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Stig Broström

Stig Broström School of Education Aarhus University Transition to school - Liberation or adjustment 18th EECERA Annual Conference 2008 Stavanger, Norway 3th – 6th September 2008 Reconsidering the Basics in Early Childhood Education Key Note Saturday 6th September 2008. Defining transition.

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Stig Broström

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  1. Stig Broström School of EducationAarhus UniversityTransition to school - Liberation or adjustment18th EECERA Annual Conference 2008Stavanger, Norway 3th – 6th September 2008 Reconsidering the Basics in Early Childhood EducationKey Note Saturday 6th September 2008

  2. Defining transition Transition can be seen as “being the passage from one place, stage, state, style or subject to another over time” Aline-Wendy & Hilary Fabian, 2004 The time between the first visit in the new educational context and the final setting in, and here the children experience a change of teachers and also a change of the group of children, and with that a change in relation to well-known peers and friends Inspired of Fabian, 2004; Kagan and Neuman, 1998; Niesel & Griebel 2007

  3. Forms of transitions Vertical transition: • From secure attachment in family to créche or preschool Thyssen 2000; Kiening 2002, Dali 2002; Clark 2007; Griebel & Niesel 2002 • From one age group to another • From preschool to school Dockett & Perry 2007;Griebel & Niesel 1999; Johansson 2002; Peters 2002; Dunlop 2002; Margetts 2002, 2007; Broström 2002, 2003, 2007; Corsaro & Molinari 2008; J. Einarsdóttir, 2006, 2003, 2002 • From preschool to leisure-time centre/after school Horizontal transition • The daily transition Dencik et al. 1989 • Transition from home to leisure-time centre/after and to school – and back again Johansson 2003, 2007

  4. Problems in transition • International research suggests that moving from preschool to school can be challenging, if not traumatic, for some children • Especially children with les-than-optimal-circumstances may be at even higher risk during this transition Broström 2002; Shore 1998; Wagner, 2003; Napier, 2002

  5. Problems in transition • When children enter school they meet a larger, physical environment • In preschool the children belong to the eldest group and in school they are forced to relate to older children • In school the social environment is much more complex • In school there are fewer adults • In school children have less autonomy • There is a shift in the academic demands of children • In sum “the demands go up and the support goes down” Fabian 2002, 2007; Merry 2007; Pienta, 2004

  6. Discontinuities between preschool and schools • Physical discontinuities Fabian 2002 • Social discontinuities Broström 2003; Fabian 2002 • Philosophical discontinuities • Broström 1999, 2001; Fabian 2002 • Communication discontinuity Broström et al 2000 • Discontinuity in children’s view on preschool and school Einarsdóttir 2003; Broström 2003; Lillemyr 2001

  7. Children’s view on school 5% of the children characterise school as an authoritarian place, where the teacher commands the children. A 6.5 years old boy to the question “What do you think, you will learn in school? “Draw correctly, do homework correctly, play correctly, play outside in a good matter, eat correctly, learn to play with plaything correctly. You will be scold, if you do not play correctly. If people do not like to play with me, you have to play with yourself. The teacher will smack” Broström 2003

  8. Well adjust to school Research on school start shows, that children who feel relaxed and well adjusted in school are much more likely, than children who do not feel well adjusted, to experience school success beyond preschool Thompsen 1975; Ladd & Priece 1987. Corresponding academic, social and emotional difficulties in school start persist into later life Belsky & MacKinnon 1994; Cowan et al. 1994; Dunlop 2000; Taylor 1998.

  9. Elements in transition Successful transition from preschool to school requires attention to several related elements: • The extend of the child’s school readiness • Support from parents, family and community • A system of high quality preschools • A teacher who is able to take the child’s perspective • Continuity in curricula • Communication between home and school • A welcoming environment for family and children Broström 2002

  10. Ecological transition model Pianta & Walsh 1996; Fabian & Dunlop 2000 (Inspired of Bronfenbrenner)

  11. Transition strategies/activities Griebel & Niesel 2007: • Pedagogical and programme continuity, curricula development • Administration continuity • Personal or professional interaction - ‘School groups’ in preschool - The school invites the parents - Lots of mutual visits during the year - A joint document defining school readiness - Meetings with parents about school readiness - Conferences on children’s readiness - Children and preschool teachers are involved in lessons in school - During spring the neighbourhood preschools have shared projects - A teacher from preschool follows the group of children in school - Formation of classes are done as regard to children’s friendship - Teaching in school on the basic of children’s portfolios Broström 2007

  12. Transition strategies/activities Neumann 2002: • Structural continuity - ECEC and school under same administrative auspice • Continuity with families and homes - Parents are invited to meeting before school start - Parents and children gets letters during the summer - Parents and children collect artefacts to the child’s portfolio Johanna Einarsdóttir, 2007

  13. Building bridges – a critical reflection • Too much support can result in helplessness • Trust in children’s agency James, Jenks & Proud 1998

  14. Economical and political demands • National policy The aim is to create coherence and continuity between different forms of care and education and secure continuity in transition… and must contribute to a harmonious transition to school and leisure-time centre Denmark, Ministry of Welfare, 2007 • European policy - The Treaty of Lisbon, EU, 2000 - The two Starting Strong reports, OECD, 2001, 2006 • International policy - Strong Foundations, UNESCO, 2007 recommends “to integrate ECEC more closely with primary school.”

  15. Economical and political demands EDUCATIONAL CHANGES A movement towards following tendencies: • An increasing use of standards and manuals • A use of narrow intermediate aims and indicatives in order to measure children’s return • A variation of evaluation batteries and test methods • Implementation of quality reports, which make the preschool teachers responsible for their work, accountability

  16. A critical preschool education and care A CRITICAL THEORY OF SOCIETY • Western neo-liberal democracy as ‘the end of history’, or? Fukuyama 1989 • The ‘Empire’ and the ‘Crowd’ Hardt & Negri 2000, 2006 The ‘Empire’ holds three dimensions: - En exclusive circle of the most powerful countries - Multinational companies - Non government organizations and other lobby org. The ‘Crowd’ - A manifold of productive and creative subjects

  17. A critical preschool education and care A CRITICAL THEORY OF SOCIETY Three political demands in order to develop a global direct democracy – a radical democracy: • The right of citizen ship of the world • The right to civic pay • The right to control means of production and also control of own body and consciousness Hardt & Negri 2000, 2006

  18. A critical preschool education and care A CRITICAL THEORY OF SOCIETY A demand of recognition on three levels Private sphere ⇒ Relations of love ⇒ Basic confidence ⇒ Physical integrity Sphere of legal relations⇒ Legally universal rights ⇒ Self respect ⇒ Social integrity Sphere of community of value⇒ Cultural and political communities⇒ Self esteem ⇒ Honour’ dignity Honneth 1995

  19. A critical preschool education and care A FIGHT FOR DEMOCRATIC MEETING PLACES A democratic meeting place is “a concrete set of learning conditions where people come together to speak, to dialogue, to share their stories, and to struggle together within social relations that strengthen rather than weaken the possibility for active citizen ship” Arend in Giroux 1997, s. 106

  20. A critical preschool education and care “Education should not only empower students by giving them the knowledge and skills they need to be able to function in the larger society as critical agents, but also educate them for the transformative action in the interest of creating a truly democratic society” Giroux, 1988 s. xxxiii

  21. A critical preschool education and care Two necessary tasks in order to go beyond a traditional adjustment to school: • Reflect on the educational aims, to formulate the long perspective: the future people in the future society • Formulate aspect of an educational content, which is in close connection to the overall aims; in other words the involvement of critical themes.

  22. A critical preschool education and care OVERALL DEMOCRATIC AIMS A legitimating basis for a critical and emancipatory education “Equip individuals to engage in active and democratic participation” The Treaty of Lisbon, 2000 ”Day care must give children possibility for participation in decision making and joint responsibility and understanding for democracy. More contribute to children’s autonomy and abilities to participate in binding social communities” Denmark: The ministry of Welfare 2007

  23. A critical preschool education and care THE EDUCATIONAL CONTENT Category Bildung and epoch typical problems: • War and peace • The North-South, East-West conflict • The problem of nationalism • The ecological problem • The social produced disparity • The danger and possibility of new management- and communications media. Klafki 1994

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