ERIC Number: EJ802736
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2008-Jul
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0013-1946
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Foucault and the Early Childhood Classroom
Cohen, Lynn E.
Educational Studies: Journal of the American Educational Studies Association, v44 n1 p7-21 Jul 2008
Foucault's notion of "regimes of truth" (MacNaughton 2005, 30) provides an understanding of how some discourses operate and network together to reinforce a particular powerful view of the world. These can be in oral or written forms. Early childhood education practices are drawn on the discourse of a document developed by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) on developmentally appropriate practice. Statements made in this written discourse have been accepted as factual and produce shared language among early childhood researchers. Foucault's perspectives of discourse and terms used by him as regimes of truth are used in this article to evaluate the written document that early childhood educators have accepted as authoritative truth. Suggestions for practice include providing a discourse that calls for early childhood teachers to allow time for reflective dialogue and the recognition of multiple perspectives to inform pedagogical knowledge of the social and cultural contexts of the children they teach. (Contains 1 figure.)
Descriptors: Early Childhood Education, Young Children, Pedagogical Content Knowledge, Educational Philosophy, World Views, Developmentally Appropriate Practices, Position Papers, Professional Associations, Educational Principles, Discourse Communities, Preschool Teachers, Discourse Analysis, Culturally Relevant Education, Student Diversity, Elementary School Teachers, Curriculum, Power Structure
Lawrence Erlbaum. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/default.html
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Elementary Education; Elementary Secondary Education; Kindergarten; Preschool Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A