The Welsh foundation phase is a play-based curriculum for 3-7-year-olds advocating outdoor and experiential approaches to learning. Play-based outdoor learning increases interaction with a range of affordances giving opportunities for movement in learning. Children assign activities as either play or not play-based on a series of cues. Teaching…

The aim of this study was to examine how preschool teachers in Sweden and Denmark perceive children's learning in preschool. The study aimed to answer the following questions: What is "learning"? How do children learn? What are the best conditions for children's learning? What is the role of participation in children's learning? The…

How can preschool teachers approach multiplicity and complexity in the preschool? The aim of this article is to discuss two approaches to education, one based on design and the other on open reflection, and to propose "situational sensitivity" as a concept connected within the latter approach. Special attention is paid to the ethical…

This single case study was undertaken to explore how an infant head teacher meets the needs of the infants, who express their desire to be cared for, in their caring encounters. Natural daily interactions between infants and the teacher were observed for approximately 10 weeks. Through the qualitative data analysis, the results of this study…

In Swedish teacher education, all preschool teacher students have to include a school-based element and to take part in a local educational practice, in a preschool or in another form of educational setting, such as a preschool class or after-school recreation centre. In this study, we have asked a group of supervisors about their perception of…

This study addressed the effect of parent-child Mediated Learning Experience (MLE) interaction on cognitive development in early childhood. It measured the MLE interactions of 14 parents with their preschool children in the contexts of free-play and structured tasks. The children were assessed for their manifest cognitive performance and learning…

Researchers who use video to record interactions usually need to translate the video data into another medium at some stage in order to facilitate its analysis and dissemination. This article considers some methodological issues that arise in this process by examining transcripts, diagrams and pictures as examples of different techniques for…

This article concerns the gap between government intention and classroom outcome. The author examines the treatment of spoken language in the Revised Irish Curriculum, which came into effect in 1999. He finds much to be commended in the recognition of its central role in learning. He then examines the implementation of this curriculum with…