Early Childhood Education in a More Than Human Era- by Dr. Olsson = Early Childhood Education in a More Than Human Era- by Dr. Olsson

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

It is a great honor to participate in the 2017 KSCEC international conference. I am very grateful to take time to discuss Dr. Olsson’s presentation entitled Early Childhood Education(ECE) in a More Than Human Era. Dr. Olsson explained the concept of “abstract formalism” and proposed three significant suggestions to counteract as follows: 1) pay attention to the more than human in education, 2) use a theory of sense capable of counteracting both relativism and convention, and 3) make history speak with our current problems.
She mentions that ECE scholars have faced new challenges from contemporary situations such as “artificial intelligence and neuroscience” which focus on “life of the mind”. According to Dr. Michel Vandenbroeck, for example, neuroscience is now literally invading the field of ECE. It is thought to render education better, more effective and of higher quality. However, there are many important key concepts which have been ignored like appropriateness of approaches between ECE programs and children’s real life. In addition, a worldwide movement of “post-truths” and “postfacts” haunts the public debate. As a result, ECE stands in front of great challenges - threatened by a void of sense and confused in relation to truth.
Dr. Olsson reminds us about a real meaning of “free time”: time away from labor in the workplace and in the household - and time to study the world. The concept of “free time” is not new; many ECE pioneers (e.g., Pestalozzi, Froebel, Montessori, and Dewey) already emphasized this concept. However, she raises the importance of putting this concept into practice to offer children time and space for the simultaneous study and renewal of culture, knowledge and values.
In Dr. Olsson’s presentation, abstract formalism is described as completely disconnected from the material (matter) context, reduced to linguistic formulas, emptied of sense and confused in its relation to “truth” as well as purely economic, individualistic and oblivious of the history of education. Given this, early childhood educators need to redefine education experience in ways that might counteract abstract formalism with a rich array of pedagogical, philosophical and aesthetical perspectives.
Unfortunately, early childhood education is being changed the view of considering young children “human capital” (i.e., early investment gains more money in the future). Is this the right way of thinking? In addition, the contextual conditioning of education is disregarded. Although in the same space and seemingly interacting with one another, teachers and students do their own part without true and meaningful interaction in the classrooms. Who is responsible for their academic achievement and/or success? Teaching is not a one-way conversation; rather, it is an internal and external dialogue conducted with passion and discipline. I think we are sailing into the sea of educational capitalism without a clear destination. Although today’s ECE programs are affluent, the quality of ECE is degenerated by non-child centered system, standardized curriculum in the classroom, and business-based educational approaches.
Dr. Olsson brought good examples of how children explore and develop their sense of creative questioning and production such as The Magic of Language project, the discovery of children’s love for books, and the papered room project. These activities are well matched with Deleuze’s comment “thinking is not about recognition, but about an encounter with the outside”. Every child meets a very intense moment everyday while they are playing in the classroom. I believe this is critical in early childhood education today. I loved Dr. Olsson’s conclusion especially the following: “We need to make our contemporary problems speak with history, but we also need to mobilize courage and creativity”. In this world of rapid changes, we need to muster up courage to face changes without compromising important principles and creative thinking. Thank you.