Democracy and equity in early childhood education

Aim

After completing the course, the student must be able to

• explain what intercultural competence can mean in early childhood education
• discuss democratic dilemmas and professional challenges in early childhood education from a global perspective
• explain central concepts related to democracy and equity in early childhood education
• discuss didactic strategies at the intersection of the democratic assignment, communicative practices and creative approaches.

Content

The course focuses on early childhood teachers' intercultural competence as a basic, democratic prerequisite for the education of younger children. In the course, students get to approach and explore the concept of intercultural competence as a dynamic process, where the ability to be responsive in interpersonal communication is central. The focus is also on various democratic dilemmas that can arise in educational practices for younger children where, for example, questions about children's participation versus the power of adults are actualized. In the course, the global perspective runs as a common thread as different countries' ways of meeting diversity and interculturality in early childhood education are discussed. Furthermore, teachers' everyday work with democratic issues is highlighted and practical examples are given of how communication and creativity can be used as didactic tools to support younger children's acquisition of democratic values.