16.3: 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 families, they are able to work together to develop programs and experiences which are relevant to children and build on individual and group interests. These experiences create possibilities for children’s own ideas and activities, allowing them to celebrate their own interests and friendships and express themselves in different ways.
Educators’ professional judgements 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, families and communities
- awareness of how their beliefs and values impact on 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.
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 the ways that they do
- 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.