Early Childhood Pedagogies
Creating Spaces for Young Children to Flourish

Diverse international perspectives on the ways in which young children?s learning and care may be supported converge in this book. Traversing the field of early childhood education and care from its established philosophical underpinnings to 21st century research, policies, and practices, the contributions to this volume draw together past and present discourses as a basis for shaping future trajectories.

In spite of a growing international consensus on the strong influence of early childhood experiences on lifetime outcomes, the nineteen chapters reveal contemporary early childhood pedagogy as a collection of spaces characterised by plurality, complexity, and dissonance. These characteristics signal the importance of recognising early childhood pedagogies: multiple models of practice for the many diverse learning and care contexts that have the capacity to value young children as individuals and enable each to flourish now and throughout their lives. Moreover, such characteristics disrupt notions that a single ?optimal? early childhood pedagogy is either possible or desirable.

This exciting global collection of empirical research reports and discursive papers provides inspiration to spark new reflections, fresh debates, and innovative endeavours among early childhood students, practitioners, researchers, and policymakers around the world. This book was originally published as a special issue of Early Child Development and Care.

1. Early childhood pedagogies: spaces for young children to flourish2. Who cares? Infant educators’ responses to professional discourses of care3. Maternal thinking and beyond: towards a care-full pedagogy for early childhood4. Pedagogy with babies: perspectives of eight nursery managers5. Proximity with under two-year-olds in early childhood education: a silent pedagogical encounter6. Pedagogical positioning in play – teachers being inside and outside of children’s imaginary play7. Child-initiated pedagogies in Finland, Estonia and England: exploring young children’s views on decisions8. Children’s agentive orientations in play-based and academically focused preschools in Hong Kong9. Estonian preschool teachers’ aspirations for curricular autonomy – the gap between an ideal and professional practice10. Can we have an international approach to child-centred early childhood practice?11. Developmentally universal practice: visioning innovative early childhood pedagogy for meeting the needs of diverse learners12. An international perspective on value learning in the kindergarten – exemplified by the value forgiveness13. Integrating praxeology: engaging early childhood students in service-learning pedagogy 14. Being a tour guide or travel companion on the children’s knowledge journey15. Family pedagogy: parent–child interaction in shared book reading16. Age group, location or pedagogue: factors affecting parental choice of kindergartens in Hungary17. ‘Pedagogic Strategies’: a conceptual framework for effective parent and practitioner strategies when working with children under five18. Preschool teachers’ perceptions of children’s rough-and-tumble play (R&T) in indoor and outdoor environments19. Outdoor play in preschools in England and South Korea: learning from polyvocal methods

Jane Murray is an Associate Professor at the Centre for Education and Research at the University of Northampton, UK. Previously an early childhood teacher, she teaches, researches, and writes in the fields of early childhood and education, with particular focus on children’s agency and social justice. Her work includes projects with UNICEF and with governments in countries including Georgia, Ethiopia, and Bhutan.