Life history insights into the early childhood and education experiences of Froebel trainee teachers 1952–1967

Abstract

Drawing on life history interview data collected as part of a research project funded by the Froebel Trust, this paper explores the family backgrounds and educational experiences reported by nine women who attended Froebel College located in London in the United Kingdom (UK), in the 1950s and 1960s. Informed by Bourdieu's 1 theories of habitus and field and theories of identity 2 , this paper explores any shared habitus and dispositions within the early childhood and family milieu reported by the participants. The paper also considers the women's educational experiences and their stories of getting into Froebel College, reflecting on the commonality of family values and secondary education pathways they reported. The findings show some striking resonances between Froebel's 3 educational ideals, in particular his belief in the mystical and transformative power of learning through play and engaging with nature 4 and the participants' stories of their early childhood experiences.

Protecting and extending Froebelian principles in practice: Exploring the importance of learning through play

“…But debates about early years practitioners’ qualifications are not new: in England, debates about the need for qualified professionals to work with young children have persisted for decades (Hoskins and Smedley, 2016; Ritchie, 2015; Urban and Dalli, 2008). Recently, these debates have centred on how to deliver high-quality childcare and education while maintaining cost thresholds low enough to allow parents to access the services (DfE, 2013).…”

“…The education system in England is at the vanguard of standardization, and the use of accountability measures in this sector within the United Kingdom and worldwide (Bradbury, 2014), including the increased regulation of early years professionals, is common practice. This contrasts with the historical lack of legislation in early years, which previously had been the domain of autonomous professionals, trained according to the philosophies of theorists such as Montessori, Froebel and Steiner and allowed to operate without the pressures of regulation (Hoskins and Smedley, 2016; Smedley and Hoskins, 2017).…”

‘The people in the purple shirts’: Froebelian insights to a Singing Medicine project in a children’s hospital

“…The characteristics of the project were emphasised including the identity and personal attributes of the vocal tutors. They appear to hold attributes noted by Hoskins and Smedley (2015) of understanding the imperative of play and enabling environments in developing children's participatory competencies. They 'begin where the learner is' (Bruce, 2011: 30).…”