1st Edition
The Theory and Practice of Voice in Early Childhood An International Exploration
Seeing young children as competent and capable social actors, The Theory and Practice of Voice in Early Childhood looks at how we can better understand young children’s perspectives. Drawing on the ‘Look Who’s Talking’ project, it focuses on the eight talking point posters: voice, democracy, culture, listen with purpose, space and place, skills and tools, enable and build capacity to help readers critically reflect on what voice means to them and for the children with whom they work.
Combining the work of scholars and academics with front line workers and practitioners, each section groups two of the posters and provides an overview of the key theory followed by international case studies to illustrate how this thinking might be translated into practice. The book looks at all aspects of children’s voice and how to ensure that all children, including those traditionally viewed as too young, with special needs or too disengaged, have a voice.
Including reflections and suggesting points for exploration and dialogue between practitioners, families and children, this will be valuable reading for those who wish to make the ideological principles of children’s voice a practical reality.
Prologue: The Look Who’s Talking Project: Principles and Practices for Eliciting Voice
Lorna Arnott and Kate Wall
Section 1 Voice and Democracy
1. Theorising Voice and Democracy
Claire Cassidy and Carol Robinson
2. Under Threes as Active Meaning Makers in England
Erica Evans
3. Map-do-review: Children as Leaders and Planners in Scotland
Sarah J. Laing
4. Babies’ Voices as Multimodal Expressions in England
Liz Rouse
5. Children as Informed Architects of their Own Learning Spaces in Scotland
Lesley Morrison
Section 2 Culture of Voice and Listening
6. Theorising Power and Listening: The Route to a Culture of Voice
Lorna Arnott and Kate Wall
7. Children’s Views about their Nursery Experiences in Jordan
Omayya M. Al-Hassan
8. Adapting the Families Connect Programme for Three-Year-Olds: A Case Study
Jason Bowden-King and Lucy Williams with Jennifer Magness
9. Visual Methods for Encouraging Adult-Child Dialogue in Scotland
Anna Robb
10. Learning and Sharing the Language of the Child in Scotland
Bea Anderson and Lindsay Rautman
Section 3 Spaces, Places, Skills and Tools for Voice
11. Theorising Spaces, Places, Skills and Tools for Voice Work in Early Childhood
Caralyn Blaisdell
12. Photography as Expressive Voice in New Zealand
Fiona McAlevey
13. Pedagogical Documentation Tools as a Culture of Children’s Voice in Turkish Early Years Settings
Selda Aras, Figen Şahin, Arif Yılmaz and Ayça Ülker
14. Children’s Involvement in Auditing the Learning Environment in Scotland
Lynn J. McNair and Caralyn Blaisdell
15. Marvellous Mealtimes at Bowhouse Early Learning and Childcare Centre in Scotland
Gemma Paterson
Section 4 Enabling and Building Capacity for Voice
16. Theorising Enabling and Building Capacity for Voice
Kate Wall and Lorna Arnott
17. Going on Trips: Creating Opportunities for Children to be Heard in Norway
Daisy Picardal
18. Advocating for Play-Inspired Methods for Voice in Qatar
Zainab Attar
19. Progressing Children’s Voices in Rural Armenia
Satenik Khachatryan
20. Towards a Baby Signing Approach (BSA) to Voice in England
Amanda Norman
Section 5 Conclusions and Useful Resources
21. Concluding Thoughts on Eliciting Voice from Birth to Seven
Lorna Arnott and Kate Wall
Index
Biography
Lorna Arnott is Senior Lecturer in the School of Education at the University of Strathclyde, UK.
Kate Wall is Professor of Education at the University of Strathclyde, UK.
"In recent years the issue of children’s rights in education, including the right to be heard, has, rightly, been acknowledged as of great importance. This timely book provides a wealth of practical examples of innovative ways in which young children can be supported to make their voices heard and theories that justify the approaches that are taken. In doing so, the book offers a rich resource for those looking for ways to ensure that young children are engaged and interested in their learning from the beginning, those both starting out in the field of early years education, as well as the more experienced."
Janice Wearmouth, Professor of Education, University of Bedfordshire, UK
