4.10: Pedagogy

The term pedagogy refers to the holistic nature of educators’ professional practice (especially those aspects that involve building and nurturing relationships), decision-making, and teaching and learning. When educators establish respectful relationships with children and caregivers, they can work together to develop programs and experiences that are relevant to children and build on individual and group interests. These experiences create possibilities for children’s ideas and activities, allowing them to celebrate their interests and friendships and express themselves in different ways.

Educators’ professional judgments are central to their active role in facilitating children’s learning. In making professional judgements, they weave together their:

• Professional knowledge and skills
• Knowledge of children, caregivers, and communities
• Awareness of how their beliefs and values impact children’s well-being and learning
• Personal styles and past experiences.

They also draw on their creativity, imagination, and insight to help them improvise and adjust their practice to suit the time, place, and context of learning.

Figure 4.28: This image of an educator and child engaged in an experience around drawing is pedagogy in action. (Image by Staff Sgt. Vesta Anderson is in the public domain)

Different theories about childhood inform approaches to children’s learning and development. School-age care educators draw upon a range of perspectives in their work. Drawing on a range of perspectives and theories can challenge traditional ways of seeing children, facilitating learning, and encourage educators, as individuals and with colleagues, to:

• Investigate why they act in certain ways
• Discuss and debate theories to identify strengths and limitations
• Recognize how the theories and beliefs that they use to make sense of their work enable but also limit their actions and thoughts
• Consider the consequences of their actions for children’s experiences
• Find new ways of working fairly and justly.