Postdevelopmental Approaches to Pedagogical Observation in Childhood

Mona Sakr is Associate Professor of Early Childhood at Middlesex University, UK.Jennifer Rowsell is Professor of Digital Literacy at the University of Sheffield, UK.Kortney Sherbine is an independent researcher in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.

• Series Editor's PrefaceIntroduction, Mona Sakr (Middlesex University, UK), Jennifer Rowsell (University of Bristol, UK) and Kortney Sherbine (Utah State University, USA)1. Posthuman Perspectives on Childhoods and Classroom Observation, Kortney Sherbine (Utah State University, USA)2. Togetherness in Early Childhood Art: Observation With Young Children, Shana Cinquemani (Rhode Island School of Design, USA)3. Movements, Synchronicities, Choreographies: Attuning to Young Children’s Drawing, Sylvia Kind (Capilano University, Canada)4. Hacking observational Literacy Tools in Early Childhood Education, Karen Nociti and Mindy Blaise (Edith Cowan University, Australia) 5. Reconceptualising Observations with Infants and Toddlers: Perspectives from Aotearoa, New Zealand, Kiri Gould, Marek Tesar and Jen Boyd (University of Auckland, New Zealand)6. Speculative Routes to Observation in Early Art Teacher Education, Christopher M. Schulte (University of Arkansas, USA)7. Exploring Children’s Material/Digital/Analogue Engagements Through Intergenerational Research, Mark Shillitoe (International School Delft, the Netherlands) and Harriet Hand, Jennifer Rowsell, Scarlett Shepherd and William Squire (University of Bristol, UK)8. Hidden Mothering and Mutated Modest Witnessing with Hop(scotch) Studio, Marissa McClure Sweeny (Indiana University of Pennsylvania, USA) 9. Posthuman Babies: Reconceptualizing a Baby’s First Year, Sara Sintonen and Alexandra Nordström (University of Helsinki, Finland)10. Experimental Analysis of Photography and Video in Postdevelopmental Observations of Early Childhood Art in the Family Home, Mona Sakr (Middlesex University, UK)Conclusion, Mona Sakr (Middlesex University, UK), Jennifer Rowsell (University of Bristol, UK) and Kortney Sherbine (Utah State University, USA)ReferencesIndex

This book offers a way of progressing children’s learning by tuning in to children, identifying their broader interests through ‘noticing’, rather than looking for a particular developmental milestone. It deliberately shies away from the mundane and limiting focus on literacy, foregrounding the power of creativity in developing the whole child. The language used is accessible yet professional, recognizing the potential of early childhood professionals to push beyond the boundaries of policy, restrictive practices and deterministic developmentalism. The pedagogy of ‘sparks, pulses and flows’ is empowering, and is explained and explored with good examples to support practitioners in challenging their pedagogy.