Infancy pedagogy and praxis

Abstract

Through an examination of the reflective comments of 42 pre-service Early Childhood Education Teachers (PS-ECETs), this study describes how an infancy course within an Early Childhood Education program used four different ways of organizing learning to unravel details of infant pedagogy, focusing on the role of the teacher. It is vital to theorize the pedagogy of infants and unfold appropriate and educative ways of working with babies. Findings suggest that the PS-ECETs describe their roles and the goals they set for the infants, differently based on the way of organizing learning (routines, structured play, quiet time observation, and purposeful playful intervention). The level of teacher involvement changes according to the way of organising learning, being more active during structured play and less active during quiet time observation. The outcomes of this study provide important implications for practice within infant classrooms supporting future infant teachers and suggestions for ECE teacher education.