Based on the notion of childhood as a social construction this paper aims to present and explore theoretically, the ideas and arguments, being offered by central theories within the paradigm of children and childhood research over the years. Using the approach of literature review the paper reinforces that childhood is socially constructed. It differs from society to society and context to context based on differences in cultures and believes. Also childhood differs even in the very same society depending on other social factors for example gender and social class. Not all societies in the world have the same concept of childhood, which proves that childhood is neither universal nor natural. In exploring about childhood as social construction, it has been attempted to explicate certain of the conceptions at the heart of social studies of children and childhood. So the essay begins with the basic conceit of childhood studies: what is a child? The very basic notion of "child" is connected to further through historical perspectives of childhood which further leads to accentuating the importance of childhood as a social construction.

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In Norway, newly arrived immigrant children often start their schooling in special groups called reception classes. This study aims to examine one Norwegian reception teacher’s perceptions and practices of collaborating with the children’s parents. The empirical analyses are based on a qualitative approach with interviews and video observations of the teacher. Affirming earlier research about parent–teacher collaboration in Norway, the study shows that the teacher has developed her own practices of parent–teacher collaboration. Contradicting earlier research, the findings highlight that despite challenges, the teacher experiences collaboration with newcomer parents positively. This article presents activities the teacher engages in within and outside the classroom to foster mutual learning and parental involvement. In the discussion, the teacher’s approaches are not judged as right or wrong, perfect or imperfect, but rather appreciated as self-constructed and self-initiated approaches to collaborating with newcomer parents. The main result is that despite challenges, if the teacher appears to be motivated and has positive/pluralistic perceptions of immigrant pupils and their parents, then s/he finds ways to collaborate with newcomer parents. This article concludes with teachers’ practice recommendations for schools and some directions for future research.

The education of immigrant students, particularly newcomers, must be considered from a holistic framework. The conceptual article aims to highlight other important aspects of newcomers’ education, in addition to language and subject content learning. The three overlooked yet most important components of holistic education for newcomers are the following: (1) well-being pedagogy, (2) positive and comprehensive collaboration with newcomer parents, and (3) teachers’ positive ideology of newcomers and their families. This article begins with a brief presentation of the issue in newcomers’ education demonstrating an emphasis on some important yet overlooked elements in newcomer education. Consequently, in Norway, despite educational efforts aimed at supporting immigrant students, they continue to perform poorly compared with ethnic Norwegian students. Then, the paper defines what well-being pedagogy is and why well-being should be included in the comprehensive and successful schooling of newcomers. Here, well-being pedagogy is not limited to newcomer students’ well-being; rather, it includes teachers (who work with newcomers) and newcomer parents’ well-being. The why and how of comprehensive and successful collaboration with newcomer parents is discussed as a second important component. The third building block is teachers’ positive ideology of newcomers and their parents. The paper establishes that the positive ideology and perceptions of newcomer students and their families are the core of the holistic education of immigrant students. This paper contributes to knowledge development for the education of newly arrived immigrant students by engaging in a discussion that can foster teacher motivation and commitment, resulting in greater support for newcomer students. Second, even though this paper is framed in the context of Norwegian society, the aim is to inspire the international community of educators and researchers committed to an equitable learning environment for immigrant students to consider the topic for further exploration. The article concludes with teachers’ practice recommendations for schools and some directions for future research.