This book highlights contemporary questions around Early Childhood Education in Finland. It explores a range of issues relating to policies and practices in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC). The book features many aspects of the so-called Nordic model that is evident in different practices and policies of the Finnish ECEC system. Among others topics, it discusses playful learning, storycrafting, scientific literacy, pedagogical leadership, family-related variables, and Sami language learning. The findings provide important insights into the Finnish ECEC model and illustrate relevant issues facing Finland. All of the 14 chapters present unique research and give the reader the opportunity to understand how the ECEC services during children's early years are defined and implemented. Each chapter includes a discussion of the educational outcome and highlights critical perspectives. In Finland ECEC is seen as an investment in the future. The Finnish ECEC system is one of the most equal in the world. The high-quality education is available to both private and public sectors. National curriculum and laws for early education have gone through a significant reform during the last decade, with the quality, practices and teachers' competences being defined in order to support children's future learning skills. ECEC in Finland is a unique combination of international influences and local intentions to put each child and family at the centre of the services. The systematic and goal-oriented ECEC system consists of upbringing, education and care with an emphasis on pedagogy in order to produce excellence for the future. Its overall planning, guidance and monitoring system is one of a kind.

Autorentext

Heidi Harju-Luukkainen holds a Ph.D. in education, special education teacher qualification and a qualification in leadership and management from Finland. She has published more than 100 international books, journal articles and reports as well as worked in more than 25 projects globally. Harju-Luukkainen has worked at top ranked universities in the USA like UCLA, USC as well as in many Nordic research universities. She has developed education programs for universities, been a PI of PISA sub-assessments in Finland and functioned as board professional. Her research areas are early childhood education, justice in education and international student assessment. Natallia Bahdanovich Hanssen is a leader of the Research Group on Special Needs Education, coordinator of program Master in Speech Therapy, and an associate professor at the Faculty of Professional Studies at Faculty of Education and Arts Nord University, Bodø. Jonna Kangas is an Adjunct Professor and PhD of Education. She has position of University Lecturer and joint research member in Playful Learning Center, Faculty of Education Science, University of Helsinki. Her research focus is on play-based pedagogy. She seeks to understand children's learning processes through joy and participation, and she uses her findings for designing innovative teacher training and mentoring programmes in Finland and developing countries. She is a director of blended teacher training program in University of Helsinki. Susanne Garvis is a professor of Education and the Chair of the Department of Education at Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne. She has worked in Sweden as well as Australia within early childhood education. Her research in early childhood policy and quality is world leading and informed numerous policy initiatives and professional learning practices with early childhood teachers and young children.

Inhalt

Chapter 1 Introduction to early childhood education system's policies and practices in Finland.- Part I Multi-theoretical teacher training and professional approach.- Chapter 2 A Contemporary Dialogue of Finnish Early Childhood Education and Care - Pedagogical leadership in early childhood education teachers' work.- Chapter 3 Critical compassion in Finnish early childhood educators' responses to challenges of acting compassionately.- Chapter 4. Widening text worlds in Finnish early childhood education.- Chapter 5 Developing Praxeological Understanding in Teacher Education: A Case of Worldview Education in Finnish ECEC.- Chapter 6 Media education in Finnish early childhood teacher education-A curricular analysis.- Chapter 7 'Too little attention is paid to children who require specialised support.': In-service and pre-service teachers' views on policy and practice in early childhood teacher education in Finland.- Part II Children and families in ECEC.- Chapter 8 Teachers' understanding of children's right to participation in Finnish Early Childhood Education and Care.- Chapter 9 Promoting participatory learning and creative thinking in Finnish ECE - A review of five arts pedagogical case studies.- Chapter 10 North Sámi Language Nests in Northern Finland: A Case Study of Sámi Early Childhood Education and Care.- Chapter 11 My Story, Your Story, Our Story: Reciprocal Listening and Participation through Storycrafting in Early Childhood Education and Care.- Chapter 12 Observed Reading Sessions between 08:00-16:00 hours in Finnish Early childhood Education.- Chapter 13 Early Skills as Predictors for Later Educational Outcome in Mathematics and Science in Finland and Sweden - A Further Analysis on TIMSS 2015 Data.- Part III Towards Finnish Pedagogy.- Chapter 14 Creating a Theoretical Framework for Playful Learning and Pedagogy - The Finnish Perspective.- Chapter 15 Practices of planning as a reflection of teaching and learning concepts in ECEC: The cases of Finland and Slovenia.- Chapter 16 Leadership in the changing context of Finnish early childhood education.- Chapter 17 A Quilt of Practices: Sustainability Education in Finnish Early Childhood and Care.- Chapter 18 Elements of the Pedagogical Process in Finnish Early Childhood Education.- Chapter 19 Conclusion and orientation to the future.