Cultures of education in action: Research on the relationship between interaction and cultural presuppositions regarding education in an international educational setting

Int. Migration & Integration

2019

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This contribution presents the results of four researches with young migrants that took place in Italy between 2006 and 2014. The four research projects were concerned with the promotion of young people's personal narratives to support a phenomenological description of their semantics of social participation. The researches cover a period characterised by economic crisis, the rise and fall of xenophobic political parties and a continuing debate around migration and inclusion in different social contexts. Data consists of young migrants' narratives, promoted and collected in 62 focus group and 118 individual interviews. The discussion will introduce 'school activism' as the context of participation in political movements and campaigning of young migrants. School activism is an example and the context of the development of trusting relationships with peers, where positions of marginalisation are rejected and identities are negotiated and co-constructed around the person through dialogue. Participants' narratives suggest that cultural essentialism can generate important problems of ineffective educational treatment of cultural identity. These problems can become particularly relevant during adolescence, an age in which the construction of identity may be seen as challenging. At the same time, young migrants and children of migrants' narratives construct identities that through school activism position their authors at the center of rich networks of political participation and peer relationships.

Section: Marginalisation In the Education Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Inclusion Through Political Participation, Trust from Shared Political Engagement: Children of Migrants and School Activism in Italy

Int. Migration & Integration

2019

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“…The semantic of children’s rights as ‘human rights’ underpins a truth of children’s agency as subordinate to the ‘responsible adult’. This is the paradox of agency: the relevance of children’s agency depends on the relevance of adults’ actions in promoting children’s actions (Farini, 2011). This paradox originates from the position of children, who have no access to the most important decision-making process in social systems (Baraldi, 2014).…”

Section: Fundamental British Values and The Eyfs: The Present As Prepmentioning

confidence: 99%

The paradox of citizenship education in early years (and beyond): The case of education to fundamental British values

Journal of Early Childhood Research

2019

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In April 2015, the Early Years Inspection Handbook instructed inspectors to make a judgement on the effectiveness of leadership and management to actively promote British values in the settings. This contribution discusses the paradoxical position of fundamental British values within the cultures of education underpinning the curricular framework for early years education in England, the early years foundation stage. The introduction of education to fundamental British values as a statutory requirement for early years settings will be discussed within its historical background, linked to the arduous journey of citizenship education to its inclusion in English curricula. This historical review aims to position education to fundamental British values in early years within a much broader cultural process within education, towards the reconceptualisation of the citizenship as one of the outcomes of successful educational planning. Having positioned education to fundamental British values in early years in a powerful cultural movement within the education system, this contribution will interrogate the Early Years Inspection Handbook, early years foundation stage and other education policies via the methodology of document analysis. The aim of the analytical procedure is to explore the intersection between education to fundamental British values and the cultures of education in the early years foundation stage, to advance an assessment of the possibilities and implication of the inclusion of citizenship as an object of early years education. Such assessment suggests that the concept of child-initiated pedagogy introduced in the early years foundation stage has the potential to address children’s meanings and experience of citizenship as practised and experienced, with obvious implication for the empowerment of children’s agency. However, this requires the support of a pedagogy and analysis allowing children and young people to develop skills for critical thinking and political change.

“…Therefore, social attention moves towards children's trusting commitment and necessity of building trust in their relationships with adults (Holland and O'Neill, 2006), also with regard to Early Years Education (Burger, 2013). Whilst the sociological research on education continues to reveal that mainstream educational practices are still centered around standardised role performances (Parsons and Bales, 1965;Sinclair and Coulthard, 1975;Mehan, 1979;Vanderstraeten, 2004;Farini, 2011;Walsh, 2011), other strands of sociological research, either theoretical or focused on pedagogical experiments and innovation, emphasize the importance of agency in the construction of children's trust in education, from a pre-scholar age (Baraldi, 2015, Harris andKaur, 2012). Developing personcentred approaches in critical pedagogy, it is suggested that adults should risk interpersonal affective relationships with pupils, listening to their personal expressions and supporting them empathically (Rogers, 1951).…”

Section: Affective Trust In Education and Its Relationship With Children's Agencymentioning

confidence: 99%

As a Conclusion, to the Future: A Discussion on Trust, Agency and the Semantics of Rights in Intergenerational Relationships

International Perspectives on Early Childhood Education and Development

2019

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