Empowering Early Childhood Education

This assignment delves into the world of early childhood education, examining the importance of empowering young children through proper identification and utilization of their skills. It highlights the work of Malaguzzi, who emphasized the need for an education based on relationships. The assignment also touches upon various studies and research papers that focus on early childhood development, literacy, and sustainability. By analyzing these resources, students can gain a deeper understanding of effective strategies for early childhood education and how to create a supportive learning environment.

Running head: CHILDHOOD IMAGE
CHILDHOOD IMAGE
Name of the student:
Name of University:
Author Note:

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‘Our image of the child is rich in potential, strong, powerful, competent and most of all,
connected to adults and other children.'
Introduction:
This essay aims to discuss the idea of ‘rich’ child in the context of various social and cultural
constructions. This concept of social construction of the children has attracted an increasing
attention of the critics around the globe. The idea or image of a child is always judge through
some socially contrasted contexts. In one hand these particular attributes originated from
social construction guide to treat the children in one hand and shape the polices, practices and
provisions required for the development of the childhood. However, these concepts of social
construction, has been largely opposed by the idea of ‘rich’ child, which includes different
perspectives to see a childhood image and most importantly out of the socially set criteria
developed by the adults (Temple et al., 2017). This essay aims to offer an example of the
potential of making explicit the social construction of the child. It also analyses how these
social constructions can have a far reaching impact on the teaching and learning process in
early childhood.
Body:
The image of the children in the past was contracted on the basis of the social
construction which relates with the perspective of the society. The society has seen the
children differently through different era. In addition to this, the concepts like race, culture
and social class have contributed differently to portray the image of the child. It is the social
mechanism, a phenomenon and category which is created and maintained by the society
(Teras et al., 2016). This also include the perception of the individuals and groups which is
constructed through social as well as cultural practice. The ideology of social construction to

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childhood implicitly demonstrate that the childhood is not a natural process but it is a
determination of society whether the child is a child or has become an adult.
To begin the discussion how the socio-cultural construction had impacted on the early
childhood learning process, it can be said that the childhood as a status of growth has been
documented worldwide as well as throughout the history (Roskos, 2017). This documentation
often sees child to be vulnerable, innocent, consumer, worker, household earner, commodity
and savior. These perspectives however changed with time and place. As mentioned by
sociologist Philippe Aries (1960) that the idea of a child in the pre-industrial society was
completely different from the idea in the contemporary society (Reyna et al. 2015). At that
time the children used to be acknowledged as little adults and were bound to take the
responsibility as an adult since their age of seven or eight. They were expected to help
running households by doing significant useful activities (Qvortrup, 2017). There were no
juvenile cases in terms of law and the children used to get punished in the same way as the
adults used get in the legal procedure for committing crime.
Therefore, it was implicit that children were not to be seen as the matter of love and
affection. Aries has stated multiple reasons behind such behavior of the society to the
children. This can be said that significant levels of infant ethics were present in the society
(Moss et al., 2016). It can be said that life was significantly uncertain in this period of time.
Therefore, even the child had to play a major role in earning and running household for the
sake of the survival of them and their family as well. Aries stated that the concept of a child
as a ‘little adult’ was constant till 19th century (Schonert-Reichl et al. 2015). It was that the
teenagers often being hired to do the tedious jobs in different factories and mines. Hence
there was no scope for education until the charities like Save the Children were established.

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Another set of critics blamed the societal norms for the suffering of the
children in the warehouses. According to these critics, the children were seen to be morally
neutral and innocent before the world started to influence them (Hedegaard et al. 2018). The
high number of child death started to manipulate the society to see from different
perspectives. The social constructs of early childhood included ten ways through which the
society used to see the child. The child as-
 Innocent
 Evil
 Snowballing
 Out of control
 Noble
 Miniature adult
 Adult in training
 Commodity
 Victim
 Agentic child
This is to be noticed that a certain change has come in the western society with the
prosperity and financial growth of middle class people. The parents from the middle class
family started regarding their child as the matter and love and affection. The early childhood
education started with the change of perspective (Woodhead et al., 2017). The importance of
psychological development was realized and at the time of industrial revolution. The workers
who used to work in the warehouses in the later period understood the importance of child
education and the infant schools started in the factories, churches and in the private homes.
The legislation amendments took place which employed committees to work for free
education of the children (Flewitt, Messer & Kucirkova, 2015). In order to educate children,

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within the external setting. This education system followed various theories like the
Montessori method, Reggio Emilia Approach, play based learning and direct instructions.
In the Montessori method, the social construction of the children was opposed.
According to the theorist Maria Montessori, the children must be allowed to play so that they
remain free to explore their own surroundings by themselves. As the essay statement opines
that every child has potential in himself and the teachers or parent must follow them so that
they can pursue their own interest and thus develop (Davis, 2014). Montessori method has its
relevance till now and is practiced in many schools around the globe. Reggio Emilia
Approach is a contemporary of the second world war in which the teaching style focuses on
the symbolic language of the children as well as project oriented curriculum. In this approach,
the importance of the community plays vital role in the educational process of the child. It
also created scope for the educators to maintain the abilities of the child and enhance appeal
of their teaching. In this approach, the environment of the school is considered to be the third
teacher as this setting affect the development of the child. According to this approach, the
communities among with the teachers believe that the child to be attracted to lean hence
experiment through inner motivation. Thus the development of child is being seen from
different perspective in order to promote educated as well as productive future adults.
The comparison supports the idea of identifying the uniqueness of the child and then
educate him so also the play-based learning. Here, the concept of playing to learn helps to
pave the way for understanding the amazement of learning through play. This idea of
teaching with a hands off style inspires the teachers to let the children to solve their own
problems by taking minimal help from the adults (Davis & Elliott, 2014). In this method the
children play to learn and this learning has a deep rooted understanding and acceptability by
all types of children. On the contrary, the method of direct instruction does not support the
idea of rich child. According to this view the goal is for the children who are directed through

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their development by the directions from their teachers. This teacher leading activities is
directed towards specific earning. Drilling methods and rote learning are utilized in this
method. Here the teacher and the children are directly involved in the learning process
(Arthur et al 2017). The most important benefit of this learning is that the students get
involved in fast-paced learning activities and the mistakes are corrected immediately.
Therefore, it can be said that as the statement conveys that every child has potential,
competence and power to learn and explore, this method does not allow room for performing
practice to discover the skills of each child.
Reflection:
This term rich child is a revolutionary world which had changed the perspective of the
teachers as well as the parents who thought the school to be the best place for treating a child
but most of them follow the socio-cultural constructs that categorize the children according
their behaviors and psychology. In this statement Malaguzzi (1993) has discussed that every
child is rich in their own way. This richness does not focus on the material wealth but the
skills they possess and develop. According to this educationalist, the image of rich children
poses to be the contrast of the common image of child such as passive, lacking and acted
upon child. These passive child follows the predetermined path which the society have set for
all. Through this statement the theorist may have demonstrate that the rich child is an active
learner who seeks to know the meaning of the world around him. These children represent
and communicate their thinking through symbolic systems and various media. The proper
utilization of music, dance, song and photography helps to identifying such skills in the
children and educate them according to their own interests.
As mentioned in the statement, the rich child is not only rich in expressing his own
skills and sheer his thoughts for personal development. This kind of children are sociable

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also. They build good relationship with other child as well as the adults. I feel having this
type of skill is not adequate but these children need to have more specialized guidance for
development. Through creating possibilities rather than merely following the predominant
methods will help these children to take own responsibilities. These special educators need to
discuss, reflect, change, explain and find perfect opportunity to pursue so that they can make
the whole process of education amazing and attractive for the children. There are numerous
tools that the educators may use. These can be Pedagogical documentation containing notes,
photos, artworks as well as videos. This will be more visible for the children to interpret and
reflect more efficiently. I feel this statement has an effect that will challenge the predominant
views of contemporary education, which has become reduced to offer only the transmission
of education to the students from the educators and lead towards a prescribed destination.
The use of visual language, arts and music I think will help in connecting the children to be
cognitive, imaginative rational and expressive to bring out their power, potential and
competence into the learning process.
Conclusion:
This essay has offered a significant outline and explanation on eminent number of
leading perspectives notifying the theory related to initial childhood along with the vivid
research and strategy in the international context. The initial childhood is here recognized as
contrasting field since from the introduction. This particular narrative is unavoidably
controlled by the ideas obtainable which has focused on the socio-cultural constraints that has
built a barrier around proper understanding of the requirements of the children the essay has
discusses the contrast between the learning method and education system that were used in
past for educating early childhood then reflected how the contemporary image of child may
have effect on the learning process. The idea is originated from the research, theories and
strategies regarding initial childhood associated to the advanced children they import to

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define, illuminate, defend and indorse with the help of significant laws and amenities. This
article has dealt with a constricted span of information, principles and arguments of global
strategy analysis and discussion. It can be said that this is the global conventional wisdom.
There is clear attempt to highlight that this significant wisdom is not of consent, but
noticeable by chief hypothetical arguments, varied research outcomes and challenging moral
and political circumstances. Hence the statement by Malaguzzi empowering the children by
properly identifying and utilizing their own skills to educate them seems to be perfect.

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References:
Arthur, L., Beecher, B., Death, E., Dockett, S., & Farmer, S. (2017). Programming and Planning
in Early Childhood Settings with Student Resource Access 12 Months. Cengage AU.
Black, M. M., Walker, S. P., Fernald, L. C., Andersen, C. T., DiGirolamo, A. M., Lu, C., ... &
Devercelli, A. E. (2017). Early childhood development coming of age: science through
the life course. The Lancet, 389(10064), 77-90.
Davis, J. (2014). Examining early childhood education through the lens of education for
sustainability. Research in early childhood education for sustainability: International
perspectives and provocations, 21-30.
Davis, J., & Elliott, S. (Eds.). (2014). Research in early childhood education for sustainability:
International perspectives and provocations. Routledge.
Flewitt, R., Messer, D., & Kucirkova, N. (2015). New directions for early literacy in a digital
age: The iPad. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 15(3), 289-310.
Hedegaard, M., Aronsson, K., Højholt, C., & Ulvik, O. S. (Eds.). (2018). Children, childhood,
and everyday life: Children’s perspectives. IAP.
Malaguzzi, L. (1993). For an education based on relationships. Young children, 49(1), 9-12.
Moss, P., Dahlberg, G., Grieshaber, S., Mantovani, S., May, H., Pence, A., ... & Vandenbroeck,
M. (2016). The organisation for economic co-operation and development’s international
early learning study: Opening for debate and contestation. Contemporary Issues in Early
Childhood, 17(3), 343-351.
Qvortrup, J. (2017). Macro-analysis of childhood. In Research with children (pp. 43-65).
Routledge.

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Reyna, V. F., Wilhelms, E. A., McCormick, M. J., & Weldon, R. B. (2015). Development of
risky decision making: Fuzzy‐trace theory and neurobiological perspectives. Child
Development Perspectives, 9(2), 122-127.
Roskos, K. A. (Ed.). (2017). Play and literacy in early childhood: Research from multiple
perspectives. Routledge.
Schonert-Reichl, K. A., Oberle, E., Lawlor, M. S., Abbott, D., Thomson, K., Oberlander, T. F., &
Diamond, A. (2015). Enhancing cognitive and social–emotional development through a
simple-to-administer mindfulness-based school program for elementary school children:
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