57 research outputs found
Infant and peer relationships in curriculum
No full textThe purpose of this thesis was to explore the relations between infants and their peers as they interacted intersubjectively with one another in an early childhood care and education environment and to investigate how the teacher was answerable through her engagement in these intersubjective events. Drawing upon a Bakhtinian methodological approach to research utterance was employed as my unit of analysis, providing a means to investigate the intersubjective interactions between infants and their peers in tandem with the teachers’ engagement in these interactions as answerable acts.
This thesis builds on a previous pilot study which utilised dialogic methodology to investigate the nature of infant and teacher dialogue in an education and care context (White, Peter & Redder, 2015). The research that formed the basis for my subsequent analysis took place in a New Zealand education and care centre that catered for children less than two years of age. In the present study the same polyphonic video recording was used to capture infant and peer intersubjective interactions and the teacher’s engagement within these events. A mixed methods research approach was employed to qualitatively and quantitatively analyse the video data.
The findings of this study suggest that infants are intersubjective agents in their relationships with peers and with teachers. Infants intentionally communicated with peers in lived relational experiences that were characterised by the fleeting, elongated or connected nature of their interactions. Mutual understanding, joint attention, attunement and the employment of synchronised language forms were features of infant ― peer intersubjective experiences. In addition, the findings revealed the capacity of infants and peers to relate with one another in social interactions that promote ‘dialogic spaces’ through which intersubjective relationships are sought.
When teachers engaged in the infant ― peer intersubjective relations they either restrained by ‘shutting’ down or sustained by ‘opening up’ the intersubjective experience for the peers. The teacher’s body language was a feature of their engagement that contributed in a variety of ways to the infant ― peer intersubjective experience. Indeed how teachers engaged themselves in the interactions that were taking place between infants and their peers often determined the orientation of the teacher’s body positioning. The findings suggest when teachers restrained infant ― peer intersubjective dialogue, this form of engagement had the potential to alter how infants related to peers in subsequent interactions, highlighting the importance of sensitive, ‘in tune’ teacher engagement. Furthermore, the results highlight the pivotal role of the teacher as a ‘connecting’ feature within infant and peer intersubjective experiences, one who has the potential to ‘open up’ dialogic spaces for infants and their peer partners through engagement that is dialogic.
These findings taken together may have implications for policymakers, educators and teacher education by ‘opening up’ dialogic spaces through which infants are seen as intersubjective agents and dialogic partners
FROM WISCONSIN TO EGYPT AND BACK AGAIN: A COMMENT ON BRIDGETTE BALDWIN’S ANALYSIS OF THE SHADOW WORK THESIS
No full textThis Article examines Bridgette Baldwin’s reworking of Ivan Illich’s notion of “shadow work.” Bridgette Baldwin’s article highlights the limits of shadow work’s definition – as unpaid labor in preparation for consumption. While the Author acknowledges that Illich’s identification of a shadow realm of consumption—and, by extension, production—is a powerful commentary and foreshadowing of our present times, he suggests that Bridgette Baldwin’s Article demonstrates how class still matters and how shadow work is not gender neutral. The Author posits that the full expanse of Illich’s shadow market can be seen by exploring the standpoint position of poor black and brown citizens. This Article brings to light the similarities between the “tough love,” privatization approach to welfare reform and recent attacks on collective bargaining, the dismantling of social programs, decreased contributions to healthcare, and the failure to create a large-scale jobs program—combined with increased tax cuts for the wealthy. Unfortunately, the welfare mother remains socio-economically central but conceptually marginal to the discontent expressed by a growing number of Americans. The Author cautions against ignoring the plight of the welfare mother while America builds a new political consciousness
Teacher pedagogy as an act of moral answerability: A self-study of an infant teacher's answerable acts in infant pedagogy in New Zealand ECEC
No full textTypically, educational research considers how teachers are ethically accountable to learners, their families, teacher colleagues and society as a whole. But this thesis set out to explore the extent to which teachers are also morally accountable for their pedagogical acts. My route to such insight drew upon the notion of moral answerability (Bakhtin, 1993), which invites dialogic processes of meaning-making between (my) pedagogical acts from multiple standpoints across time and space. As an infant teacher myself, I selected a self-study method aligned with dialogic methodology in order to connect (my) self, others and pedagogical practices in consideration of infant practice. This thesis is therefore based on the premise that teacher pedagogy is an act of moral answerability.
My self-study took place in a community based early childhood education and care (ECEC) service. Initially, I video recorded my practice engaging with infants which I took to separate staff meetings where footage was analysed by my teacher colleagues in dialogue with me. Subsequently, I analysed the staff meeting dialogue. Bakhtin’s notion of moral answerability was applied as the unit of analysis in order to analyse pedagogy as an act of moral answerability.
Insights from (my) dialogic self-study have revealed that as an answerable self I have numerous accountabilities to different selves in relation to others. These accountabilities were evident in the way I exposed (my) answerable self in the dialogue, upheld the best interests of infants, ensured infants’ perspectives were taken into account, and was aware of not denying my subjectivity. The discovery that as a teacher I am an answerable self in relationship with others, summons a re-conceptualisation of professional identity as a plural concept. This challenges the traditional conceptualisation of professional identity as singular, in ownership of a defined set of assets valued by the teaching profession
School-based cbt for anxiety in adolescents with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders: a comparison of the pragmatic case studies of brian and bridgette
No full textWhile a significant body of literature demonstrates the efficacy of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) in treating child and adolescent anxiety, relatively little research has examined its application in youth with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Previous studies suggest that enhanced CBT benefits this population, but additional information is needed to guide the development and delivery of individualized interventions in natural settings. Towards this end, this project consists of pragmatic case studies of CBT therapy with two 15-year-old adolescents, “Brian” and Bridgette,” who both have ASD—although with different levels of severity, and comorbid anxiety disorder. Together the clients exemplify the diversity and complexity of the needs of relatively high functioning adolescents with the combination of these disorders. The case studies are designed to examine the adaptation of empirically supported practices in order to appropriately address common and idiosyncratic features of ASD within school-based mental health service delivery. The sequence of the clients is noteworthy. Brian, the higher functioning client, was seen short-term for 8 sessions; and a year later, clinical lessons learned from Brian’s therapy were applied to the design of the longer-term treatment of 65 sessions over two years for Bridgette, the lower functioning client. A qualitative and quantitative evaluation of therapy processes and outcomes offers insight into the particular intervention strategies and modifications that helped each client. The benefits and barriers of school-based mental health service delivery are considered.Psy.D.Includes bibliographical referencesby Arielle S. Gartenber
Implicating teachers in infant–peer relationships: Teacher answerability through alteric acts
No full textWhile academic attention is now being paid to infant–peer relationships in early childhood education and care settings and the role of teachers in these interactions, research is inclined to emphasise the importance of shared understanding as a feature in infant–peer relationships. As such, little research attention has been given to the alteric potential of the teacher when she or he engages in infant–peer relationships. This article draws on a dialogic analysis of infants in a New Zealand early childhood education and care setting to argue that infant relationships with their peers can be radically altered by the presence and participation of teachers. The results highlight the pivotal role of the teacher as a connecting figure within and between infant–peer experiences – one that has the potential to significantly impact on the nature of relationships between infants and peers. The study highlights the alteric potential for teachers within infant–peer dialogues, and the significance of these engagements accordingly, and concludes by suggesting that teachers are fully implicated in infant–peer relationships, since the dialogic space posits that there is no alibi!</jats:p
Proximity with under two-year-olds in early childhood education: a silent pedagogical encounter
No full textA Dialogic Approach to Understanding Infant Interactions
No full textQuality infant interactions with teachers and peers are now considered to be central to infant learning in early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings (see Dalli et al. 2011; Delafield-Butt and Trevarthen 2013; Mathers et al. 2014). Although this imperative is a fairly new development arising from an increase in infant attendance in ECEC across many parts of the globe (Dalli and White 2016; Degotardi and Pearson 2014; García-Carrión and Villardón-Gallego 2016), the importance of infant interactions with ‘significant others’ has long been highlighted in psychology research (see, e.g. Reddy and Trevarthen 2004). The significance of adult-infant interactions is consistently echoed in recent policy documents articulating the foundations for infant learning, development and emotional well-being (see, e.g. Dalli et al. 2011; Mathers et al. 2014). While a great deal might now be asserted about the importance of infant interactions for learning, these claims are largely extrapolated from observations undertaken by researchers outside of the field (e.g. in laboratories where a focus on mother-infant dyads is evident) and not in the locale of ECEC settings. Associated insights are therefore seldom interpreted from the point of view of nonfamilial adults who work with infants (e.g. ECEC teachers) or from the visual perspectives of infants themselves and their peers. In contrast, our investigation took place in a high-quality infant education and care setting in New Zealand which catered for a maximum of 9 under 2-year-old infants at any one time. The service’s most recent external review specifically acknowledged the high-quality nature of teacher-infant interactions. We considered that this was a rich and relevant context for understanding infant interactions in ECEC
A Beautiful Risk Enacted:Editorial: Pedagogical Provocations
No full textThis editorial explores education as a beautiful risk and its embodiment in the Association of Visual Pedagogies (avp) Twitter Conference. The conference aimed to co-construct visual pedagogical provocations and engage participants through Twitter. The authors formed a diverse organizing team and leveraged their strengths in technology, pedagogies, global networking, and organization to create an invitational dialogue. Twitter was recognized as a powerful tool for professional networking and accessible resource for conference participation. The call for visual pedagogical provocations generated diverse responses across educational sectors, fostering connections and expanding visual pedagogy possibilities. The conference showcased various visual forms, challenging conventional notions of pedagogy. It inspired a community of practice, with participants sharing artistic, informative, and thought-provoking contributions. This editorial concludes by sharing a video compilation of selected provocations, inviting readers to explore the transformative potential of visual pedagogy.</p
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