This thesis argues that the practice and discourse of Montessori education should be explicitly concerned with the creation of a culture of response rather than with the implementation of a method. It is argued that in order for a culture of response to occur there must be within Montessori discourse and practice an explicit recognition of the need for teachers to engage critically and continuously with the assumptions that underpin Montessori thought and practice. This is difficult, however, because there is a tension between Montessori as a method and Montessori as response. An attempt is made to examine Montessori discourse in order to understand the nature of this tension. This involves looking at Montessori discourse from a perspective that borrows from Poststructuralist thinking. It is suggested that in Montessori discourse there exists a relationship between certain elements of the discourse and its practices that may bind tightly together the subjectivity, or identity, of the teacher; the claims to legitimacy and truth of the discourse itself; and particular, positivist, notions of the individual, of truth, nature, change, society, and knowledge. From a Postructuralist perspective this constellation of relationships begins to unravel when Montessori discourse is seen to arise from specific beliefs and assumptions that underpin apparently common sense understandings regarding children, learning, society and change. These understandings may result in the maintenance of the dichotomy between the observer and the observed, the teacher and the child, the knower and the known and the inevitable power relations that accompany such dichotomies. This Poststructuralist concern with the issue of power is thus a significant issue for educators who are attempting to provide a learning environment that is responsive to children's diverse attempts to make sense of the world and to find a voice. A critical engagement with Montessori discourse, and practice, thus requires an engagement with the ways in which it may construct a relationship between teacher and child that may be inimical to the development of a culture of response in Montessori schools.

Traditionally, children's formal introduction to print has occurred when they enter primary school around five years of age. The progress of this literacy development typically has been from the child's spoken language into reading. In this approach writing emerges out of reading experience. Montessori's theory suggests that children can come to literacy via writing, specifically via the sounds of the alphabet. Her approach rests on the view that the alphabet can represent the sounds of spoken language. Given the sounds/symbols to write the child can learn to map spoken language to print. As children explore the print system in writing they will build up knowledge and understanding sufficient to support easy access to reading. According to Montessori the pre-school years offer an optimal time for this development to occur. She maintains that where literacy acquisition emerges out of spoken language via writing into reading the potential for creative written expression may be more available to the child than where the progression is first into reading. In this latter approach the thoughts and conventions of other writers (reading) may limit the child's expression. Theoretical issues regarding young children's capacities to learn as well as issues surrounding the writing/reading precedence are discussed. To examine the process from children's spoken language into writing, a series of naturalistic observations were carried out in three Montessori classes. Children's progress from oracy to literacy and the learning environments which facilitated this process are documented and discussed. In presenting the children's learning environments an informal exposition of Montessori's approach to language learning at the pre-school level is given.

This dissertation examines the inherent meanings in the claim that the pre-school is "a complement to the home". The meanings are analysed in order to explore the reasons behind the extension of child care in Sweden, and particularly during the period 1990-1995.The dissertation has two objectives. The first objective is to analyse the aims, as identified by the state and the municipalities, for pre-schools and family day nurseries to act as a complement to the home; with an additional analysis of the children's social and cultural contexts. The second objective is to analyse how employees and parents interpret the idea that pre-schooling is a complement to the home. Date used for this research is national programme information, guidelines used at municipal levels, and empirical data from one questionnaire to staff and two questionnaires to parents. Theories about frame factors and curricula constitute the points of departure for the analyses of the national programmes at state and at local levels, and for the analyses of the questionnaires. The analyses shows that the concept of "a complement to the home" has varied over time and that it is contextually dependent. In the 1930s, when there was a need to improve children's playing environment to compensate for small, cramped, and dark homes, the pre-school was designed to provide large, light rooms. During the 1940s and the 1950s, it was assumed that child care should act as a complement to the home (i.e., not be regarded as a competitor). Such different connotations inherent in the concept of "a complement to the home" reflect the Zeitgeist of the various decades. They also show how the needs of children and family have been expressed; which, in turn, related to the need for women to be active in the labour force. The results of the analyses show that official documents, parents and staff express a belief in pre-schools and family day nurseries as important complements to the homes, particularly in reference to children's social development. But the differences the parents express concerning their children's upbringing are shown to relate to their educational background. The actual activities of the pre-school complement are worked out in close co­operation between parents and staff. Difficulties occur when individual children's needs are taken as a point of departure. This result suggests that the pre-school can be a complement to each child only when divergences in opinions between staff and parents are limited. Family nurseries, which generally are less organised and have fewer children than pre-schools, can provide child care that is more designed to fit the specific needs of children and parents. One of the conclusions of this study is that pre-schools are run on the basis of staff efforts, and that co-operation with parents constitutes a decisive factor in the future development of pre-schooling. / digitalisering@umu

Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate how preschool teachers reflect on the phenomenon of conflict, and to find out what children think about this in relation to Nanny method. I referred to the following questions: • How to reflect pre-school teachers on conflict management at the preschool? • What methods / approaches tell teachers that they use in conflict management? • How the children reflect on their experiences on conflict management at the preschool? In the background, Im trying to define the word conflict, and I also point to the methods and models that are already in conflict management. It is clear that a key ingredient in the conflict is communication, the question is how well we communicate with each other?I've done interviews with three active educators and four children to study this subject. The survey shows that the conversation is a very important factor in the conflict and both children and teachers agree on this.  The teachers' desire to get the children to talk to each other if they become enemies seem to produce results because even the kids themselves say it is what is most important in the event of disagreement, it is also important to ask for help when you feel that the situation becomes too difficult.The work highlights the educators and children's experiences in conflict management. Keywords: Conflicts, children, conflict management, pre-schools, teachers' attitudes, Nanny method / Sammanfattning Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka hur förskollärare reflekterar om fenomenet konflikthantering, och att ta reda på vad barnen tycker om detta i relation till Nannymetoden. Jag har utgått från följande frågor: Hur reflekterar förskollärarna om konflikthanteringen på förskolan? Vilka metoder/förhållningssätt säger pedagogerna att de använder sig av inom konflikthantering? Hur reflekterar barnen om sina upplevelser kring konflikthanteringen på förskolan?    I bakgrunden försöker jag att definiera ordet konflikt och jag pekar också på de metoder och modeller som redan finns inom konflikthantering. Det framgår att en viktig nyckel när det gäller konflikter är kommunikation, frågan är bara hur vi kommunicerar med varandra?   Jag har gjort kvalitativa intervjuer med tre verksamma pedagoger och fyra barn för att studera detta ämne. Undersökningen visar att samtalet är en mycket viktig faktor när det gäller konflikthantering och både barn och pedagoger är överens om detta. Pedagogernas strävan efter att få barnen att prata med varandra om de blir ovänner verkar ge resultat eftersom även barnen själva säger att det är det som är viktigast om det uppstår osämja. Det är också viktigt att kunna be om hjälp när man känner att situationen blir för svår. Arbetet lyfter fram verksamma pedagoger och barns erfarenheter kring konflikthantering.    Nyckelord: Konflikter, barn, konflikthantering, förskola, pedagogers förhållningssätt, Nannymetoden

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T19:38:55Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 1993.pdf: 1092309 bytes, checksum: effcad6701abe7ddbe1fff678519bbc4 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-08-08 / This search went on the presuposed of the existence of social relations prejudice manifest by pre-school children of 5 and 6 years during the practice of its main activity, the children s play and games protagonized. Starting from this pressuposed, the general aim of this research was to raise indicative of demonstrations prejudiced by pre-school children of 5 and 6 years, in practice its main activity, and explicit as possible mediations established by teachers, by activity and by the colleagues to exerce interfered in the kind of interference assumed social relationship between peers. The study characterized as quality, orienting itself by assumptions of historical materialism, in view Historical-Cultural of Vygotsky. Data collection was developed in a pre-school in the state of Sao Paulo, using as methodological tools filming, comments and annotations in the field daily on the practice of recreational activities for children of 5 and 6 years, with the focus analytical the explanation of how they, because of the complex set of mediations by this activity, by colleagues or by teachers, take them to stereotyped knowledge that pejoratively label a difference, make patent in the construction of man construct in hierarchical designs and homogeneous. The results of the filming were divided into four categories: mediation, prejudice of a gender, prejudice of race and prejudice of beauty, and pointed to the existence of manifestations prejudiced based these categories during the pre-school recreational activities, and emphasize the importance exercised mediation by the teacher in criticize of these attitudes. This study used a distinction between the terms pre-concept and prejudice, as the first, based on Heller, represents an initial step in making the knowledge of any socially constructed phenomenon, while the second is defined not only as a construct without further consideration of that the facts are, but as a set of elements that oppress and discriminate pejoratively the difference, whether conscious or unconscious. Thus, the prejudice is composed of multiple grades. The data obtained in research support this distinction. Because of this, to conjecture the development cycle of prejudice, which can be divided into three stages: the difference pejorative labeling (1 Stage); breakdown of the difference (2 Stage), and maintenance of discriminatory attitudes even when there is awareness of the facts that contradict, namely the crystallization of prejudice (3 Stage). In pre-school, with rare exceptions, the manifestations prejudiced materializated in the first two phases, noting there is not the crystallization of prejudices, which gives importance the core mediations made by teaching in the architecture of social relations and more fraternal solidarity. Through these relationships are the children understand the difference not as inequality, but as the expression of humanity historic contained in the most diverse cultures, societies and human beings. The search ends highlighting the need for studies to investigate as appropriate children of prejudice from an early age, basic element for the establishment of a radical criticism about the processes by which exclusionary are involved several students in a present time. / Esta pesquisa partiu do pressuposto da existência de relações sociais preconceituosas manifestas por pré-escolares de 5 e 6 anos durante a prática de sua atividade principal, as brincadeiras e os jogos protagonizados. Partindo deste pressuposto, o objetivo geral da pesquisa consistiu em levantar indicativos de manifestações preconceituosas em crianças préescolares de 5 e 6 anos, na prática de sua atividade principal, e explicitar como as possíveis mediações estabelecidas pelas professoras, pela atividade e pelos próprios colegas exercem interferência no tipo de relação social assumida entre coetâneos. O estudo caracterizou-se como qualitativo, orientando-se por pressupostos do materialismo histórico, na perspectiva Histórico-Cultural de Vygotsky. A coleta de dados foi desenvolvida em uma pré-escola do interior do Estado de São Paulo, utilizando como instrumentos metodológicos filmagens, observações e anotações em diário de campo sobre a prática de atividades lúdicas por crianças de 5 e 6 anos, tendo como foco analítico a explicação de como elas, em virtude do complexo de mediações estabelecido por esta atividade, pelos colegas ou pelos professores, tomam para si conhecimentos estereotipados que rotulam pejorativamente a diferença, marca patente na construção do homem arquitetada em desígnios hierárquicos e homogeneizadores. Os resultados das filmagens foram divididos em quatro categorias: mediação, preconceito de gênero, preconceito de raça e preconceito de beleza, e apontaram para a existência de manifestações preconceituosas embasadas nessas categorias durante as atividades lúdicas préescolares, além de ressaltar a importância exercida pela mediação docente na contestação dessas atitudes. Neste trabalho utilizamos uma diferenciação entre os termos pré-conceito e preconceito, pois o primeiro, embasado em Heller, representa uma etapa inicial da tomada de conhecimento sobre qualquer fenômeno construído socialmente; já o segundo se define não apenas como um constructo sem maior ponderação dos fatos que o constituem, mas como um conjunto de elementos que oprime e discrimina pejorativamente a diferença, seja de forma consciente ou inconsciente. Dessa forma, o preconceito se compõe de múltiplas gradações. Os dados obtidos na pesquisa apóiam esta distinção. Em virtude disso, conjecturamos o ciclo de desenvolvimento do preconceito, que pode ser dividido em três etapas: rotulação pejorativa da diferença (1ª fase); discriminação da diferença (2ª fase); e manutenção das atitudes discriminatórias mesmo quando há consciência dos fatos que as contradizem, ou seja, a cristalização do preconceito (3ª fase). Na pré-escola, com raras exceções, as manifestações preconceituosas se concretizam na consubstanciação das duas primeiras fases, não se observando a cristalização dos preconceitos, o que dá importância crucial às mediações pedagógicas na arquitetura de relações sociais mais fraternas e solidárias. Por meio dessas relações as crianças passam a entender a diferença não como desigualdade, mas como a expressão histórica da humanidade contidas nas mais diversas culturas, sociedades e seres humanos. A pesquisa finaliza destacando a necessidade da realização de estudos que investiguem como as crianças se apropriam do preconceito desde a mais tenra idade, elemento basilar para o estabelecimento de uma crítica radical sobre os processos excludentes pelos quais são envolvidos diversos alunos e alunas hodiernamente.

Syftet med denna undersökning är att undersöka vad pedagoger har för tankar om hur och vart de arbetar med fysik i förskolan. Undersökningen handlar både om vad pedagoger har för syn på fysik och hur de upplever att det är att arbeta med det i förskolan. Undersökningen genomfördes med hjälp av kvalitativa semistrukturerade intervjuer och denna metod användes för att ge utrymme till att ställa följdfrågor under intervjuerna. Åtta pedagoger deltog i undersökningen. I resultatet framkommer bland annat att fysik är ett ämne som flera av pedagogerna upplever som svårt. Majoriteten av pedagogerna arbetar helst med lärarstyrda experiment och detta sker mestadels inomhus. Anledning till att de vill styra upp arbetet med fysik är att de då har möjlighet att i förväg förbereda experimenten. Sju av åtta pedagoger anser sig behöva vidareutbildning för att bli mer medvetna om vad fysik är och hur de kan jobba med det. / The aim of this study is to investigate pedagogues thoughts of how and where they work with physics in pre-school. The study is about pedagogues’ views of physics and also about their experiences working with it in pre-school. The study was conducted using qualitative semi structured interviews and this method was used to provide room to ask follow-up questions during the interviews. Eight pedagogues participated in the study. The result shows that physics, among other things, is a subject that several pedagogues find difficult. The majority of the pedagogues prefer to work with teacher-controlled experiments and most of the time this takes place indoors. The reason why they want to control the work with physics is because they then have time to prepare the experiments in advance. Seven of eight pedagogues believe they need further education to become more aware of what physics is and how they can work with it.

My diploma work is concerned with the themes of outdoor preschools and pre-school education. It searches for and is stemming from the similar subjects in foreign countries and within the Czech Republic. It shows what the benefits of children being outside are. It also searches and points out liabilities which are necessery to be taken into account. The work presents the used resources, which can lead to the foundation of the other outdoor preschools and their maintanence. The empirical study is managed as an action research. The first part of the practical section shows experiences of the outdoor preschools in general and it presents interviews with their pedagogues. The second part of the practical section deals with the opinion of experts and the non-professional community. Moving on, one then investigates the ideal level of achievement in separate competences in an ordinary preschool, and outdoor preschools. Further more, the next section is targeted at the expert's expectations and apprehensions about children staying at an outdoor preschool, taking into account their views in relation to outdoor preschools. Focus groups are being used to question the experts. The important part of the work is to analyse the legal enactments in relation to outdoor preschools motherly school.