Visual Ethnography as tool in exploring children's embodied making processes in preprimary education

This article presents and discuss Visual Ethnography as Methodological approach to research on embodied making and learning in preprimary education. Children’s making processes with materials and tools are visible. What children learn in and through these processes is not necessary visible. The article reflect on how visual ethnography (Pink, 2007) contribute to uncover and understand ongoing learning processes through visual documented making situations. The empirical material referred to, includes children from one to six years old and staff in Norwegian kindergarten as participants. Ethnographic methods are frequently used in educational research. Rose (2007) discusses visual methods within different methodological approaches. Preschools and Early Childhood Centers in Reggio Emilia, Italy (Giudici, Rinaldi, Krechevsky, 2001; Rinaldi, 2006; Vecchi, 2010) has developed various ways of documentation that focus on visual readable material. Norwegian kindergartens inspired by the educational experiences in Reggio Emilia aims to develop pedagogical documentation as didactic tool in daily educational processes, with visual presentations as central part. The article discusses how visual ethnography as method gives the opportunity to present research findings also through visual representations, how these may give another insight in small children’s making than pure written text, and focus on ethical dilemmas concerning visual presentation. The connection between visual ethnography as research method and the presentation of research insights and findings, explore and visualize small children’s learning processes during embodied making with materials and tools, and contribute to research on children’s learning processes in preprimary education. Key words: Visual ethnography, pictures, video, preprimary education, materials, embodied making and learning, Reggio Emilia atelier

Informing The Society About Preschool And Preprimary Education – Education Policy Implementation In Lithuania

Modern society also distinguishes itself by a large information flow that has to be selected according to one’s needs. A considerable number of researches proved that the spread of information about education is insufficiently efficient, so far the society is too little informed, and there is a lack of information about provided preschool and preprimary education services, in rural areas in particular. Therefore, parents, teachers and other groups of the society, which are either directly or indirectly related to preschool education, cannot use the opportunities provided by this link of education if they are not informed. For this reason it is important to analyse main documents on education of theRepublicofLithuania, to investigate the situation of informing the society about preschool and preprimary education in education policy implementation. The article is based on the content analysis, which generalizes the documents on education policy that regulate informing of the society about preschool and preprimary education inLithuania.The analysis of the documents on education of the Republic of Lithuania demonstrated that, informing about preschool and preprimary education, focal attention is paid to the target groups that directly participate in the child’s education processes – parents/foster parents and the staff of the education system. Only the context enables us to presume what information is forwarded to other groups of the society that indirectly participate in children’s education processes. Such situation may be influenced by the approach consolidated in the documents on education of theRepublicofLithuaniaabout preschool education as an intermediate, transitional link between the family and the school; it is sought “to prove parents and the society the efficiency and necessity of qualified children’s education”. It is likely that the lack of systematic attitude towards informing various societal groups as potential social partners about children’s education and care at the legal level will limit the possibilities both of practical creation of the informing system and its functioning.