The young child’s journey of ‘the will’: A synthesis of child-centered and inclusive principles in international Waldorf early childhood education

Attfield, Kate

doi:10.1177/1476718x211051184

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…This approach is also supported by the Waldorf pedagogy, according to the results of a study conducted by Attfield (2022). He argues that this pedagogy is feasible, according to the holistic philosophy of education, which acknowledges the natural development of children as a full nurturing of children during early childhood [60]. According to the results obtained by us and other researchers who were mentioned in our study, we say that earlier is not better, and replacing play with academic activities does not guarantee that later children's performance will be better.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 83%

“…The professional competence of child-centeredness from the perspective of slow pedagogy emphasizes the importance of respecting the natural rhythm of each child, and focuses on their needs, aspirations, desires and individuality, so that children develop harmoniously and holistically. This approach is also supported by the Waldorf pedagogy, according to the results of a study conducted by Attfield (2022). He argues that this pedagogy is feasible, according to the holistic philosophy of education, which acknowledges the natural development of children as a full nurturing of children during early childhood [60].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Child-Centered Approach through Slow Education Principles: A View to Child Personality Development in Early Childhood

Catalano,

Albulescu,

Stan

et al. 2023

Sustainability

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We are preoccupied with early childhood education policies at the international level in general, but in particular with early childhood education in Romania. Therefore, the research direction of our study focuses on how early education teachers can integrate the principles of slow education into the development of child-centered competence. The formation and development of the child’s early ontogeny personality occur at the natural pace of development and learning rather than in an accelerated manner. While preparing for the research, we reviewed relevant articles circumscribed to the same topic: slow, child-centered education, deep learning, constructivism, and the enthusiasm of children and teachers. Most of them conclude that the use of child-centered competence in early childhood significantly contributes to slow education principles and characteristics. At the same time, the research aims to provide quantitatively and qualitatively validated arguments for verifying the incidence of child-centered competence from the perspective of sustainable education, in connection with the constructivist orientation of the teachers. Our research included a group of 376 teachers selected from early childhood education institutions in the North-West of Romania, all of them with initial preparation in the field. Using the focus group method, we identified differences in the perception of the two paradigms (child-centeredness and slow pedagogy), the link between these two, and the connection with the constructivist orientation. At the same time, we intended to identify the degree of continuous professional development training according to these paradigms that are not studied and practiced together in early education in Romania, because only the child-centeredness principle is mentioned in the initial teacher training. Therefore, in-service training activities were conducted and they were focused on facilitating and raising awareness of the value of using child-centered competence and the principles of slow education among training participants. At the end of the program, through the quantitative method—the survey—we concluded that the activities included in the training program led to a significant increase in the teachers’ capacity to appreciate the natural pace of development and learning of children to such an extent that the participants themselves adopted the promotion of sustainable slow education in a dynamic society. The methods used helped us deduce that all teachers with a constructivist orientation improved their child-centered competence, and teachers who gave children the freedom to choose activities from the proposed educational offers, according to their needs, interests, and potential, identified the development of the ability to consider children’s natural pace of development and learning as a result of the training. In conclusion, our research complements the literature, proposing a new and useful perspective to approach early childhood education practices by respecting the child’s natural pace of development and learning, which provides a suitable context for promoting international sustainable educational policies. We encourage teachers around the world to reflect on an important issue in the holistic development of the child—if faster means better—in the race to performance.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 83%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%