Teaching activities with toddlers: Considerations on theoretical and empirical grounds

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to generate knowledge about what participating in teaching activities requires of children and teachers, and to what extent very young children, such as toddlers, are able to do so. With teaching recently being written into the Swedish national curriculum for preschool (encompassing children 1–5 years old), there has, like in many other countries, emerged a heated debate on the pros and cons of this and what it may mean for preschool in general and for the youngest children (toddlers) in particular. Therefore, in this study we analyze a series of related activities, theoretically conceptualized as teaching, in order to see what characterizes these activities and what demands they put on participants (toddlers and their teachers). Our elaboration is carried out on theoretical basis (developmental research) as well as on empirical basis (original research conducted in preschool). The empirical data consist of video observations, and these are analyzed according to the principles of Interaction Analysis (IA). Theoretically, the study is informed by Play-Responsive Early Childhood Education and Care (PRECEC). The findings clarify what teaching with toddlers require of teachers and these young children, and what is characteristic of such teaching is differentiated.