This book investigates the position of young children’s self-determination within a range of social contexts, such as education, social care, mass-media, health, politics, law and the family. It brings to the fore the voices of the children in the present, with their interests, agendas and rights. Based on original primary research, the chapters tackle hegemonic discourses on children’s self-determination as well as current policies and practices. They address a broad range of topics, from the planning of role-play to national policies, from the use of digital technologies for pedagogy to children’s health and well-being, and from democratic practices in the classroom to the preservation of traditional family values. The book presents case studies to unravel how childhood and young children’s self-determination are constructed at the intersection with intergenerational relationships. Coming from different disciplines and using a diverse range of methodological traditions, the contributions in the volume eventually converge to generate a rich, complex and multi-layered analysis of contemporary cultures of childhood and young children’s rights.

This book investigates the position of young children's self-determination within a range of social contexts, such as education, social care, mass-media, health, politics, law and the family. It brings to the fore the voices of the children in the present, with their interests, agendas and rights. Based on original primary research, the chapters tackle hegemonic discourses on children's self-determination as well as current policies and practices. They address a broad range of topics, from the planning of role-play to national policies, from the use of digital technologies for pedagogy to children's health and well-being, and from democratic practices in the classroom to the preservation of traditional family values. The book presents case studies to unravel how childhood and young children's self-determination are constructed at the intersection with intergenerational relationships. Coming from different disciplines and using a diverse range of methodological traditions, the contributions in the volume eventually converge to generate a rich, complex and multi-layered analysis of contemporary cultures of childhood and young children's rights.

This book introduces the use of facilitation to support children’s agency in the classroom as authors of knowledge. The authors draw on research undertaken in two Year Three classrooms, in which children were invited to share photographs in a workshop to facilitate the sharing and creation of narratives. Motivated by the idea that elevating children’s status to constructors of knowledge is essential for a pedagogy of authentic listening, understandings of childhood are challenged in relation to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the tension between self-determination and the protection of children. The book will be of interest to academics, students and practitioners in the areas of education, early childhood studies, sociology of childhood, social work, children’s rights and educational management.

Furthering dialogues around the applied relevance of key principles in childhood studies, this diverse edited collection is an important contribution to the fields of education, sociology, childcare and youth policy and practice.

Peer Relationships in Early Childhood Education and Care brings together a wide range of perspectives and research locating young children’s relationships in the context of socio-cultural theories and relational pedagogy.

Friedrich Froebel (1782 – 1852), the inventor of kindergarten, was one of the most influential educational thinkers of the 19th century. This book showcases the cutting-edge work being undertaken around the world inspired by this pioneer of early childhood education and shows the many ways in which Froebel's work has been applied and extended. It presents a wealth of Froebelian expertise on topics including pedagogy and curriculum, history, architecture, neuroscience, peace and religious education and links Froebel's theories to other thinkers including John Dewey, Michel Foucault, Paulo Freire, Aili Helenius and Chen Heqin. It highlights what Froebel means today in a variety of settings around the world and includes contributions from academics and practitioners based in North and South America, Europe, Australasia, Africa and Asia.

Pedagogical leadership views leadership as something separate from formal authority or qualifications, seeing educators' understanding, interpretation and passion as the key lever for continuous improvement in early childhood education (ECE). This book shows how effective pedagogical leadership can create the right conditions for quality ECE provision, to increase motivation and engagement among staff, and impact positively on staff recruitment and retention. Written by a team of international experts based in Australia, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Greece, Finland, Norway, Sweden, the UK and the USA, this book explores pedagogical leadership in ECE in-depth and through an international lens. The chapters address questions including: what is pedagogic leadership?; what does it look like?; what impact can pedagogic leadership have on the everyday work of nurseries and other ECE providers? The contributors cover a range of topics including trauma-responsive pedagogy, child-initiated pedagogies, conflict management, change management theory and social leadership theory.