Can the Ambition to Individualize Pedagogy Limit the Children in Preschool?

• In Event: Roundtable Session 18
  In Roundtable Session: Rethinking and Translating Early Childhood Education Traditions

Abstract

At two Swedish universities critical perspectives on gender and science were integrated as part of preschool teacher science courses. In one assignment 45 preservice teachers described and reflected upon episodes in their pre-school placements where they judged gender to be of importance and impacted the children’s science and technology learning. Two main themes regarding the view of children were identified: (1) children have a stable core identity and should be supported to ‘be who they are’, or (2) children are a “jack-of-all-trades” with potential interests in a variety of subject matter topics and that these interests could be supported by teachers. We will discuss how the different themes may affect preservice teachers’ strategies to challenge children’s stereotypical gender patterns.

Authors

• Annica Gullberg, University of Gävle

• Kristina Andersson, Uppsala University

• Anita Hussenius, Uppsala University

• Anna T. Danielsson, Uppsala University

• Kathryn Scantlebury, University of Delaware