Explorative Inquiries - Analytical Tools for Reflecting on Oneself, Others and the World in Kindergarten

This research project analyzes and develops methods to strengthen teachers in early childhood education in their ability to engage and respond to children’s spontaneous questions about existential and ethical issues.

We want to provide new teachers with analytical and communicative tools, that encourage and promotes children’s ability to think about questions about themselves, about others and the world.

The project has developed an educational intervention that is tested and analyzed in early childhood teacher education at the Helsinki University. The intervention is based on results and insights from the methods in Philosophy for Children. Our aim is to let the students conceptualize and analyze their own questions in relation to their role as teachers in early childhood education.
Project team

Docent Camilla Kronqvist, Philosophy, Åbo Akademi University

PeD Marina Lundkvist,  Early Childhood Education, University of Helsinki

FD Birgit Schaffar, Elementary Teacher Education, University of Helsinki
Project activities

  1. Schaffar presented and discussed results from the project at Södertörns högskola in Stockholm 19.3. 2019

  2. Schaffar presentetd results from the project at the NERA conference 2020 in Turku for the Nordic society of philosophy of education.

  3. Schaffar presented and discussed results with professionals in the Finnish-Swedish early childhood education, Regionalförvaltningsverket, 06.11.2019

  4. Two interventions in early childhood teacher education at Helsinki University during spring 2017 and 1018.
  5. The research was presented at a research seminar in Vasa, Finland, March 2017, with researchers from education, law, philosophy, sociology and gender studies, and during a workshop about human rights education for teacher students at Åbo Akademi University, Finland.
  6. Kronqvist visited the Centre of Ethics as Study in Human Value at University of Pardubice in the Czech Republic, 23.5-31.5. 2018 and attended a research-seminar and conference on Ethics: Form and Content, Toril Moi (Duke university).
  7. Kronqvist, Lundkvist and Schaffar organized a Symposium at EECERA, 28th conference Early Childhood Education, Families and Communities, August 2018, Budapest. Titel: Ethical Thinking in Early Childhood Education
  8. Philosophy for Children-Workshop, November 2018 with invited guests from Sweden.
Conference presentations
  • Kronqvist and Lundkvist participated at EECERA 27th Conference Social justice, Solidarity and Children's Rights, in Bologna, 29.8-1.9.2017, Poster-presentation: Creating a communicative toolbox. Analytical Tools to Challenge and Foster Children's Thoughts and Ideas.
  • Kronqvist participated in the conference Alternative Conceptions of Ethics, Rom, 14-15.9.2017
  • The research-project was discussed at a seminar on strengthening children’s and students’ voices with James Reid from University of Huddersfield in November 2017.
  • Lundkvist and Schaffar participated in NERA 2018 in Oslo 8-10.3.2018, and presented the paper: Responsiveness and responsibility in early childhood education.
  • Kronqvist and Lundkvist presented a manuscript at the research seminar at the institution for philosophy at Åbo Akademi University, May 2018. Title: “Jag vill bli bättre på att lyssna aktivt.” Gensvar och ansvar i blivande barnträdgårdslärares reflektioner kring samtal.
  • Kronqvist, Lundkvist and Schaffar organized a symposium at EECERA, 28th conference Early Childhood Education, Families and Communities, August 2018, Budapest. Title: Ethical Thinking in Early Childhood Education.
Publications

Kronqvist, C., Lundkvist, M. & Schaffar, B. (in press 2021). Hur för man samtal? Om samtal, gensvar och ansvar i lärarstuderandes reflektioner om övningar i filosofi. In: Studier i Pædagogisk Filosofi.

Kronqvist, Camilla; Schaffar, Birgit; Lundkvist, Marina (2020). The difficulty of thinking. Listening to the voices of kindergarten teachers to be. In: Journal of Philosophy in Schools.

Kronqvist, Camilla; Schaffar, Birgit; Lundkvist, Marina (2020). Filosofiska frågor och pedagogiska svar. In: Ikaros. Tidskrift om människan och vetenskapen 4, pp. 22-25

Camilla Kronqvist, 2017. Etisk expertis och moralisk vishet: Att undervisa i moralfilosofi. I C. Hilli och C. Kronqvist (red.) Ungas rätt till samtal: En antologi om människorättsfostran. Åbo: Åbo Akademi.

Camilla Kronqvist och Charlotta Hilli, 2017. Inledning till antologin. I C. Hilli och C. Kronqvist (red.) Ungas rätt till samtal: En antologi om människorättsfostran. Åbo: Åbo Akademi.

Marina Lundkvist, 2016. Vad innebär det att bli demokratisk? Dimensioner av demokrati i mötet mellan barn och pedagoger. Åbo: Åbo Akademis förlag.

Marina Lundkvist, 2017. Småbarnspedagogik möter mänskliga rättigheter I C. Hilli och C. Kronqvist (red.) Ungas rätt till samtal: En antologi om människorättsfostran. Åbo: Åbo Akademi University.

Birgit Schaffar, 2017. Om samtal som inte blir av inom yrkesutbildningen. I C. Hilli och C. Kronqvist (red.) Ungas rätt till samtal: En antologi om människorättsfostran. Åbo: Åbo Akademi University.

Birgit Schaffar och Camilla Kronqvist, 2017. Educating Judgment. Learning from the didactics of philosophy and sloyd. Revista Espanola de Educacion Comparada, 29.
Cooperation and funding

Funding
Stiftelsen för Åbo Akademi (2016-2018), Högskolestiftelsen i Österbotten (2017-2018)

Cooperation
Department of philosophy at Åbo Akademi University, Finland
Contact information

Camilla Kronqvist: ckronqvi@abo.fi
Marina Lundkvist: marina.lundkvist@helsinki.fi
Birgit Schaffar: birgit.schaffar@helsinki.fi