Early Childhood Education Pedagogy
- LAST MODIFIED: 11 January 2018
- DOI: 10.1093/obo/9780199756810-0194
- LAST MODIFIED: 11 January 2018
- DOI: 10.1093/obo/9780199756810-0194
Introduction
Many children worldwide spend a significant amount of their first years in life in early childhood education and care. They have the right to an early childhood education pedagogy that gives them a good start in life, acquiring knowledge to master everyday life as well as an unknown future. Contemporary learning means new trajectories of knowledge formation, not at least the digitalization of society. In preschool, preschool leaders and teachers need a pedagogy that enables them to meet children in their widespread ways of learning and from the view of the child and childhood that emerge in a changing world. This article highlights how research in early childhood education pedagogy can lead to new thinking that has consequences for the children and their families, the profession, the preschool, and policy. The research contributes to an understanding of pedagogy as constituted in the relationships and mutual influence of policy, curriculum goals, preschool teachers’ competence, and how conditions are created for children’s play and learning in various early childhood settings. An extensive search of articles and books were conducted to provide this summary on early childhood education pedagogy. The articles/books are organized as four themes highlighting early childhood education pedagogy from different perspectives. The first theme focuses on Pedagogical Leadership in the field of early childhood education. Pedagogical leadership is often linked to a pedagogy that promotes quality improvement in the early childhood sector. The second theme Preschool Profession and Teaching Based on Pedagogy demonstrates that highly educated and competent preschool teachers are a necessity to teach young children in preschool from a pedagogical perspective. The preschool teachers act as agents of change who take responsibility for their profession as well as have a child perspective based on scientific knowledge and proven experience using a pedagogy that drives development forward. The third theme is called Children’s Learning and Development as a Practice of Pedagogy. During these years, children learn, develop, and make social contacts with peers and adults in a dynamic development process. Research on pedagogy for the youngest children (children aged under three) is an emergent area of research. The last theme on Pedagogy as a Mirror of Preschool Quality mirrors the importance of high-pedagogical-quality preschool for children’s well-being, play, academic achievement, and lifelong learning. Overall, the four themes highlight important research within the field of early childhood education pedagogy and provide glimpses of new research ideas and ways of working with children, preschool teachers, families, and policy issues.
Pedagogical Leadership
Leadership in the field of early childhood education is growing around the world, with a specific focus on pedagogical leadership. Pedagogical leadership is based on staff members taking an active role to support the development of pedagogy in the early childhood context. There is a common consensus across countries that quality improvement with the early years sector must have leaders who can help mentor and support change. The articles selected include the countries of Australia, Finland, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, England, Hong Kong, Japan, and Chili. Pedagogical leaders support the development of pedagogy and provide opportunities for the sharing of pedagogical practice. Many of the authors in this section advocate for a transformation of leadership to enhance and support pedagogical leadership in the early years. This includes enhancing pedagogy through the introduction of a caring relationship, passionate care through appropriate pedagogy, leading knowledge development about pedagogy, and including children and family as part of a productive early childhood pedagogy. The authors also call for more focus on pedagogical leadership across early childhood settings to allow an overall sustained and improved development of pedagogical practices.
Alameen, Lubna, Trevor Male, and Ionna Palaiologu. 2015. Exploring pedagogical leadership in early years education in Saudi Arabia. School Leadership and Management 35.2: 121–139.
DOI: 10.1080/13632434.2014.992773E-mail Citation »
The paper reports on pedagogical leadership in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, following reforms in the early years sectors. Leadership roles and responsibilities have become key issues within the reforms. In most cases, the leaders appeared to demonstrate only partial roles as preschools leaders. The application of pedagogical leadership was dependent on the leader’s relationship with the school community, including learners, parents, teachers, social workers, and super intendants.
Bøe, Marit, and Karin Hognestad. 2017. Directing and facilitating distributed pedagogical leadership: Best practices in early childhood education. International Journal of Leadership in Education 20.2: 133–148.
DOI: 10.1080/13603124.2015.1059488E-mail Citation »
This article implements a hybrid leadership framework to explore formal teacher-leaders and how they direct and facilitate staff resources for distributed pedagogical leadership. The research discovers a new leadership category called leading knowledge development. The new type of hybrid leadership is important for opening a conceptual space for understanding the complex dynamics of leadership in early childhood and for contextualizing distributed pedagogical leadership in preschools.
Cartmel, Jennifer, Kym Macfarlane, and Andrea Nolan. 2013. Looking to the future: Producing transdisciplinary professionals for leadership in early childhood settings. Early Years: An International Research Journal 33.4: 398–412.
DOI: 10.1080/09575146.2013.852522E-mail Citation »
Enhanced pedagogical leadership is an important area of development for government policy. In Australia, there is the initiative Developing and Sustaining Pedagogical Leadership in Early Childhood Education and Care Professionals (Sydney: Australian Government Department of Education). This paper reports on the findings from the study designed to strengthen pedagogical leadership. A model of professional development for leadership was developed with links between multiplicity, complexity, relationality, and criticality.
Heikka, Johanna, and Eeva Hujala. 2013. Early childhood leadership through the lens of distributed leadership. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal 21.4: 568–580.
DOI: 10.1080/1350293X.2013.845444E-mail Citation »
The study reports on views of distributed leadership in Finland, with a focus on quality improvement and pedagogical leadership. Findings highlighted that developed forms of leadership were rarely used in early childhood education. The practices and distribution of responsibilities for leadership were distributed in different ways. The development of distributed leadership should focus on practices that enable productive relationships between stakeholders within a municipality system.
Heikka, Johanna, and Manjula Waniganayake. 2011. Pedagogical leadership from a distributed perspective within the context of early childhood education. International Journal of Leadership and Education 14.4: 499–512.
DOI: 10.1080/13603124.2011.577909E-mail Citation »
The paper explores the meaning of the word pedagogical leadership within early childhood education and provides a summary of current and historical literature around distributed ways of practicing early childhood leadership. The challenges of conceptualizing pedagogy and pedagogical leadership are also discussed, with an exploration of known theorists and educationalists. The authors argue that pedagogical leadership must also include child and family voice.
Hujala, Eeva, Mervi Eskelinen, Soili Keskinen, et al. 2016. Leadership Tasks in Early Childhood Education in Finland, Japan and Singapore. Journal of Research in Childhood Education 30.3: 406–421.
DOI: 10.1080/02568543.2016.1179551E-mail Citation »
Leadership research in early childhood education is relatively new, with few comparative country studies. Preschool leadership in Finland, Japan, and Singapore are explored in this study to provide an understanding of different contexts. Pedagogical leadership and human resource management emerging as the two main tasks of leaders. Countries involved spent a lot of time on pedagogical leadership.
Jasmine Kah Yan Loo and Joseph Agbenyega. 2015. A critical analysis of the Australian ECEC policy reform: An opportunity for transforming educators into pedagogical leaders? Australasian Journal of Early Childhood 40.2: 127–131.
Drawing on theories of the new image of the child, the critical analysis provides new insights into the implications about the current conceptualizations children have for pedagogical leaders. The authors call for a transformation of early childhood leadership practices that disrupt dominant practices and highlight the importance of embracing early childhood pedagogical practices. Such a transformation will enhance quality improvement through changes in pedagogy.
Murray, Janet, and Rory Clark. 2013. Reframing leadership as a participative pedagogy: The working theories of early years professionals. Early Years: An international Research Journal 33.3: 289–301.
DOI: 10.1080/09575146.2013.781135E-mail Citation »
The authors suggest that traditional notions of leadership are at odds with the pedagogy of early childhood education. The article draws on studies from the introduction of the Early Years Professional (EYP) in England to explore the notion of pedagogic leadership in early childhood. The notion of “passionate care” emerged as a key foundation for improving education and supporting the well-being of young children.
Siraj-Blatchford, Iram, and Elaine Hallet. 2014. Effective and Caring Leadership in the Early Years. London: SAGE.
DOI: 10.4135/9781473957848E-mail Citation »
The book provides a detailed understanding about early years leadership, recognizing the behavior of leaders and their abilities to develop skills to support shifts in practices with pedagogy. A focus on the emotional health of settings is also given to establish a culture of care for each other and children through pedagogy. The notion of “caring leadership” allows a culture of respect to achieve and sustain improvement in pedagogical outcomes.
Users without a subscription are not able to see the full content on this page. Please subscribe or login.
How to Subscribe
Oxford Bibliographies Online is available by subscription and perpetual access to institutions. For more information or to contact an Oxford Sales Representative click here.
Article
- Academic Achievement
- Academic Audit for Universities
- Academic Freedom and Tenure in the United States
- Action Research in Education
- Adjuncts in Higher Education in the United States
- Administrator Preparation
- Adolescence
- Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Courses
- African American Racial Identity and Learning
- Alternative Certification Programs for Educators
- Alternative Schools
- American Indian Education
- Art Education
- Assessing School Leader Effectiveness
- Assessment, Behavioral
- Assessment, Educational
- Assessment in Early Childhood Education
- Athletics, College
- Augmented Reality in Education
- Beginning-Teacher Induction
- Bilingual Education and Bilingualism
- Blended Learning
- Bullying
- Case Study in Education Research
- Changing Professional and Academic Identities
- Character Education
- Children’s and Young Adult Literature
- Children's Beliefs about Intelligence
- Children's Rights in Early Childhood Education
- Civic and Social Engagement of Higher Education
- Classroom Management
- College Admissions in the United States
- Community Relations
- Comparative Education
- Computer-Based Testing
- Counseling in Schools
- Creativity
- Critical Race Theory
- Crossborder and Transnational Higher Education
- Culturally Responsive Leadership
- Culturally Responsive Pedagogies
- Culturally Responsive Teacher Education in the United Stat...
- Curriculum Design
- Data Collection in Educational Research
- Data-driven Decision Making in the United States
- Deaf Education
- Desegregation and Integration
- Development, Moral
- Digital Age Teacher, The
- Digital Divides
- Disabilities
- Distance Learning
- Distributed Leadership
- Doctoral Education and Training
- Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) in Denmark
- Early Childhood Education and Development in Mexico
- Early Childhood Education in Australia
- Early Childhood Education in China
- Early Childhood Education in Europe
- Early Childhood Education in Sub-Saharan Africa
- Early Childhood Education in Sweden
- Early Childhood Education Pedagogy
- Early Childhood Education Policy
- Early Childhood Education, The Arts in
- Early Childhood Mathematics
- Early Childhood Science
- Early Childhood Teacher Education
- Early Childhood Teachers in Aotearoa New Zealand
- Early Years Professionalism and Professionalization Polici...
- Economics of Education
- Education For Children with Autism
- Education Leadership, Empirical Perspectives in
- Education of Native Hawaiian Students
- Education Reform and School Change
- Educational Statistics for Longitudinal Research
- Emotional and Behavioral Disorders
- Epistemic Beliefs
- Equity, Ethnicity, Diversity, and Excellence in Education
- Ethics and Education
- Ethics of Teaching
- Ethnic Studies
- Evidence-Based Communication Assessment and Intervention
- Family and Community Partnerships in Education
- Family Day Care
- Federal Government Programs and Issues
- Finance, Education
- Financial Aid
- Formative Assessment
- Gender and Achievement
- Gifted Education
- Global Mindedness and Global Citizenship Education
- Global University Rankings
- Governance, Education
- Grounded Theory
- Growth of Effective Mental Health Services in Schools in t...
- Higher Education and Globalization
- Higher Education and the Developing World
- Higher Education Faculty Characteristics and Trends in the...
- Higher Education Governance
- Higher Education in China
- Higher Education in Latin America
- Higher Education in the United States, Historical Evolutio...
- Higher Education, International Issues in
- Higher Education Management
- Higher Education Policy
- Higher Education Research
- Higher Education Student Assessment
- High-stakes Testing
- History of Education in the United States
- Homeschooling
- Inclusive Education
- Indigenous Education in a Global Context
- Inservice Teacher Education
- Integrating Art across the Curriculum
- Intelligence
- Intensive Interventions for Children and Adolescents with ...
- Intersectionality and Education
- Knowledge Development in Early Childhood
- Leadership Development, Coaching and Feedback for
- Leadership Training
- Learning Difficulties
- Learning, Lifelong
- Learning, Multimedia
- Learning Strategies
- Legal Matters and Education Law
- LGBT Youth in Schools
- Linguistic Diversity
- Linguistically Inclusive Pedagogy
- Literacy
- Literacy Development and Language Acquisition
- Literacy, Multiple Documents
- Literature Reviews
- Mathematics Instruction and Interventions for Students wit...
- Mathematics Teacher Education
- Measurement in Education in the United States
- Meta-Analysis and Research Synthesis in Education
- Methodologies for Conducting Education Research
- Mindfulness, Learning, and Education
- Mixed Methods Research
- Motivation
- Multivariate Research Methodology
- Museums, Education, and Curriculum
- Music Education
- Narrative Research in Education
- Note-Taking
- Numeracy Education
- Online Education
- Organizing for Continuous Improvement in Education
- Pedagogy of Teacher Education, A
- Performance Objectives and Measurement
- Performance-based Research Assessment in Higher Education
- Performance-based Research Funding
- Phenomenology in Educational Research
- Philosophy of Education
- Physical Education
- Play
- Policy
- Politics of Education
- Portable Technology for Special Education
- Pre-Service Teacher Education
- Problem Solving
- Productivity and Higher Education
- Professional Development
- Professional Learning Communities
- Program Evaluation
- Programs and Services for Students with Emotional or Behav...
- Psychology Learning and Teaching
- Psychometric Issues in the Assessment of English Language ...
- Qualitative Data Analysis Techniques
- Qualitative Research Design
- Quantitative Research Designs in Educational Research
- Race and Affirmative Action in Higher Education
- Reading Education
- Refugee and New Immigrant Learners
- Reliability in Educational Assessments
- Religion in Elementary and Secondary Education in the Unit...
- Researcher Development and Skills Training within the Cont...
- Response to Intervention
- Restorative Practices
- School Accreditation
- School Choice
- School Culture
- School Improvement through Inclusive Education
- School Reform
- Schools, Private and Independent
- School-Wide Positive Behavior Support
- Science Education
- Secondary to Postsecondary Transition Issues
- Self-Regulated Learning
- Self-Study of Teacher Education Practices
- Service-Learning
- Severe Disabilities
- Single Salary Schedule
- Single-sex Education
- Single-Subject Research Design
- Social Context of Education
- Social Justice
- Social Network Analysis
- Social Pedagogy
- Social Science and Education Research
- Social Studies Education
- Sociology of Education
- Standards-Based Education
- Statistical Assumptions
- Student Access, Equity, and Diversity in Higher Education
- Student Assignment Policy
- Student Engagement in Tertiary Education
- Student Participation
- Student Voice in Teacher Development
- Teacher Evaluation and Teacher Effectiveness
- Teacher Preparation
- Teacher Training and Development
- Teacher Unions and Associations
- Teaching Critical Thinking
- Technologies, Teaching, and Learning in Higher Education
- Technology Education in Early Childhood
- Technology, Educational
- Technology-based Assessment
- The Bologna Process
- The Regulation of Standards in Higher Education
- Theories of Educational Leadership
- Three Conceptions of Literacy: Media, Narrative, and Gamin...
- Tracking and Detracking
- Transitions in Early Childhood Education
- University Faculty Roles and Responsibilities in the Unite...
- Using Ethnography in Educational Research
- Value of Higher Education for Students and Other Stakehold...
- Vocational and Technical Education
- Wellness and Well-Being in Education
- Women's and Gender Studies