Boken fokuserar på barn i utsatta livssituationer och miljöer.
Idag betonas vikten av utomhusaktiviteter för människors hälsa och välbefinnande. Att utforska och lära ute i naturen handlar om att lära med alla sinnen, d.v.s. smak, lukt, känsel, syn och hörsel. Artikeln baseras på EU-projektet Learning in Motion med fokus på barn och vuxna med intellektuella funktionsnedsättningar. Syftet var att utröna om och i så fall hur utomhusaktiviteter kan ge fysisk och sensorisk stimulering för personer med intellektuella funktionshinder. Studien baseras på intervjuer, enkäter och litteraturstudier. Resultatet visade att deltagarnas välbefinnande och livskvalitet ökar förutsatt att miljön är tillgänglig och anpassad. Vistelse ute i naturen stimulerade och motiverade deltagarnas lärande och sociala inkludering. Bristen på ett systematiskt lärande i utomhusmiljö saknas dock ofta och är nödvändigt för denna målgrupp.
The aim of this article is to highlight the concept ‘quality' with a special focus on preschool teachers' understanding and compare what preschool teachers in Austria, Bulgaria and Sweden regard as quality. Although quality is at high degree a subjective concept, some aspects are regarded decisive for good quality. A questionnaire was distributed to 45 preschools. Data have been stored, processed and compiled with the web-based programme ‘Netigate’. Totally 117 preschool teachers answered the questionnaire. The results among the three countries have been compiled, processed, ranked and compared and show a glace of different ways to interpret quality, although there are also similarities. Many differences are related to social, cultural and financial issues in the countries per se, but there are also organisational and structural differences. Further comparative research needs to focus on modes to improve the quality in preschool and on increasing children's influence.
Summary of abstract: The mission of the Swedish preschool is to stimulate children's learning and development in a holistic. No other period in child development contains so much learning as the first five years in life. The presentation is based on the projetct Let's read a book and focus on reading aloud. The results show that all children appreciated reading aloud and story telling and the assessment showed that the quality of their communication was raised by these efforts. The children's interest in signs, symbols, pictures and letter increased and they improved their vocabulary, their understanding of language and their phonological awareness. The project was presented on an internationla conference in ECE and also published in proceedings.
Despite the long tradition in the social welfare field the number of children in Sweden who do not feel well has increased. This statement is based on reports from preschool teachers and includes young children (1-5 years old). The purpose of this article is to stress the present situation and what can be done to better work to raise healthy and secure children who also feel well. The aim is to discuss how the quality in preschool affects children’s wellbeing? Quality does not only mean happy children and satisfied parents but also competent staff with positive attitudes and systematic quality work. It appears from research that enough time for pedagogical planning and follow-up, small child groups, high teacher density and low staff turnover are also essential. The results also show that the most critical aspects for supporting children’s health and development are quality improvements based on equality, an efficient value system, a useful curriculum, scientifically based teacher training and a school/preschool for all.
There is today an increasing global interest in early childhood education, especially with regard to curriculum and quality work. The aim of this article is to study preschool teachers’ and child care workers’ views on the revised national curriculum for preschool in Sweden (Lpfö 98, rev. 2010), and if the educators perceive that they can conduct quality work based on the curriculum. This article is based on a web-based questionnaire distributed to all municipal preschool teachers and child care workers (in this study called educators) employed in a small municipality (n = 111). The questionnaire consisted of eight questions with 54 sub-items with five reply alternatives, including ‘don’t know’. The reply frequency was 58.6 % (n = 65). Data were compiled and processed in a computer based program. The results showed that the preschool educators were positive to the curriculum and regarded it as a tool for improving the quality in preschool. The most important factors for increasing the quality were, according to the results, the educators’ attitudes, the number of children in the group and the teacher-to-child ratio.
In Sweden a Revised National Curriculum for Preschool (Lpfö 98, rev. 2010) was implemented on July 1st 2011. The purpose of the revised curriculum was to increase the quality in the Swedish preschool by stressing the scientific basis. The aim was to explore how four heads of preschool reflect on the curriculum and the quality in preschool. This article is based on focus group methodology. The questions concerned reflections on the Curriculum for Preschool, systematic quality work and the role of the heads. The results showed that the most important factors concerning the revised curriculum were competent staff, attitudes and values, and systematic quality work. Important factors for quality work were competent staff, enough time for pedagogical planning and the children, low staff turnover. Important issues concerning the role of the heads were knowledge and understanding of the mission, systematic work and goals of improvement.
Forskning har visat att vart fjärde barn i förskolan mår dåligt och har psykiska, emotionella och/eller sociala problem. Rapporter från pedagoger i förskolan visar att de sett en förändring där allt yngre barn mår dåligt jämfört med tidigare decennier. En aktuell fråga är därför i vilken utsträckning som förskollärarna har stöd från specialpedagoger för att underlätta för barn i behov av särskilt stöd i förskolan. Oftast finns ett antal specialpedagoger anställda i en kommun och de har till uppgift att serva flera förskolor. I den kommun vi studerat finns tre specialpedagoger som ansvarar för barn i behov av särskilt stöd i förskola och skola. Frågan är vilken roll specialpedagogerna har i förskolan och vilken funktion de anser sig ha? Resultatet visar bland annat att deras viktigaste funktion är som rådgivare, handledare och bollplank till personalen. De har även en viktig roll när det gäller att upprätta handlingsplaner i samarbete med föräldrarna. Specialpedagogerna bedömer att behovet av deras kompetens ökar kontinuerligt och de ser läroplanen som ett stöd i arbetet.
Despite the long tradition in the social welfare field the number of children in Sweden who do not feel well has increased. This statement is based on reports from preschool teachers and includes young children (1-5 years old). The purpose of this chapter is to stress the present situation and what can be done to better work to raise healthy and secure children who also feel well. The aim is to discuss how the quality in preschool affects children’s wellbeing? Quality does not only mean happy children and satisfied parents but also competent staff with positive attitudes and systematic quality work. It appears from research that enough time for pedagogical planning and follow-up, small child groups, high teacher density and low staff turnover are also essential. The results also show that the most critical aspects for supporting children’s health and development are quality improvements based on equality, an efficient value system, a useful curriculum, scientifically based teacher training and a school/preschool for all.
Nästan alla barn i Sverige går i förskola och förskoleperioden betraktas som en av de mest intensiva perioderna i barns liv och utveckling. Under denna period läggs grunden till barnens framtida möjligheter, både när det gäller socialisation, trygghet och kommunikation med omgivningen. Att personalen i förskolan är kvalificerade pedagoger har stor betydelse för barnens hälsa och välbefinnande. Förskolepersonal omfattar både förskollärare och barnskötare som dock har olika roller. Fokusgruppsintervjuer med fyra förskolechefer om betydelsen av den nya läroplanen samt kvalitetsarbete i förskolan har genomförts. Totalt spelades åtta timmar in på band och dessa har transkriberats i sin helhet. Resultatet visar att god kvalitet i förskolan bidar till barns hälsa och välbefinnande. Slutsatsen är att kvalitetshöjande arbete är nödvändigt för förskolans utveckling.
The paper is based on a municipal project with focus on language development which led to a three year long cooperation between a Swedish municipality and Jönköping Universtiy. The target group is eleven municipal preschools, serving 573 children between one and five years of age and divided into 23 child units. Reading aloud and story telling are in focus and the preschools have answered a questionnaire with 15 questions with sub-items. Let's read a book is one out of a number of sub-studies conducted in order to develop and improve the systematic qualitly work in preschool.
In the Swedish National Curriculum for Preshcool (Lpfö 98, rev. 2010) the corner stones are learning, play, education and care. Preschool is today part of the common school system and to reach the national goals planning, assessment, follow up and development are essential aspects. The aim of this longitudinal study is to develop a link between science, practice and preschool education in order to strengthen the scientific bases and raise the quality in preschool. Focus is on implementation of the curriculum and quality work. Data are collected with questionnaries and interviews. The systematic quality work will at sight lead to increased learning, health and well-being in the children.
This article is based on a presentation held in Moscow in December 2012.
The poster session is based on material elaborated by three of the preschools in Habo municipality, Jönköping county, participating in a research circle with focus on improvements of language development. The areas stressed in the circle are reading aloud and storytelling. The staff working with the posters are: Margareta Johansson and Madelaine Wulf, Bagaregatan förskola, Marie Gustafsson, Linda Brunninge and Christina Isaksson, Västra Kärr förskola and Helena Gustafsson and Monica Ojala, Slätten förskola. Focus on the research