical meaning making of natural phenomena and processes in preschool
- 2012
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Ingår i: European Early Childhood Education Research Journal. - Oxfordshire, United Kingdom : Taylor & Francis. - 1350-293X .- 1752-1807. ; 20:3, s. 439-454
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Research into preschool education has paid a lot of attention to investigating children’s conceptual development and cognitive learning aboutnature, with methods based on observations and verbal interviews before and after a teaching period. The purpose of this study has been to present and illustrate an approach that facilitates the analysis of practical meaning making in Early Childhood Education. The study is largely based on John Dewey’s pragmatism and has a particular focus on his use of transaction, functional coordination, inquiry, educative experience and nature. In this context meaning making is understood as the growing, learning process that contributes to further actions in extended ways. A transactional approach to physical experiences, with a focus on analyses of toddlers’ bodily actions in nature encounters, is illustrated by a video recording of a toddler’s encounter with icy and clay surfaces. This encounter was analysed using Practical Epistemological Analysis. Toddlers’ inquiry processes were studied with a specific focus on functional coordination, i.e. relations between different actions and their consequences when meeting the environment. The methodological approach contributes to further research by focusing on practical and physical learning processes. It can also be seen as a contribution to Early Childhood Science Education by showing the relation between previous experiences of natural phenomena and meaning making for further actions in extended ways.
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| 5. |
- Klaar, Susanne, 1964-, et al.
(författare)
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Doing, knowing, caring and feeling : Exploring relations between nature-oriented teaching and preschool children’s learning
- 2013
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Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Research has shown that early childhood science education is based on education and care, sometimes stressed as a dichotomy. The purpose of this study is to empirically investigate the relations between teachers’ teaching and children’s learning in preschool practice, both in terms of educative processes and nature oriented content. The ambition is also to develop and present an analysis method that facilitates these investigations. Outdoor nature experiences of preschool children (aged 1-3) were video-recorded, transcribed and analysed. The methodology is based on John Dewey’s pragmatic philosophy. Here, Epistemological Move Analysis, oriented toward teachers’ guiding processes as moves, and Substantive Learning Quality Analysis, oriented toward multidimensional learning qualities, are developed and used as analysis tools. The analyses show that the relations between teaching and learning processes and nature content are intertwined and include education and care. The teachers guide towards aesthetical, moral, cognitive and physical qualities in learning by challenging, admonishing, instructional, confirming, generative, reorienting and reconstructing moves. The results contribute to nature-oriented teaching practice and nature-oriented preschool research when discussing and investigating teaching and learning processes and nature content.
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| 6. |
- Klaar, Susanne, 1964-, et al.
(författare)
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ECE as an educative and multifaceted practice for growth : To assess and evaluate teaching and learning by documenting children’s actions and reactions
- 2021
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim is to illustrate practical analysing tools that facilitate investigations and critical reflections of situated teaching and learning. Early Childhood Education needs to open up for pluralistic pedagogy and move away from transmissive pedagogy (Formosinho & Formosinho 2016). Early childhood research seldom concerns teaching and learning activities in practice (Ryan and Goffin, 2008) and we argue for the need to open up the “black box” showing what teacher do when they teach, and what children learn in the teaching process (Lave 1993). In this work we turn to John Dewey’spragmatism, his view on meaning making (Dewey 1938/2015; Dewey 1958/2009) and functional coordination of actions(Garrison 2001). Data were collected using video-recordings of an activity in preschool practice. The tools used in the qualitative analyses were Practical Epistemology Analysis (Wickman & Östman, 2002) and Epistemological Move Analysis(Lidar, Lundqvist & Östman 2006). The study follows the Swedish Research Council's (2017) ethical rules and guidelines for good research practice. Informed consent was given by parents. The children were asked verbally and also informed that they could say ‘no’, at any time. The results show teaching and meaning making processes as multifaceted and dynamic, including teaching toward practical and intellectual learning as well as socialization and individual development. This way of document and assess teaching and learning can be used when evaluating and developing preschool education. By using these analysing methods the teachers can reflect over their own teaching approaches as well as over children’s learning processes and learning content.
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| 7. |
- Klaar, Susanne, 1964-, et al.
(författare)
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ECE as an educative and multifaceted practice for growth: : to assess and evaluate teaching and learning by documenting children's actions and re-actions
- 2022
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Ingår i: European Early Childhood Education Research Journal. - : Taylor & Francis. - 1350-293X .- 1752-1807. ; 30:4, s. 557-571
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Preschool teachers in Sweden are expected to document children's learning and assess their learning outcomes, for the purpose of long-term evaluation and to develop the educational preschool practice. Previous research shows that the tools for documenting individual learning are particularly focusing on children's cognitive knowledge, while the tools for evaluating the preschool practice are developed for standardized assessment and teachers' self-reflection. The purpose of this study is to present and illustrate an action-based tool that (i) facilitates documentation and assessment of children's multifaceted learning and (ii) combine and interweave individual learning with situated teaching approaches and evaluation of the preschool practice at institutional level. The action-based methodological framework takes a starting point in John Dewey's pragmatism, transactions and functions of education including qualification, socialization and person-formation. Two analytical approaches; Practical Epistemology Analysis (PEA) and Epistemological Move Analysis (EMA) are used to clarify and illustrate individual, social and institutional dimensions of learning from four sequences of one preschool activity including four children and one teacher talking about a fairy tale. We argue that this tool for assessment and evaluation facilitates action-based reflection and discussion about relations between children's individual learning and institutional norms and values.
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