Leirpoll's thesis is titled: "Time, touch and heartfelt warmth: Readings of enacted kindergarten pedagogy in light of Walter Benjamin’s thought-images".
The doctoral thesis is a study of how kindergarten teachers' knowledge and professionalism is expressed bodily. The study is based on careful examination of videos of kindergarten teachers' practices during bedtime routines in the kindergarten.
"These close readings shows how small everyday gestures and movements have an important pedagogical weight and worth," writes the candidate to inn.no.
Some of the professionalism is not primarily delivered on paper, but on the floor.
"In the thesis, I highlight small occurrences and gestures from kindergarten teachers' practice as significant and worthy expressions of kindergarten professionalism," she continues.
Practicing kindergarten expertise is then described, illustrated and read with connections to two of Walter Benjamin's images: The angel of history and the too-late child. Through this, the study shows how the kindergarten teachers' practiced professionalism is expressed as rhythms of aesthetics and ethics, where time, touch and affection stand out as central notes.
"The thesis is a philosophical-empirical contribution to an early childhood education and care research-field that recognizes the need to acknowledge and appreciate the early childhood teachers embodied epistemological repertoire," says Leirpoll.
In parallel with the importance of recognizing the kindergarten teacher's body as a solid and rich source for kindergarten pedagogy, the study also points to the necessity of respecting its bodily tolerance limits.
Beate Kristin Leirpoll has been affiliated with the PhD programme Teaching and Teacher Education (PROFF)
The main findings of the PhD:
- Kindergarten pedagogy is enacted through movement, touch, tempo, and tenderness.
- Familiarity grows through embodied reading and listening.
- The need for a patient pedagogy with room for slowness, lingering and hesitation to avoid a pedagogical tempo that leads to alienation rather than resonance.
- The importance of recognizing the kindergarten teachers’ body as a solid and rich source for kindergarten-pedagogy and simultaneously respecting its tolerance limits.
Here you'll find more information about Beate Kristin Leirpoll's public defence on 5 December 2023.
Contact information:
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