Browsing by Author "Taelman, Helena"
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- Children's voices in Early Childhood Education and CarePublication . Correia, Nadine; Aguiar, Cecília; Taelman, Helena; Wyslowska, Olga; Barros, Sílvia; Correia, Isabel; Markowska-Manista, Ursula; Araújo, Sara Barros; Magalhães, Eunice; Pessanha, Manuela; et al.Listening to and considering children’s voices shows respectful regard for children’s needs, interests and experiences, and helps discern what is meaningful for them in a particular subject or situation. Creating opportunities for the expression of children’s voices implies child-centred practice: recognising children as active agents, with evolving competences and capacity to understand, think and choose with some degree of autonomy, thus being able to influence decision-making. Therefore, the commitment to listen to children’s voices represents a fundamental step towards empowering children and supporting their participation rights. Importantly, children have the right to be heard and to have their voices considered from the earliest ages, in their significant relational contexts, such as early childhood education and care (ECEC). Listening to and valuing children’s multiple voices in ECEC can be done in many ways, ensuring the context, children’s background, characteristics and preferences are respected. In this chapter, we address the specificities of listening to children’s voices and taking them into account in ECEC. We discuss common challenges that may prevent the full expression and consideration of children’s voices, and ways to overcome them, to ensure children’s meaningful participation in what matters to them and support them in becoming active citizens in society.
- A focus group study on participatory practices in Early Childhood Education and Care across four european countriesPublication . Barros, Sílvia; Coelho, Vera; Wysłowska, Olga; Penderi, Efthymia; Taelman, Helena; Araújo, Sara Barros; Correia, Nadine; Markowska-Manista, Urszula; Petrogiannis, Konstantinos; Boderé, Anneleen; Pessanha, Manuela; Guimarães, Cristiana; Aguiar, CecíliaParticipation in educational settings is a universal right of every child, consigned by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. This right encompasses the need to protect and encourage young children´s active participation and decision-making in early childhood education and care. Research Findings: This qualitative study, inspired by the Lundy model (2007), examined ECEC teachers’ (n = 25) and coordinators’ (n = 25) perceptions about participation practices, collected through focus groups conducted in Belgium, Greece, Poland, and Portugal. Participants were previously referred as implementing participatory practices. Results showed that the four dimensions of the Lundy model emerged in teachers’ and coordinators’ group discussions: Participative space, Children’s voice, Audience of children’s perspectives, and Influence. Furthermore, a number of subcategories in each dimension reflected different orientations toward participatory pedagogy. Practice or Policy: This study contributes to informing and inspiring participation practices in ECEC across Europe and to enriching policy discussions regarding children´s participation rights, particularly in the early years. Promising participatory practices were identified in the various dimensions of participation, though some challenges remain, requiring in-depth knowledge about pedagogical practices and the promotion of initiatives to empower professionals to enhance children’s right to participate, particularly at the center-level.