Swedish Reggio Emilia-inspired pedagogy has been decribed as a democratic paradigm shift for Swedish preschools. A grassroots movement based on the same resistance to traditional authoritarian pedagogy and political alignment that the Italien example entailed in the post-fascist Reggio Emilia. However, unlike the local and citizen-initiated birth in Italy, the Swedish implementation was sanctioned at a central political level and took place in close relation to leading academic institutions. Swedish Reggio Emilia thus belongs to a completely different historical context than the original educational and democratic movement. This essay tells the story of the pedagogical and organizational development of Swedish childcare from the preschool expansion in the 1970s up to the founding of the Swedish Reggio Emilia Institute in 1993. Based on a theory of path-dependent continuity and change, it analyzes how the conditions successively made it possible to implement the Reggio Emilia philosophy, with its socialist and cooperative origins, in Sweden at the time of a neoliberal and individual-centered change in political discourse during the early 1990s. The analysis describes the earliest influences in Sweden during the 1980s based on its function as exotic cargo: a rich aesthetic framework but with little theoretical content. The conveyed ideas and values mirrored already established counterparts in Sweden, but despite this, it managed to capture both fascination and interest among educators as well as politicians. Its pluralistic and decentralized ideals also came to relate to the neoliberal turn when the Swedish welfare state left its long tradition of collective democrazy.

Målet med detta examensarbete var att ta fram ett koncept på möbelset som passar in i framtidens förskolor, samt att leverera CAD-modeller och tillverkningsunderlag. Detta möbelset skall enligt en kvantitativ definition kunna främja för lärandeförmågan hos användaren, med tanke på funktion, säkerhet, och tillgänglighet. Uppgiften startades med Furneas initiativ att ta sig in på möbelmarknaden i Mellansverige och Stockholmsområdet med en ny produkt som kan möta de behov som kännetecknas av framtidens hållbara förskolor. Arbetet gjordes i fyra olika faser; planering, faktainsamling, genomförande, och analys. I planeringsfasen fastställdes strukturering och metodik av hela arbetet. I faktainsamlingsfasen gjordes litteraturstudier med avseende på pedagogiska inriktningar, miljö, säkerhet, ergonomi, och material. Det gjordes även intervjuer av förskolepedagoger angående nuvarande användning av bord i förskolan, och på företag rörande möbeltillverkning och förskolor. Genomförandefasen använder den insamlade datan för att skapa en funktionsanalys och kravspecifikation på möbelns design, och sedan komma fram med koncept på möbelsetet. I fasen ingår även att konstruera koncepten med CAD och 3D-printing. Analyser användes för att få fram konceptet som bäst möter användarens behov och modifiera konceptet till det slutgiltiga resultatet. För detta används sållningsmatriser, simuleringsprogram för att göra hållfasthetsberäkningar, samt DFMEA, en felorsaksanalys för produktutveckling. Resultatet av detta arbete presenteras med figurer och beskrivningar av möbelsetet. / The aim of this thesis was to develop a concept for a furniture-set that fits in with the preschools of the future, as well as to deliver CAD models and manufacturing documentation. According to a quantitative definition, this furniture should be able to promote the learning ability of the user, regarding function, safety, and accessibility. The task was started at Furnea's initiative to enter the furniture market in central Sweden and the Stockholm area with a new product that can meet the needs that are characterized by future sustainable preschools. The work was done in four different phases; planning, fact collection, implementation, and analysis. During the planning phase, structuring and methodology of the entire work was established. In the fact-finding phase, literature studies were conducted regarding educational orientations, environment, safety, ergonomics, and materials. Interviews of pre-school educators regarding the current use of tables in the preschool, and on companies concerning furniture manufacturing and preschools, were also conducted. The implementation phase uses the collected data to create a functional analysis and requirement specification for the furniture design, and then come up with a concept on the furniture. The phase also includes constructing the concepts with CAD and 3D printing. Analyses were used to bring out the concept that best meets the user's needs and modify the concept to the result. For this purpose, screening matrices, simulation programs for making strength calculations, and DFMEA, an error cause analysis for product development, were used. The result of this work is presented with figures and descriptions of the furniture.

Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur förskollärare och rektorer samarbetar och resonerar kring utformningen av den fysiska miljön i förskolors ateljéer. De forskningsfrågor som berörs i studien är: Hur resonerar förskollärare och rektorer kring materialets tillgänglighet i utformningen av den fysiska miljön i ateljén? Och Hur ser förskollärarna och rektorerna på samarbetet kring utformningen av den fysiska miljön i ateljén? I studien användes kvalitativa semistrukturerade intervjuer som metod och studiens teoretiska ramverk är ett sociokulturellt perspektiv och rummet som den tredje pedagogen inom Reggio Emilia. Det mest framträdande resultatet är att tillgängligt material har en betydelsefull roll i att möjliggöra för barn att självständigt kunna använda rummet utan en vuxen närvarande. Resultatet visar även att i samarbetet mellan rektorer och förskollärare sätts fokus på barnens lärande och utveckling, vilket bidrar till att de tar hjälp av varandra för att utforma en miljö som främjar barnens lärande. Studiens slutsats visar att genom att skapa en tillgänglig miljö och tillhandahålla tillgängligt material kan man skapa förutsättningar för barns självständighet. Dessa möjligheter spelar en viktig roll för barnens lärande då de ges möjlighet att undersöka och uttrycka sig genom olika uttrycksformer. / The purpose of the study is to investigate how preschool teachers andprincipals collaborate and reason about the design of the physicalenvironment in preschool studios. The research questions addressed in thestudy are: How do preschool teachers and principals reason about materialaccessibility in the design of the physical environment in the studio? Andhow do preschool teachers and principals view the collaboration on thedesign of the physical environment in the studio? The study used qualitativesemi-structured interviews as a method and the study's theoreticalframework is a sociocultural perspective and the third educator withinReggio Emilia. The most prominent result is that available material has asignificant role in enabling children to independently use the room withoutan adult present. The result also shows that in the collaboration betweenprincipals and preschool teachers, the focus is on children's learning anddevelopment, which helps them to help each other to design an environmentthat promotes children's learning. The conclusion of the study shows thatcreating an accessible environment and providing accessible materials cancreate conditions for children's independence. These opportunities play animportant role in children's learning as they are given the opportunity toexplore and express themselves through different forms of expression.

Avsikten med denna studie har varit att undersöka pedagogers samtal och utsagor kringestetiska arbetsformer och ämnesöverskridande arbetsområden i relation till utformandet av en”öppen ateljé” på skolan. Frågorna jag ställde mig var; Hur legitimerar pedagoger behovet aven ”öppen ateljé” på skolan? Vilka samband ser pedagoger mellan lärmiljöers utformning ochvilka läraktiviteter som kommer till uttryck? Vilka tolkningsrepertoarer om lärande ochlärmiljöer kommer till uttryck i dessa sammanhang och hur kan de förstås ur ett makt- ochkontrollperspektiv? Jag valde en kvalitativ metod med en diskursanalytisk ansats, som byggdepå fokusgruppssamtal genomförda på en mindre fristående F-9 skola i norra Sverige. En skolasom med utgångspunkt för sin verksamhet tagit ställning för att låta sig genomsyras av ReggioEmilias pedagogiska filosofi. Jag har i min studie tyckt mig finna ett antal diskurser på dennaskola, där en stor diskurs representerande skola, undervisning och lärarroll är överordnad ochdär några mindre tycks bjuda den större motstånd. Dessa diskurser kommer till uttryck i detolkningsrepertoarer pedagogerna använder för att legitimera utformandet av en öppen ateljépå skolan. Samtidigt som erkännandet av en mer progressiv filosofi tycks innebära ettdiskursivt dilemma på denna skola, tycks det också innebära att utrymmet för möjligahandlingar breddas något i det diskursiva glapp som här uppstår. Avslutningsvis för jag ettresonemang kring en additiv syn på lärande och estetik och om en motståndets diskurs.

Denna studie behandlar vilka förutsättningar lärmiljön på förskolor inspirerade av Reggio Emilias filosofi erbjuder för barns meningsskapande. Reggio Emiliafilosofin kan sammanfattas som ett förhållningssätt där man ser barnet som kompetent och utforskande. Studiens syfte är att studera betydelsen av design för lärande och design i lärande i förskolor inspirerade av Reggio Emiliafilosofin. Detta gör vi genom att ta del av utvalda förskollärares uppfattningar. I studien intervjuades fem förskollärare som alla gav sin uppfattning om den pedagogiska lärmiljön inom Reggio Emilias filosofi. Vi har utgått från det socialsemiotiska perspektivet. Det empiriska underlaget består av en kvalitativ forskning med semistrukturerade intervjuer. Metoden valdes för att kunna belysa respondenternas uppfattningar av den inre lärmiljön i Reggio Emilia inspirerade förskolor. Studiens resultat visar att lärmiljön har en stor betydelse för barns utveckling och lärande. Med genomtänkta, flexibla och föränderliga miljöer som är iscensatta tillsammans med barnen och där utformningen utgår från barnens åsikter och intresse genererar miljön till ny kunskap och utveckling.

This study investigated the conflict resolution abilities employed by 3-4 year old children within an Israeli kindergarten that was inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach in Italy. Conflict resolution is a significant phenomenon worldwide and the subject of considerable research, due to potential negative outcomes from involvement in conflict, and escalation of the conflict to a stage of violence. Nevertheless, a gap in knowledge was identified, regarding the Reggio Emilia educational approach, as an intervention to support the development of children‘s social-emotional competence to enable them to resolve interpersonal conflicts using pro-social strategies. An in-depth case study was conducted using grounded theory principles to develop a model to answer the question: To what extent might a Reggio Emilia inspired approach support resolution of interpersonal conflicts between 3-4 year old children in an Israeli kindergarten class? The rich qualitative data were gathered through video filmed observations, teacher's semi-structured interviews, children's interviews, documents, and field notes. A four-phase content analysis of the data enabled conceptualisation of the characteristics of the educational setting and the children's conflict resolution strategies. The findings allowed the emergence of a model evidencing that both direct and indirect intervention strategies were used to support the conflict resolution among the children. Teachers responded in a range of ways to children's request for direct intervention, and most especially used a clarification-mediation conversation. Indirectly, they promoted democratic pedagogy with children through participation, listening and dialogue. The findings reveal the children's development in their conflict resolution, which indicate a significant advancement in their pro-social negotiation abilities. Additionally, the findings show a significant increase in the children's spontaneous intervention as peer observers of the conflict and a decrease in their request of teacher intervention. The research suggests that over time, no extra-curricular intervention is needed within a supportive and democratic educational approach, such as the Reggio Emilia inspired approach provides. It illuminates strategies to support teachers, teacher trainers and policy makers for enabling children resolving conflicts independently using pro-social strategies. The research contributes to knowledge regarding selecting an intervention for improving kindergarten children's conflict resolution strategies.

This thesis examines the strategies young children use to develop a common set of goals when collaborating on a group art work. Teachers at Sabot School spend a great deal of time in discussion of children's group work. By concentrating on one project in my preschool classroom, I reached a greater understanding of the way children work together on a group project. This understanding enriched my practice of teaching so that I could become a better facilitator of similar projects in the future. The information is valuable to me and the other Sabot School teachers when planning future group projects, especially when discussing strategies for supporting children's group processes. It is also be of value to teachers and education students who are interested in learning about the Reggio Emilia approach in American classrooms, social constructivism in the classroom, and the possibilities of art in early childhood. In this project, my four and five year old students worked together to create a clay sculpture of a wild area outside the playground fence at our school. I was interested in the way I could support this group project using Vygotsky's idea of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). In the ZPD a child can accomplish tasks they are not developmentally ready to master if they have the support of a teacher or more skilled peer. This study revealed that children and teachers can use words and actions to support cognitive as well as social-emotional learning while working together.

Sweden and Poland see preschool documentation as a very important practice in Early Childhood Education and Care. Each country, however, conceives of this documentation differently. Reggio Emilia-inspired pedagogical documentation is one of the documentation practices used in Swedish preschools. There is very little research on the approach of Polish educators to this form of pedagogical documentation. Furthermore, the Swedish preschool curriculum is based on Social Pedagogy in contrast to the Polish preschool curriculum, which is based on Readiness for School. These curricular perspectives are underpinned by different views on children’s abilities and on the goal of preschool as an institution. This, in turn, reflects the relative differences in how democracy is viewed, and documentation maintained in these two countries. In this study, semi-structured interviews with four Polish preschool educators were conducted in order to document their understandings of the mentioned terms, as well as their perspectives on the forms and practices of documentation that they use. The participants were also asked about the possibility of adapting pedagogical documentation, as seen in Sweden, to the Polish preschool model. The findings showed, that the participants did not recognize Polish preschool system as democratic. What is more, the interviewees are not satisfied with the form of their preschool documentation. However, the interviews showed, that even though the teachers see value in pedagogical documentation, they do not see this approach as the appropriate one to adapt to Poland, due to the system malfunctions and reluctant co-workers. Lastly, the study shows that more research is needed to examine the relationship between documentation practices and the promotion and maintenance of democratic practices in preschool internationally, as well as suggests some changes in order to improve Polish documentation practices.

Studiens syfte var att bidraga med en ökad kunskap kring hur barns estetiska språkande kan framkomma i ett ateljéarbete. Samt att synliggöra hur processen och meningsskapandet i barns estetiska bildskapande kan uttryckas. Studien genomfördes som en kvalitativ observationsstudie. Studiens teoretiska grund utgörs av Reggio Emilias filosofiska pedagogik och intra-aktivt perspektiv. Jag har fokuserat på vad som utgör de viktiga nyckelfrågorna och komponenterna för en kvalitativ estetisk undervisning. En av de komponenterna har i den här studien varit att lyfta barns individuella tolkande och berättande i processen av ett estetiskt skapande. Jag har tagit del av en förskolas gemensamma projekt där skapande utgör en stor och betydande del. Det är i arbetsprocessen som uttrycken och språkandet sker. Resultaten visar att möjligheten till ett fritt och individuellt skapande öppnar för mångahanda uttryck och språkande. Med en tilltro till barnens kompetens skapas en trygghet och där med en frihet för barnen att ta plats och uttrycka sig.

The aim of the study is to investigate how “listening” takes placein apreschool in Reggio Emilia, a city in northern Italy. This is a phenomenological study that investigates “listening” as a phenomenon based on children ́sand pedagogues ́ experiences. Three pedagogues and eleven children was interviewed in order to get knowledge about three main aspects: how “listening” is interpreted by pedagogues and children and put in practice in a Reggio Emilia pedagogy-also known as “the pedagogy of listening”; if children experience that they are being listened to and whether they have an influence in the preschool ́s activities; and whether the Reggio Emilia pedagogy affects the relationship between pedagogues and children. The findings show that “listening” is a complex concept that includes a variety of meanings that result in many different interpretations on how to put it in to practice. As described in other studies there is a risk of making children objects of adult research, thus affecting a genuine relationship between pedagogues and children. In these studies, the Reggio Emilia pedagogy is described as a method with fixed and rigid techniques of listening. According to the results in this study this seems to be avoidable by considering the Reggio Emilia pedagogy as an approach that is adaptable to different children groups, as well asactively involving children in their own documentation process. The results also demonstrate that children donot feel that they area part of the decision making when it comes to the preschool ́s activities. This is due to the fact that children’s interests are subject to interpretation by the pedagogues, who then often redirect them towards more desirable contents according to their own intentions. Also, the preschool environment is seen as a “third pedagogue” as it communicates to the children which activities and interactions are considered possible in a certain space.