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What’s special about teaching and learning in the first years? Investigating the “what, hows and whys” of relational pedagogy with infants and toddlers

Funding year: 
2008
Duration:
2 years
Organisation: 
Victoria University of Wellington
Sector: 
ECE sector
Project start date: 
January 2009
Project end date: 
January 2011
Principal investigator(s): 
Dr. Carmen Dalli
Research team members: 
Janita Craw, AUT; Dr Iris Duhn and Jean Rockel; University of Auckland; Keryn Doyle, VUW.
Research partners: 
Victoria University of Wellington; University of Auckland; AUT University; Ania Wojcikowski; Annett MacIsaac; Brenda Chandler; Chitra Arunachalam; Hayley Flack; Julia Smith; Julie Peal; Katherine Bussey; Lian Henry; Lisa Quinlin; Marianne Signal, and Vanessa Brittaina, from variety of urban early childhood centres in Auckland and Wellington.

Project Description

What is special about teaching infants and toddlers? How can the “what, hows and whys” of infant toddler pedagogy be articulated and enhanced to support learning? These questions were at the heart of a two year study in which researchers teamed up with teachers in five infant and toddler centres in Auckland and Wellington to gather practice-based evidence about pedagogy as the art and science of teaching and learning in this under-researched area of early childhood education and care.

Publications

Duhn, I 2015, 'Making agency matter: rethinking infant and toddler agency in educational discourse' Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, vol 36, no. 6, pp. 920 - 931. DOI: 10.1080/01596306.2014.918535

Dalli, C., & Doyle, K. (2011). Eyes wide open. How teachers of infants and toddlers recognise learning. The First Years. New Zealand Journal of Infant and Toddler Education,13 (2), 15-18.  (3 columns per page)

Rockel, J. & Craw, J. (2011). Unpacking discourses of (un)happiness in infant and toddler teacher narratives. New Zealand Research in Early childhood Education, 14, 121-131.

Dalli, C. (2017). Tensions and challenges in Professional Practice with under-threes: A New Zealand reflection on early childhood professionalism as a systemic phenomenon. In E.J. White & C. Dalli (Eds). Policy and Pedagogy with under-three-year olds. (pp. 115-129). Dordrecht. Springer.

Conference presentations

2009

Craw, J., Dalli, C., Duhn, I., Rockel, J. (2009). Infants and toddlers as learners. Joint paper presentation at the NZARE Annual Conference, Rotorua, 30 Nov- 4 Dec.

Craw, J., Dalli, C., Duhn, I., Rockel, J. (2009). Research methodology in the Infants and Toddlers as Learners project. Presentation and conversation contribution to the ECE Hui, NZARE Annual Conference, Rotorua, 30 Nov-4 Dec

Dalli, C., Rockel, J., Craw, J.,  Doyle, K.,  & Duhn, I. Infants and toddlers as learniers. Pedagogy in the first years.  Paper presented at the NZARE Annual Conference, Rotorua, 30 Nov- 4 Dec.

2010

Dalli, C., & Doyle, K. (2010). Infants and toddlers as learners: Mapping themes and discourses. Paper presented at European Early Childhood Education Research Association Annual Conference, 5-8 September, University of Birmingham, England.

Rockel, J., & Craw, J. (2010). Unpacking discourses of (un)happiness in teacher narratives. Paper presented at European Early Childhood Education Research Association Annual Conference, 5-8 September, University of Birmingham, England.

Duhn, I. (2010). Who cares: relationships in infant and toddler pedagogy. Paper presented at European Early Childhood Education Research Association Annual Conference,  5-8 September, University of Birmingham, England.

Other Presentations

Dalli, C. (2016). Infants and toddlers as learners: Teachers’ perspectives. Seminar presentation at the Thomas Coram Research Unit, University College London, London, England. 12 April.