Full Description
This book explores how concepts and values of contemporary democracy are variously understood and applied in diverse cultural contexts, with a focus on children and childhood and diversity. Drawing on a range of methodological approaches relevant to early childhood education, it discusses young children's engagement and voice. The book identifies existing practices, strengths, theories and considerations in democracy in early childhood education and childhood, highlighting the democratic participation of children in cultural contexts. Further, it illustrates how democracy can be evident in early childhood practices and interactions across a range of curriculum contexts and perspectives, and considers ways of advancing and sustaining practices with positive transformational opportunities to benefit children and wider ecological systems.
It offers readers insights into what democracy and citizenship look like in lived experience, and the issues affecting practice and encouraging reflection and advocacy.
Contents
Section 1 Introductory section.- 1 Introduction: Content and Context.- 2 The preschool as an arena for democratic education: A framework for teacher roles and child outcomes.- Section 2 Democracy in early childhood curriculum and policy.- 3 Ethical issues in child research: Caution of ethical drift.- 4 Talent development in preschool curriculum and policies: Implicit recognition of young gifted children.- 5 Parental decision-making about school start age in Australia: Democratic for whom?.- 6 Democracy and multilingualism in South African primary education: Implications for early literacy development.- 7 Engagement of children of Finnish descent in bilingual communicative events in Swedish preschool contexts.- Section III Espoused and enacted EC pedagogical practice.- 8 Banning the "Incompetent Child" in pedagogical documentation and discourse.- 9 Parent-Teacher-Child communication and advocacy: A community intervention.- 10 Time to tell more stories: Children, democracy and educationin movement.- 11 Establishing a learner identity: Young digital citizens and the pursuit of a democratic and empowering early childhood education.- 12 Democratic discourses in higher education: Australian preservice student teacher perceptions of quality early childhood education.- Section IV Children's democratic arenas.- 13 Narratives of belonging: Migrant children's friendship negotiation.- 14 Inclusive practice for all: Child perspectives.- 15 Toddlers enacting democracy through communication in preschool.- 16 Preschool children as democratic subjects: Agents of democracy.- 17 Preschool children's resilience: An ecological perspective in a Taiwanese context.- Section V Conclusion.- 18 Challenging the challenges: Democratic spaces and opportunities in ECE.
