A Case Study on the Impact of Preschool Teachers’ Habits on Children’s Opportunities for Outdoor Learning

Ester Catucci, Anna Ehrlin

Abstract


The purpose of this article is to explore, through John Dewey´s concept of habit, the potentialities and limitations of outdoor activities for children’s learning. Previous research has shown that being outdoors is beneficial for children’s wellbeing and learning. It has also stressed teachers’ attitudes and believes to be important for how beneficial outdoor activity can be. The study was designed as a case study and was conducted with a toddler group of 12 children and three preschool teachers. Data were collected through video filming and field notes. Episodes involving preschool teachers and children during sand play were chosen for in-depth analysis. The main finding shows that the preschool teachers express similar habits among children during sand play, approaching it mainly as baking. This result has implications for preschool teacher students and educators of young children, who are invited to reflect on how shared habits at the local preschool might affect children´s learning outdoors, and thus the realisation of the curriculum.

https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.17.3.6


Keywords


Preschool teachers, Dewey, habits, sand play, learning, curriculum

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References


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