Contemporary Childhood and the Institutional Context

U novije se vrijeme istraživanju djeteta i djetinjstva kao društvenom i kulturnom fenomenu pristupa s pozicija multidimenzionalnosti i iznimne kompleksnosti. Djetinjstvo, nasuprot razmišljanju većine odraslih, nije izoliran, zaštićen, dobro kontroliran i predvidljiv način vođenja djeteta prema svijetu odraslih. Djetinjstvo se usredotočuje više na generalnu percepciju djeteta i sugerira postojanje posebne, odvojene i fundamentalno različite društvene grupe i kategorije. Status djeteta osmišljen od odraslih i njegov kulturološki i povijesno određeni konstrukt mijenja se i varira od njegova definiranja fizičkom i/ili spolnom zrelošću, pravnim statusom ili dobnom pripadnošću. Koncept djeteta i djetinjstva bavi se pojedincem kojeg obično definiramo s pozicije odrasle osobe. Dvije krajnje perspektive djeteta i djetinjstva vezane su uz koncept usmjeren na oblikovanje, modeliranje, izgrađivanje, poželjnu socijalizaciju ili naglašavanje koncepta prema kojem se dijete razmatra kao glavni agens djetinjstava. Institucijski predškolski kontekst sa svim svojim segmentima (kulturom, kurikulom, materijalnim i socijalnim odrednicama) može poticati i osnaživati ili smanjivati sve one prednosti i potencijale koje djetinjstvo nosi. U tom smislu djetinjstvo ne postoji izvan društvenog konteksta, a njegova refleksivna reprezentacija dolazi do izražaja u dinamičnim odnosima i divergentno strukturiranim odgojno-obrazovnim uvjetima.Recently, research on the child and childhood as a social and cultural phenomenon has been approached from the position of multidimensionality and extreme complexity. Childhood, as opposed to the beliefs of the majority of adults, is not an isolated, protected, well controlled and predictable manner of guiding a child towards the adult world. Childhood is more focused on the general perception of child and suggests the existence of a special, separate and fundamentally different social group and category. A child’s status as seen from the adult view and its culturally and historically defined construct changes and varies with its definition of the physical and/or sexual maturity, legal status or age group affiliation. The concept of child and childhood deals with the individual, usually defined from the point of view of an adult person. Two extreme views of children and childhood are related to the concept of designing, modeling, building and desirable socialization, or emphasizing the concept where a child is considered as the main agent of childhood. The institutional preschool context with all its segments (culture, curriculum, financial and social determinants) can encourage, empower or reduce all those advantages and potentials that childhood carries. In that sense, childhood does not exist beyond the social context, and its reflexive representation becomes evident in the dynamic relationships and divergently structured educational conditions

Communication between the teacher and children in play and structured activities

Komunikacija odgajatelja i djece složena je i vrlo suptilna intersubjektivna forma pedagoškog procesa. Raspon razina intervencija odgajatelja može se kretati od vođenja i instruiranja preko usmjeravanja i moderiranja do neizražavanja interesa za dječje akcije. Njezina usmjerenost, razina vođenja i reciprociteta i dinamika implicitno otkriva vrijednosna utemeljenja odgajatelja u pedagoškoj praksi. Prikazano akcijsko istraživanje pokazalo je svu složenost komunikacijskog procesa u igri kao „najslobodnijoj“ i strukturiranim aktivnostima kao ekstrinzično motiviranim organizacijskim formama. Predmet istraživanja bilo je prepoznavanje, otkrivanje i analiziranje situacija u kojima odgajatelj koristi aktualni interes i motivaciju djeteta, uočava nemogućnost samostalnog rješavanja problema zbog nerazvijenih kompetencija te suptilno vodi dijete prema višoj razini zadatka. Međuovisnost aktera koji iniciraju i razvijaju različito strukturirane aktivnosti predstavlja svu dinamičnost pedagoškog procesa. Valjana procjena učinkovitih strategija i tehnika važan je dio odgajateljevih profesionalnih kompetencija.Communication between the teacher and children is a complex and very subtle intersubjective form of pedagogical process. The span of intervention levels of the teacher can range from leading and instructing, through guiding and moderating to not expressing interest in child’s actions. Its directionality, the level of guidance, reciprocity and dynamics implicitly reveal the value foundations of the teachers in pedagogical praxis. rThe presented action research has shown all the complexity of the communication process in the play as “the freest” and in structured activities as extrinsically motivated organizational forms. The subject-matter of the research was the identification, detection and analysis of the situations in which the teacher uses the actual interest and motivation of a child, notices the inability of independent problem solving due to undeveloped competences and thus subtly leads the child towards a higher level of task. The interdependence of actors which initiate and develop differently structured activities represents the entire dynamics of the pedagogical process. A valid assessment of efficient strategies and techniques is an integral part of teacher’s professional competences

Initialausbildung und professionelle Entwicklung der Erzieher

Formalno, neformalno i informalno pripremanje za područje praktičnog odgojno-obrazovnog procesa mora biti integralni dio inicijalnog obrazovanja i kasnijeg profesionalnog razvoja i napredovanja odgajatelja. U radu se razmatra aktualni diskontinuitet između ta dva područja profesionalnog razvoja odgajatelja koji se razmatra u svjetlu neadekvatne (prvenstveno metodičke) inicijalne pripreme budućih odgajatelja i nepredvidljive i kompleksne pedagoške prakse. Teorijska, profesionalna i stručna znanja odgajatelja trebala bi biti međusobno komplementarna i činiti nedjeljivu cjelinu izgrađenu tijekom formalnog obrazovanja i kasnijeg cjeloživotnog učenja i obrazovanja koje se može realizirati u okviru pojedinačnog profesionalnog razvoja pojedinca i/ili tijekom zajedničkog istraživanja prakse odgajatelja s ostalim profesionalcima (refleksivna praksa). Profesionalni razvoj odgajatelja ne može biti defi niran samoinicirajućim sporadičnim intervencijama, nego sustavnim i kontinuiranim aktivnostima koje su istovremeno usmjerene na osobno ali i kolektivno mikroistraživanje, te čine značajan dio individualnog i specifi čnog profesionalnog i akademskog razvoja.Formal, non-formal and informal training for the practical aspect of the educational process has to be an integral part of the initial education and subsequent professional development and progress of pre-school teachers. Th is paper discusses the current discontinuity between these two areas of professional development of pre-school teachers in the light of inadequate (primarily methodical) initial training of future pre-school teachers and the unforeseeable and complex pedagogical practice. Th e theoretical, professional and occupational knowledge the pre-school teachers have should complement each other and form an indivisible whole that is built up during the process of formal education and the subsequent lifelong learning and education achievable through the professional development of an individual and/or during joint practical explorations conducted by pre-school teachers and other professionals (reflexive practice). Professional teacher development cannot be defi ned by self-initiated occasional interventions, but by systematic and continual activities oriented, at the same time, towards the personal and the collective micro-scale exploration and which represent a significant segment of individual and specific professional and academic development.Formale und informale Vorbereitung für die praktische Erziehungs-und Bildungstätigkeit soll einen integralen Bestandteil der Initialausbildung und späteren berufl ichen Weiterbildung und Förderung von Erziehern bilden. In der Arbeit wird die aktuelle Diskontinuität zwischen diesen zwei Bereichen der professionellen Entwicklung der Erzieher im Lichte der (vor allem methodisch) unangemessenen Initialvorbereitung der künft igen Erzieher und unvorhersehbaren und komplexen pädagogischen Praxis erörtert. Theorie-, Berufs- und Fachkenntnisse der Erzieher sollten sich gegenseitig ergänzen und ein unzertrennliches Ganzes bilden, das während der formalen Ausbildung und der späteren lebenslangen Weiterbildung bzw. des lebenslangen Lernens sich formt und im Rahmen der persönlichen professionellen Entwicklung und/oder während der gemeinsamen Erforschung der Erziehungspraxis mit anderen Experten verwirklicht wird (refl exive Praxis). Die professionelle Entwicklung der Erzieher kann nicht nur durch selbstangeregte Zufallsinterventionen, sondern durch systematische und kontinuierliche Aktivitäten defi niert werden, welche gleichzeitig sowohl auf die persönliche als auch kollektive Mikrountersuchungen zielen und einen wichtigen Bestandteil der individuellen und spezifi schen berufl ichen und akademischen Entwicklung darstellen. In diesem Prozes

Suvremeno djetinjstvo i institucijski kontekst

Recently, research on the child and childhood as a social and cultural phenomenon has been approached from the position of multidimensionality and extreme complexity. Childhood, as opposed to the beliefs of the majority of adults, is not an isolated, protected, well controlled and predictable manner of guiding a child towards the adult world. Childhood is more focused on the general perception of child and suggests the existence of a special, separate and fundamentally different social group and category. A child’s status as seen from the adult view and its culturally and historically defined construct changes and varies with its definition of the physical and/or sexual maturity, legal status or age group affiliation. The concept of child and childhood deals with the individual, usually defined from the point of view of an adult person. Two extreme views of children and childhood are related to the concept of designing, modeling, building and desirable socialization, or emphasizing the concept where a child is considered as the main agent of childhood. The institutional preschool context with all its segments (culture, curriculum, financial and social determinants) can encourage, empower or reduce all those advantages and potentials that childhood carries. In that sense, childhood does not exist beyond the social context, and its reflexive representation becomes evident in the dynamic relationships and divergently structured educational conditions.U novije se vrijeme istraživanju djeteta i djetinjstva kao društvenom i kulturnom fenomenu pristupa s pozicija multidimenzionalnosti i iznimne kompleksnosti. Djetinjstvo, nasuprot razmišljanju većine odraslih, nije izoliran, zaštićen, dobro kontroliran i predvidljiv način vođenja djeteta prema svijetu odraslih. Djetinjstvo se usredotočuje više na generalnu percepciju djeteta i sugerira postojanje posebne, odvojene i fundamentalno različite društvene grupe i kategorije. Status djeteta osmišljen od odraslih i njegov kulturološki i povijesno određeni konstrukt mijenja se i varira od njegova definiranja fizičkom i/ili spolnom zrelošću, pravnim statusom ili dobnom pripadnošću. Koncept djeteta i djetinjstva bavi se pojedincem kojeg obično definiramo s pozicije odrasle osobe. Dvije krajnje perspektive djeteta i djetinjstva vezane su uz koncept usmjeren na oblikovanje, modeliranje, izgrađivanje, poželjnu socijalizaciju ili naglašavanje koncepta prema kojem se dijete razmatra kao glavni agens djetinjstava. Institucijski predškolski kontekst sa svim svojim segmentima (kulturom, kurikulom, materijalnim i socijalnim odrednicama) može poticati i osnaživati ili smanjivati sve one prednosti i potencijale koje djetinjstvo nosi. U tom smislu djetinjstvo ne postoji izvan društvenog konteksta, a njegova refleksivna reprezentacija dolazi do izražaja u dinamičnim odnosima i divergentno strukturiranim odgojno-obrazovnim uvjetima

Playing - Medium for Understanding, Interpreting and Transforming Immediate Reality

Fundamentalno proučavanje ili konceptualizacija razvoja i učenja djece rane i predškolske dobi nužno uzima u obzir dječju igru kao medij koji dopušta imaginarnu transformaciju djetetovih opservacija i razumijevanja neposredne stvarnosti. U igri se stvarnost metaforički interpretira i prezentira uz pomoć alternativnih scenarija, a aktualna događanja i iskustva djeca nanovo se transformiraju i variraju. Igra je socijalna praksa (događa se u kooperaciji s drugima ili uz pomoć uvjeta koje drugi stvaraju) i kao takva specifičan je oblik socio-kulturne stvarnosti u kojoj dijete zbog nemogućnosti potpunog razumijevanja i participiranja samo djelomično objektivno reflektira svoj realni prostor, a više ga interpretira i „mijenja". Dijete restrukturira iskustvo i svakodnevnu stvarnost u imaginarnom svijetu igre, ali gotovo uvijek s prepoznatljivim socijalnim pravilima i uz kontrolu događanja. Svakodnevni realni kontekst ustanove trebao bi biti uređen tako da omogućuje slobodno izražavanje i ekspresiju dječjih iskustava, kao i izgrađivanje socijalnih kapaciteta koji će omogućiti bolju participaciju u različitim socijalnim grupama.The fundamental study or conceptualization of the development and learning of early and preschool aged children necessarily takes into consideration children's play as a medium that allows imaginative transformation of the child's observation and understanding of immediate reality. While playing, the reality is metaphorically interpreted and presented with the help of alternative scenarios, while the actual events and experiences are being re-transformed and they vary from the child's perspective. Playing is a social practice (it occurs in cooperation with others and/or with the help of conditions that others create), and as such it is a specific mode of a socio-cultural reality in which the child, due to its incapability of total understanding and only partial participation, objectively reflects its real space and it interprets and ‘'changes‘' it a lot more. A child reconstructs its experience and day to day reality in an imaginary world of play, but almost always including recognizable social rules and under control of events. The daily authentic institutional context should be arranged in a way that it allows free elaboration and expression of children's experiences and which builds and develops social capacities that will allow better participation in various social groups. Playing - the medium for understanding, interpreting and transforming immediate realit

Pozicioniranje suvremenog odgojitelja u pedagogijskoj teoriji i praksi

In ontogenetic development, the child is a unique and specific being. In addition to his/her personal biography, s/he is also defined by general social visions and values. Significant in this regard are Vygotsky’s (1996) attempts to confirm the thesis on the close relationship between the cultural and historical context in which children live with someone, between the child and childhood, his/her activities, or the pace and the quality of progress. New social studies of childhood (be they from a historical or social perspective) and the prevailing concept of childhood show that children’s lives are shaped by the social and cultural expectations of adults. The image of childhood should not be dismissed as a critical period which represents narrow “windows” of time in which a specific part of the body is most sensitive to the absence of stimuli (deprivation) or the impact of the environment (enriched environment). The paper will examine some of the contradictions and unacceptable tendencies that occur in the interpretation and implementation of a modern paradigm of early and preschool education, and education in the area of educational practice. In particular, the analysis will relate to the position of teachers in the process of children’s activities from the perspective of their teaching and development. The evaluation of teachers’ specific positioning within dynamic practical areas is a reflection of their current personal and professional competencies, as well as their overall professional habitus.U ontogenetskom razvoju dijete je jedinstveno i specifično biće, osim osobnom biografijom definirano i generalnim društvenim vizijama i vrijednostima. U tom smislu važno je stajalište Vygotskog (1996) kojim se nastoji potvrditi teza o tijesnoj povezanosti kulturno-povijesnog konteksta u kojem djeca žive s nekim, djetetu i djetinjstvu svojstvenim, aktivnostima ili tempom i kvalitetom napredovanja. Nove socijalne studije djetinjstva (bilo da su iz povijesne ili društvene perspektive) i prevladavajući koncept djetinjstva pokazao je da živote djece oblikuju socijalna i kulturna očekivanja odraslih. Ne smije se zanemariti slika djetinjstva kao kritičkog razdoblja koje predstavlja uske “prozore” vremena u kojem je određeni dio tijela najosjetljiviji na odsustvo podražaja (deprivacija) ili na utjecaj iz okoline (obogaćena sredina). U radu će se problematizirati neke kontradikcije i neprihvatljive tendencije koje se javljaju u interpretiranju i implementiranju suvremene paradigme ranog i predškolskog odgoja i obrazovanja na područje pedagoške prakse. Analiza će se posebno odnositi na poziciju odgojitelja u procesu dječjih aktivnosti s aspekta djetetova učenja i razvoja. Procjena o konkretnom pozicioniranju unutar dinamičnog praktičnog područja odraz je aktualnih osobnih i stručnih kompetencija i cjelokupnog profesionalnog habitusa odgojitelja

Igra – medij razumijevanja, interpretacije i transformacije neposredne stvarnosti

The fundamental study or conceptualization of the development and learning of early and preschool aged children necessarily takes into consideration children\u27s play as a medium that allows imaginative transformation of the child\u27s observation and understanding of immediate reality. While playing, the reality is metaphorically interpreted and presented with the help of alternative scenarios, while the actual events and experiences are being re-transformed and they vary from the child\u27s perspective. Playing is a social practice (it occurs in cooperation with others and/or with the help of conditions that others create), and as such it is a specific mode of a socio-cultural reality in which the child, due to its incapability of total understanding and only partial participation, objectively reflects its real space and it interprets and ‘\u27changes‘\u27 it a lot more. A child reconstructs its experience and day to day reality in an imaginary world of play, but almost always including recognizable social rules and under control of events. The daily authentic institutional context should be arranged in a way that it allows free elaboration and expression of children\u27s experiences and which builds and develops social capacities that will allow better participation in various social groups. Playing - the medium for understanding, interpreting and transforming immediate realityFundamentalno proučavanje ili konceptualizacija razvoja i učenja djece rane i predškolske dobi nužno uzima u obzir dječju igru kao medij koji dopušta imaginarnu transformaciju djetetovih opservacija i razumijevanja neposredne stvarnosti. U igri se stvarnost metaforički interpretira i prezentira uz pomoć alternativnih scenarija, a aktualna događanja i iskustva djeca nanovo se transformiraju i variraju. Igra je socijalna praksa (događa se u kooperaciji s drugima ili uz pomoć uvjeta koje drugi stvaraju) i kao takva specifičan je oblik socio-kulturne stvarnosti u kojoj dijete zbog nemogućnosti potpunog razumijevanja i participiranja samo djelomično objektivno reflektira svoj realni prostor, a više ga interpretira i „mijenja". Dijete restrukturira iskustvo i svakodnevnu stvarnost u imaginarnom svijetu igre, ali gotovo uvijek s prepoznatljivim socijalnim pravilima i uz kontrolu događanja. Svakodnevni realni kontekst ustanove trebao bi biti uređen tako da omogućuje slobodno izražavanje i ekspresiju dječjih iskustava, kao i izgrađivanje socijalnih kapaciteta koji će omogućiti bolju participaciju u različitim socijalnim grupama

Igra – medij razumijevanja, interpretacije i transformacije neposredne stvarnosti

The fundamental study or conceptualization of the development and learning of early and preschool aged children necessarily takes into consideration children\u27s play as a medium that allows imaginative transformation of the child\u27s observation and understanding of immediate reality. While playing, the reality is metaphorically interpreted and presented with the help of alternative scenarios, while the actual events and experiences are being re-transformed and they vary from the child\u27s perspective. Playing is a social practice (it occurs in cooperation with others and/or with the help of conditions that others create), and as such it is a specific mode of a socio-cultural reality in which the child, due to its incapability of total understanding and only partial participation, objectively reflects its real space and it interprets and ‘\u27changes‘\u27 it a lot more. A child reconstructs its experience and day to day reality in an imaginary world of play, but almost always including recognizable social rules and under control of events. The daily authentic institutional context should be arranged in a way that it allows free elaboration and expression of children\u27s experiences and which builds and develops social capacities that will allow better participation in various social groups. Playing - the medium for understanding, interpreting and transforming immediate realityFundamentalno proučavanje ili konceptualizacija razvoja i učenja djece rane i predškolske dobi nužno uzima u obzir dječju igru kao medij koji dopušta imaginarnu transformaciju djetetovih opservacija i razumijevanja neposredne stvarnosti. U igri se stvarnost metaforički interpretira i prezentira uz pomoć alternativnih scenarija, a aktualna događanja i iskustva djeca nanovo se transformiraju i variraju. Igra je socijalna praksa (događa se u kooperaciji s drugima ili uz pomoć uvjeta koje drugi stvaraju) i kao takva specifičan je oblik socio-kulturne stvarnosti u kojoj dijete zbog nemogućnosti potpunog razumijevanja i participiranja samo djelomično objektivno reflektira svoj realni prostor, a više ga interpretira i „mijenja". Dijete restrukturira iskustvo i svakodnevnu stvarnost u imaginarnom svijetu igre, ali gotovo uvijek s prepoznatljivim socijalnim pravilima i uz kontrolu događanja. Svakodnevni realni kontekst ustanove trebao bi biti uređen tako da omogućuje slobodno izražavanje i ekspresiju dječjih iskustava, kao i izgrađivanje socijalnih kapaciteta koji će omogućiti bolju participaciju u različitim socijalnim grupama