1.1 Voices from the past

Those who work with, and study, young children often look backwards to think about their practice today. Of course, they are interested in innovation and new ideas, but taken-for-granted ideas in current practice are often informed by views that were thought to be quite revolutionary at the time that they were expressed. Therefore, it is important to examine these ideas and consider how they can support an understanding of present-day pedagogy. The term pedagogy is used here to mean how adults teach, care for and work with young children. The timeline at the link below sets out key voices of the past who had something important to say about young children, the outdoors and nature.

Open the following link in a new tab or window so you can easily find your way back to the course:

Timeline of key thinkers [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)]

The voice most important to this course is Friedrich Froebel. You will note his ideas woven throughout each session and then, in Session 3, you will be able to read in more depth about his work, and about its relevance today.