The aim of this presentation is to discuss and problematize children’s introduction to the pre-school as social practice with a focus on subjectification in a gender perspective. This introductory process is to be of great importance in the Swedish preschool. This paper is based on a study carried out in one strategically chosen preschool infant group. The study addresses the question of which possible subject positions can be adopted by children during their introduction period to the preschool, their first institutional practice. What possibilities are offered and what limitations imposed as part of the pedagogical practice? The focus is on the interaction between the teachers and the children and between the children and the social practice. One of the analytical tools used is the concept “positioning”. In my observations I observed gendered positions for the child as both in need of care and competent. Key words: Childhood, childhood care, subjectification, gender, positioning, toddlers.

Abstract The aim of this paper is to contribute to the knowledge of children’s introduction to pre-school as social practice with a focus on subjectification from a gender perspective. This introductory process is given great importance in the Swedish pre-school. This paper is based on a study carried out in one strategically chosen preschool infant group. The study addresses the question of which possible subject positions can be adopted by children during their period of introduction to preschool, their first institutional experience. The focus is on the interaction between teachers and children and between children and social practice. One of the analytical tools used is the concept ”positioning”. The analysis indicates gendered positions for the child as both in need of care and competent. Key words Gender, positioning, preschool, toddlers.

The gendered encounter Interaction between toddlers and preschool teachers in a gender perspective In studies concerning the youngest children, the so-called toddlers, the gender perspective is often missing. My interest is, therefore, to study if and how the gender construction in the interaction between children and preschool teachers in day care centres is visible. The domain of interaction I have chosen to focus upon is mainly the intersubjective one, where reciprocity and affect are of great importance. In this observation part of the study, the theoretical ground is psychodynamic and the main theorist is the American researcher Daniel Stern (Stern, 1991). Although his theory is based on observations of interaction between mothers and infants it seems possible to apply his categories of development in day care centres as well. As Stern does not have a gender perspective, I have chosen to treat those categories from a gender construction perspective. (Walkerdine, 1989). How does reciprocity and affective tone emerge in the interaction between the female preschool teachers and the children from a gender perspective? Does this interaction appear differently in different contexts? Do the children seem to play a role in this gender construction? are some of the research questions of this study.

Abstract The construction of “the competent child” and early childhood care Values education among the youngest children in a nursery school The phenomenon I focus on in this article is the construction of “the competent child”. This discourse, that has developed from both psychology and later the sociology of childhood, has influenced the Swedish Childhood Education. One purpose of this paper is to investigate the pedagogical signs in this construction of “the competent child” and to investigate the influence of a new understanding of children in a child care practice. I have chosen a Reggio Emilia-inspired nursery, with its emphasis on democracy and view of the child as competent and active, to shed light on the connections between this view and a values education. I also aim to problematise this paradigm of childhood. The theoretical discussions concerning the view of the competent child are illustrated by empirical material from a limited case study at one child care centre. The methods used in the present study are field notes and video recordings. Empirical material from my case study illustrates how values education is expressed in a child care practice. The children in the nursery observed can be seen as both “being” with access to adult nursing and care, and also as being competent.

The phenomenon I focus on in this article is the construction of “the competent child”, which has developed from both psychology and later the sociology of childhood and has influenced the Swedish Childhood Education. One purpose of this paper is to investigate the pedagogical signs in this construction of “the competent child” and to contribute to the discussion of the influence of a new understanding of children in a nursery practice. In addition to the theoretical part of the article, I present analysed material from a limited case study. I have chosen a Reggio Emilia-inspired nursery, with its emphasis on democracy and view of children as competent and active, to shed light on the connections between this view and a values education. I also aim to problematise this paradigm of childhood. The methods used in the present study are field notes and video recordings. Material from my case study illustrates how values education is expressed in a child care practice.

Toddlers’ introduction to the nursery and children’s meaning making A majority of the children in Swedish nurseries (the nursery is a part of the Swedish pre-school) are 1- 4 years old. In spite of this, studies that focus on toddlers in educational contexts are rare; mostly they involve older children. Sciences that define children and childhood are of importance to the construction of this phase of life. The aim of this study is therefore to investigate the youngest children’s first encounter with an educational institution and their meaning making processes. The initial question of the study is: Which patterns and variations are distinguished by toddlers´ introduction to a nursery in a perspective of interaction and meaning making? This project concerning toddlers’ introduction to a nursery is accomplished as a case study at one nursery with 20 children aged 1-1 1/2 years old. The study is theoretically based on the sociology of childhood, theory of learning and meaning making. The methods used are observations, field notes and interviews with educators and parents. This is a study in progress and at present the analyses are not completed. However, the preliminary result of my observations is that the interaction between the educators and the children vary, have different functions in different situations and that expressions of emotions and the responses from the educators are of importance concerning children’s meaning making.

The aim of this article is to examine aspects of democracy derived from partici-pation in so-called research circles, and to discuss participatory and democratic ideas arising in those circles as they relate to perspectives on early childhood education. This paper draws its argument mainly from material recorded from two research circles — one on Gender and the other on New subject didactic challenges in preschool. The analysis was based on the separate data from the two research circles and on a comparison between them. It is a theoretically governed approach based on Klafki’s critical constructive didactics and Biesta’s critical discussion on education and democracy in relation to the rise of neolib-eralism. Larsson’s three aspects of democracy in relation to study circles have been used: equal participation, horizontal relations and knowledge that inform standpoints. The diversity between the circles resulted in variations concerning form and content that could be discussed as related to democracy aspects.

Baksidestext: Var står genusperspektiv idag och vilka frågor är högljudda och aktuella? Är genusperspektiv, liksom andra perspektiv, beroende av enstaka entusiaster, och är det en ren tillfällighet om de studerande möter genusperspektiv i utbildningen? Hur ser skolans vardag ut i ett genusperspektiv? Varför är det så angeläget att få fler män till skolan? Hur ser pedagogernas föreställningar om barn och genus ut? Handlar det om självständiga flickor och behövande pojkar? Flickor med förnuft och pojkar med kropp? Hur ser killarna på yrkesprogrammen på sin situation? Hur tänker högstadieflickor och pojkar om NO? Kan genusperspektiv innebära att synliggöra det osynliggjorda? Vad händer med alla ambitioner i detta område när man går från utbildningstid till klassrummet? Detta är några frågor som tas upp i denna rapport. Nio författare, varav två nyblivna lärare och sju lärarutbildare, sammanfattar här några av sina erfarenheter och väcker frågor utifrån genusperspektiv på förskolans och skolans praktik och teori.

Individual development plans, which are sometimes designed as ”agreements - contracts”, can be considered the most rigid type of regulation on the individual level in the history of preschool in Sweden. Today we speak about a deregulated school. This regulation seems to have changed its character, gradually drifting from school regulation to individual and self regulation. The study aims to map and discuss the variation of content and positions for children in the documentation from all preschools in a municipality in the south of Sweden. Documentation and individual development plans (IDP) are studied from preschools with different pedagogical profiles. Materials from Montessori - and Reggio Emilia inspired preschools are focused. A critical didactic perspective refers to a discussion and critical scrutiny of the structure of contents, assessment and position off children in different types of documentation. The perspective leads to questions like: How is content constructed, and what governs the choice of content in IDPs and documentation at the institutional and individual levels? How is content related to pedagogical profile? What identities and positions are formulated for children in relation to various contents and profiles? The empiric in the study was gathered 2008 and comprises text in the form of governing documents on different levels: as municipal guidelines, profile descriptions on the municipality's websites and IDP forms. Tentative results show a variation with both similar and diverse constructions of contents and positions related to pedagogical profiles.

Individual development plans – with a focus on childhood, learning and critical subject didactics The aim of this research project is to explore the growing phenomenon of Individual development plans in relation to childhood, learning and critical subject didactics. The changed circumstances and conditions for actors in school are influenced by increased diversity, decentralization and individualization. Individual development plans, which are sometimes designed as ”agreements - contracts”, can be considered the most rigid type of regulation on the individual level in the history of pre/school. Today we speak about a deregulated school. This regulation seems to have changed its character, gradually drifting over from school to individual, from school regulation to individual and self-regulation. Critical subject didactics refers to a discussion and critical scrutiny of the objects of learning and the acts of learning in the individual development plans for young children. An increasingly multicontextual childhood, the drift from ”subject to individual as the basic unit” in recent times results in a focus on identity and identity construction in relation to evaluations of subject and development by means of individually oriented documentation. Critical subject didactics makes it possible to focus on the intersection of societal hierarchies of power such as place, age, gender and ethnicity – intersectionality. The method is based on textual analysis of completed individual development plans in preschool, preschool classes and compulsory school in four municipalities in southern Sweden.

Individuella utvecklingsplaner för yngre barn i ett kritiskt ämnes¬didaktiskt perspektiv Ann-Christine Vallberg Roth & Annika Månsson, Lärarutbildningen, Malmö högskola, 2007 Abstrakt Studien syftar till att beskriva och problematisera mål och innehåll i individuella utvecklings¬planer (IUP) för förskole- och förskoleklassbarn i ett kritiskt ämnes¬didaktiskt perspektiv. Individuella utvecklingsplaner ses som ett fenomen i fram¬växten av granskningssamhället med trans¬nationell reglering. Centralt för analysen är didaktikens vad-fråga som rör innehåll (lärandets objekt). Med ämne avses konstruktionen av innehåll och då inte enbart snävt i bemärkelsen skolämne utan också ämnes¬överskridande tematiskt och vardagligt knutet till omsorgs– och fostransinnehåll och till barns möjliga frågor. Genom kritisk didaktik belyses relationerna mellan aktörerna (barn, vårdnadshavare och lärare) och deras med¬bestämmande och inflytande. Samman¬taget innebär ett kritiskt ämnes¬didaktiskt perspektiv att innehåll studeras i förhållande till maktdimensionerna plats, ålder kön och etnicitet – innehåll på en trans¬formerings¬arena i tid och rum mellan stat och individ. Insamlingen av IUP-materialet genomfördes i oktober 2006 i fyra kommuner i södra Sverige, tre stadskommuner och en landsbygdskommun. I de tre stadskommunerna ingick både etniskt relativt homogena och heterogena kommundelar. Materialet omfattade 82 slumpmässigt valda planer. Analysen kan summeras i tre utmärkande huvudspår eller normaliteter: • Skolämnesreglerade normalbarn – i relativt homogen stadskommundel • Socialt och enspråkigt reglerade multikulturella barn – i relativt heterogen stadskommundel • Primärt behovsreglerade monokulturella barn – i landsbygdskommun

The aim of this research programme is to explore the growing phenomenon of Individual development plans in relation to childhood, learning and critical subject didactics. The changed circumstances and conditions for actors in preschool are influenced by increased diversity, decentralization and individualization. Individual development plans, which are sometimes designed as ”agreeements - contracts”, can be considered the most rigid type of regulation on the individual level in the history of pre/school. Today we speak about a deregulated school. This regulation seems to have changed its character, gradually drifting over from school to individual, from school regulation to individual regulation and self-regulation. Critical subject didactics refers to a discussion and critical scrutiny of the objects of learning and the acts of learning in the individual development plans for young children. An increasingly multicontextual childhood, the drift from ”subject to individual as the basic unit” in recent times results in a focus on identity and identity construction in relation to evaluations of subject and development by means of individually oriented documentation. Critical subject didactics makes it possible to focus on the intersection of societal hierarchies of power such as gender, place, age and ethnicity – intersectionality. The method is based on textual analysis of completed individual development plans and an interview study with parents of children in preschool and preschool classes in four municipalities in southern Sweden.

Vad har en förändrad barndom för betydelse för yngre barns lärande och utbildning? Denna rapport försöker förstå och förklara denna betydelse med hjälp av forskare från forskningsfältet Barndom, lärande och ämnesdidaktik på Lärarutbildningen på Malmö högskola. I rapporten tas begreppen barndom, lärande och ämnesdidaktik upp som sammanflätade och ömsesidigt relaterade till varandra. I fem olika artiklar presenteras: Förskolans ledarskap i en nystartad förskola ; Hur dokumentation och bedömning i förskolor med olika pedagogiska inriktningar kan se ut ; En översikt över historiedidaktisk forskning med inriktning mot yngre barn ; Svenskämnesundervisningens innehåll i skolans tidigare år ; En kartläggning av forskning om de yngre barnen i det idrottsvetenskapliga intresseområdet

Studien syftar till att beskriva och problematisera innehållet i individuella utvecklingsplaner (IUP) för skolår 3, 6 och 8 i ett didaktiskt perspektiv. Centralt för analysen är didaktikens vad- och hur-fråga som rör innehåll (lärandets objekt) och form (lärandets akt). Med konstruktion av innehåll avses inte enbart skolämne utan också ämnesöverskridande tematiskt innehåll som kan vara vardagligt knutet till omsorgs– och fostransinnehåll och till barns möjliga frågor. Genom kritisk didaktik belyses relationerna mellan aktörerna och deras medbestämmande och inflytande. Sammantaget studeras innehåll, form och bedömning i de individuella utvecklingsplanerna på en transformeringsarena mellan stat och individ. Insamlingen av IUP-materialet genomfördes i oktober 2006 i fyra kommuner i södra Sverige, tre stadskommuner och en landsbygdskommun. I de tre stadskommunerna ingick både etniskt relativt homogena och heterogena kommundelar. Materialet omfattade 100 slumpmässigt valda planer. Resultatet kan övergripande summeras i punktform enligt följande: -Hög grad av styrande mallar med varierande utformning i olika riktningar med något undantag läggs fokus på vad eleven skall utveckla snarare än hur lärandet skall gå till och vilka insatser som krävs. -Växlande dominans och balans mellan socioemotionella mål och kunskapsmål relaterat till olika kommuner och stadsdelar i majoriteten av dokument är ansvarsfördelning mellan elev-vårdnadshavare-skola koncentrerat till eleverna med hög grad av önskad självreglering och låg grad av inflytande för elever och vårdnadshavare. Växlande förekomst av betygsliknande respektive personliga omdömen i relation till skolår, lärare, kommun och stadsdel.

The overriding aim of this article is to make a contribution to the discussion about individual development plans (IDPs) in Sweden as an expression of a regulated childhood and institutional practice. Individual development plans are seen as a phenomenon linked to the emergence of an auditing society. In sum, children are studied as subjects in relation to content, form and assessment in the individual development plans. The IDP material was collected in October 2006 in three urban municipalities and one rural municipality in southern Sweden. The three urban municipalities comprised municipal areas that were ethnically relatively homogeneous and heterogeneous, respectively. The material consists of 82 randomly chosen plans for children in preschool and preschool classes. The method is based on textual analysis. An overall picture of a multicontextual regulation of childhood and institutional practice gradually emerges. The analysis can be summarized in distinctive principal tracks, or normalities, marked by equivalence with variation