Publications Early Childhood Care and Education
Sustainable learning in a professional learning community
Action-training research- project to improve professional quality in early childhood organizations through critical reflection
(Permanent leren. Van zelfreflectie naar teamreflectie. A, van Keulen, A. del Barrio Saiz. SWP, Amsterdam 2010.)
The model for Sustainable learning in a professional learning community is a practical approach that early childhood professionals and their coaches support in order to develop a critical reflective attitude on their knowledge and praxis. The model was developed during a two-year action-research project conducted by Bureau MUTANT (2007-2008). The international developments in the field of professionalization in early childhood indicate the need for new requirements for early childhood educators. Based on the theories of reflective learning and the critical learning community, eight learning methods were developed and co-constructed.
The experiences and the results of this project have been described in a publication that can be used with educators in extra courses in working practice, as well as with students in professional training institutes. The book forms the basis for a nationally accredited in-service training program developed by Bureau MUTANT for educators and coaches.
Download article:
Keulen, A. van (2010) The Early Childhood Educator in a Critical Learning Community: towards sustainable change. Comtemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 11(1), 106-112
Using a bit of everything. Diversity in educational styles in The Netherlands, A. van Keulen en A. van Beurden, Coutinho, Bussum, 2010.
'Anyway, this society has become really multicultural. I believe our children should learn a bit of everything they see', says a mother from Suriname.
The basis for this book is the research into upbringing in autochthonous Dutch families, in Turkish, Moroccan, Suriname-Creole, Chinese and Somali families and a comparative study of the above groups. The book ‘Learning a bit of everything' provides easy access to the results of this research for (future) professionals in education, (youth) care, welfare and child-care. Every chapter contains individual and group assignments focusing on situations in the (future) professional practice. Thus, the reader can compare the information to his/her own values, standards, and ideas.
Available in Dutch.
Making the road as we go.
Parents and professionals as partners managing diversity in early childhood education. Fuusje de Graaff and Anke van Keulen. The Bernard van Leer Foundation Practice and Reflections (P&R) series no. 24, in press 2008.
This report shows that partnerships between parents and professionals for improved childcare do not come about automatically. The Dutch project Parents and Diversity has developed new approaches and methods for giving concrete form to such partnerships in day-to-day contacts and by respecting the diversity among parents such that all types of parents know they are welcome and have a voice.
The literature shows that, until now, research has mainly focused on parents’ contribution as service providers, board members, co-educators and as target groups for social intervention. Researchers have rarely considered partnership as a social function of childcare within the childcare centres. In this sense the project has filled a gap by putting pedagogic partnership on the agenda not just of professionals and boards of directors of the centres that participated in the project, but also on the agendas of other childcare providers, educational courses, and national groups representing the interests of parents and childcare providers.
The subject is now being discussed at national and European symposia with resolutions being made and laid down in the policies and plans of childcare organisations. The project has also informed discussions about the future training curricula for educators.
Available in English.
See www.bernardvanleer.org
The art cart
Art as a vehicle for equal opportunities in the cooperation with parents( CD-rom, MUTANT, K2, 2008)
Art work is an effective means to promote equal opportunities and respect for diversity. Work with artistic activities and different communication and learning styles may provide an opening to understand the value of each other’s differences and ideas. A CD-rom and training are the result of a project in the framework of the European year for Equal opportunities for Everyone 2007 in which Bureau MUTANT, K2, the Brabant youth knowledge centre and Child care Humanitas cooperated.
The result of this project is a mini-method on CD rom with work forms, photos, film, and theory. Available in Dutch. Order with MUTANT: a.vankeulen@mutant.nl.
See Trainingen as well.
The social lives of young children.
Play, conflict and moral learning in day-care groups. Elly Singer, Dorian de Haan, contributions A. van Keulen. Amsterdam: SWP, 2007
This publication gives a vivid picture of young children’s lives in day care groups. How do they make friends and how do they develop a sense of togetherness? The clashes and frictions between pre-schoolers reveal the social questions they are grappling with. In the discussion of these social questios attention is always given to the teacher or educator. How can they help children te learn basic social values, rules and skills through play?The book contains numerous descriptions of children’s interactions, illustrated and analysed with the help of new psychological insights.
MUTANT provides training courses and training of trainer courses based in this publication, using films of daily practice as assignments.
Available in English, Dutch, Spanish.
Networking for respect for diversity.
Experiences in the DECET network. Peter Lee, Anke van Keulen In: Early Childhood matters. Bernard van Leer Foundation, The Hague, June 2007. (www.bernardvanleer.org)
Partnership between parents and professionals. Manual for child-care centres and schools. A. van Keulen (red.), SWP, Amsterdam, 2006.
Today, a partnership between parents and professionals is considered an important quality aspect in child care and education. However, pedagogic partnership is not obvious: all too often the communication between parents and professionals comes down to one-way communication. The publication Partnership between parents and professionals, manual for child-care centres and schools, provides tools for vision development, suggestions for policy and handles for practice. The manual is destined for managers, trainers, consultants and teachers in child-care and education. Walker there is no road, we make it as we go.
Available in Dutch. See Trainingen as well.
Learning from conflicts. Method manual to reinforce contacts between parents and professionals in child care. F. de Graaff, SWP, Amsterdam, 2006.
When parents take their child to a child-care centre they want to be able to trust the professionals working there. Educators, teachers and managers realise that. However, in child-care professionals do not find it easy to listen to parents carefully. In conflict situations it becomes even more difficult to be open to their input. The method ‘Learning from conflicts’ helps professionals to convert their experiences with (presumed) conflicts with parents to new knowledge and skills. The method provides concrete handles to gain insight, based on personal experiences with parents into substantive and relational bottlenecks that may occur in contacts with parents at their child-care centre. The exercises and texts in this book can be used in training or during regular team meetings.
Available in Dutch. See also Trainingen
Documentation of Families (book + dvd) Using visual material to work on an open and respectful climate in child-care centres and (pre)schools.
W. Doeleman. SWP, Amsterdam, 2006.
The book ‘Documentation of Families’ contains an extensive manual to set up and work with different methods such as the family wall, the back-and-forth book, and about making an intake-book about the child-care centre or the school. Beside theoretical background information the book also contains a series of exercises to further develop the professionals’ competencies, as well as a dvd with images of a few child-care centres and a school that work with Documentation of Families.
Available in Dutch.
Research Diversity and parental involvement in Child care centres.
F. de Graaff, E. Singer en W. Devillé, 2006, Nivel, Utrecht.
This report is a compilation of the results of different monographs initiated to support the development project “Parents and Diversity” carried out by MUTANT. It contains a literature list on parental participation in child care at child-care centres and (pre)schools, and it outlines the position of the MUTANT project. It also provides operationalisation of the concepts of living together, acting together and thinking together, set out on a measuring tape in order to measure the attention for diversity in parental involvement. Finally, it reports on the qualitative interviews with parents and educators to give a clear picture of their experiences and interests.
Available in Dutch. Download: pdf
The pedagogical circle.
Annemiek van Beurden & Anke van Keulen, SWP, Amsterdam, 2005.
The pedagogical circle is a dynamic and practice-oriented model to develop and implement pedagogical policy. " Our pedagogical policy is laid out on one page. A pedagogical policy that is put into words in the circle. Not just our vision on children but also the translation for the realization of that vision into practice. We are proud of having developed the circle, a circle to which everyone has contributed positively" (manager). The clear relation between vision, attitude and behaviour makes this model a valuable complement to quality policy in the organization. The practical style of the book provides a good balance between the underlying pedagogical ideas and their practicability. It relates the way the circle came into being, how to handle resistance, and how to coach this within your organization. It is a stimulus for pedagogical thinking in the field of child care. The methods used during the process and the experience gained have been included in the book.
This book gives an outline of the practice at a centre that visualizes its pedagogical policy. Thus it may inspire policy makers at child-care centres to manage the centre with integrated vision, mission, attitude and professional behaviour. MUTANT supports the trajectories.
See under Activiteiten as well.
Young children aren't biased, are they?!
How to handle diversity in early childhood education and school. A. van Keulen (ed). Amsterdam: SWP, 2004
The first time young children come across diversity in society is often in a child care centre or at school. It is there that they first experience appreciation or rejection by that environment, which can lead to exclusion and discrimination. In many European countries, much work is being done on programmes about 'diversity and equity', also known as 'anti-bias work' or 'education without prejudice', programmes that serve to make children acquainted with these processes of exclusion and discrimination at a young age. Both children and adults benefit from these programmes, whatever their ethnic and cultural background, their religion, language or their sex might be. The point of departure is inclusiveness (everyone belongs)
and understanding for the backgrouns of all involved. This collection aims at informing the readers about developments on diversity and equity and also about theoretical concepts, practical examples and projects. The book is meant for teachers, trainers, students and professionals (staff and coaches) in child care and early childhood education. The authors are from various European countries, from the US and from Australie. Each chapter can be read separately and can be put to practical used by educationalists.
Available in English, Dutch.
Diversity and Equity in Early Childhood Training in Europe.
Examples of training practices in the DECET network. A. van Keulen, D. Malleval, M. Mony, C. Murray. DECET network, 2004 (www.decet.org)
This training manual aims at being a useful guide for professionals in initial training institutions, for trainers, managers and policymakers in early childhood services.
This guide consists of a informative part on the European context and on concepts, and a part with training examples in different countries and settings.
'Dolls like us'. Method to work with young children on respect for diversity.
A. van Keulen, A. van Beurden en W. Doeleman, SWP, Amsterdam, 2003.
The book ‘Dolls like us’ explains the background of the method 'Dolls like us' (Persona Dolls) by means of many practical examples. The book contains information about the choice of the doll(s), the introduction of the doll in the group/class and of making up and telling stories. It also focuses on implementation and on fitting the method into the pedagogical policy in place at the centre or the school. The book is meant for professionals in the lower grades of primary school, child care, playgroups, pre-schools and early childhood education, as well as for professionals with a coaching function, i.e. teaching and child-care consultants, pedagogic coaches, managers, (lower grades) coordinators and teachers at professional training institutes.
Available in Dutch.
See Trainingen as well.
I am I and you are you. Method- and practice book about 'Anti-biased educating'.
A. van Keulen, SWP (voorheen NIZW), Utrecht, 2000.
This method and practice book describes the programme 'I am I and you are you’. Anti-biased educating'. The core of this programme is to learn to appreciate diversity in ethnic backgrounds, gender, handicaps, ways of living, and styles of upbringing and being able to handle prejudice, discrimination and bullying. The book contains practical exercises and activities for professionals and students in child care to carry out with children between 0-10 years old. The book also contains exercises for the professionals themselves. Available in Dutch.
See also Trainingen
Refugee children. Integration in Dutch society.
A. van Keulen (red.), Bureau MUTANT, Utrecht, 1995. Available at Bureau MUTANT, a.vankeulen@mutant.nl.
Today many schools, day-care centres, playgroups and organizations for youth care need to deal with refugee children. This raises many questions for the professionals. How to interpret the behaviour and the culture of these children and their families? Can we help them in coming to grips with possible traumas? How to contribute to their integration in Dutch society? This publication answers these questions. A range of experts go into the backgrounds and experiences of refugee children and their psychological health. This book also provides ideas and handles for a private professional practice, among which suggestions for creative expression and storytelling.
Available in Dutch.