On completion of the course, the student should be able to:

- explain the implications of contemporary preschool pedagogies for the learning and development of preschool children, staff, and educators
- explain relevant pedagogies organized around play, exploration, and aesthetics
- explain contemporary approaches to research and education for developing, implementing, and maintaining preschool environments organized around intercultural education and education for sustainable development

- formulate and defend arguments about preschool educational and didactical issues
- apply pedagogies organized around play, exploration, and aesthetics in the design, evaluation and implementation of preschool activities and environments
- apply pedagogies organized around play, exploration, and aesthetics in evaluating preschool children’s learning and development
- design preschool activities and environments to promote and support sustainable and multi/intercultural education

- evaluate and assess preschool didactic practices from the perspective of various theories, concepts and models related to play, learning, and development

• The “readiness for school” vs. “social pedagogy” debate in early childhood education provision
• Survey of Swedish Preschool Pedagogies with particular focus on:
- Developmental Pedagogy

The course combines classroom-based seminars, lectures, group work and field visits to preschools and other childcare institutions.

An online learning management platform (Ping Pong) is used for course communication and assignment distribution and evaluation.

Students who have been admitted to and enrolled in the course have the right to receive instruction/supervision for the duration of the course. Right to instruction expires once the course has ended.

Undervisningen bedrivs på engelska.

General entry requirements and a bachelor's degree (i.e. the equivalent of 180 ECTS credits at an accredited university) within behavioral science, social work, educational sciences, or related field, including independent, theoretical-based work, i.e. a thesis or equivalent. English proficiency is required. Exemption is granted from requirement in Swedish.

Kursen bedöms med betygen A, B, C, D, E, FX eller F.

The grades A, B, C, D and E are all passing grades. For courses with more than one examination, students are given a final grade based on an overall assessment of all examinations included in the course. The final grade of the course is issued only when all course units have been passed.

The examination is based on instruction and course literature.
The examination must allow for students to be assessed on an individual basis. Students may not make a second attempt at any examination (or element of examination) already passed in order to receive a higher grade. Further information concerning assessment and grading criteria is provided in a study guide distributed at the beginning of the course.

Students are given three opportunities for examination per course assignment, including the initial opportunity. If a student has failed the same examination three times, the student may request that the examination be assessed and graded by a new examiner. The decision to accept or reject such a request is made by the vice dean of education.


In case the course is terminated or significantly altered, examination according to the present course syllabus shall be offered on at least two occasions in the course one year after the termination/alteration.

Examinationsmoment	Omfattning	Betyg
Group laboratory assignment1	2 hp	U/G
Individual written assignment1	1,5 hp	U/G
Individual written assignment1	1,5 hp	U/G
Individual presentation	2 hp	A/B/C/D/E/FX/F
Individual written assignment	4 hp	A/B/C/D/E/FX/F

¹ The examination is graded pass (G) or fail (U)

At the end of the course, a course evaluation is performed and commented on by the course coordinator and, if possible, a student/students (course developer/s). The course evaluation, which is published on the relevant learning platform and submitted to the study administration, is to function as a basis for future improvements to the course.

Baumer, Sonja, Ferholt, Beth, & Lecusay, Robert (2005). Promoting narrative competence through adult–child joint pretense: Lessons from the Scandinavian educational practice of playworld. Cognitive Development, 20(4), 576–590. (14 pages)


Edwards, Carolyn, Gandini, Lella, & Forman, George. (Eds.). (1998). The hundred languages of children: the Reggio Emilia approach--advanced reflections (2nd ed). Greenwich, Conn: Ablex Pub. Corp. (150 pages)

Engdahl, Ingrid., & Ärlemalm-Hagsér, Eva (2014). Education for sustainability in Swedish preschools. In J. Davis & S. Elliott (Eds.), Research in early childhood education for sustainability: International perspectives and provocations (pp. 208–224). New York: Routledge. (16 pages)
Giudici, Claudia., Rinaldi, Carla, & Krechevsky, Mara. (Eds.). (2001). Making learning visible: Children as individual and group learners. Cambridge, MA: Project Zero and Reggio Emilia: Reggio Children. (approx. 100 pages)


Gopnik, Alison. (2016). The Gardner and the Carpenter: What the New Science of Child Development Tells Us about the Relationship between Parents and Children. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. (200 p.)

Kultti, Anne, & Pramling, N. (2015). Limes and Lemons: Teaching and Learning in Preschool as the Coordination of Perspectives and Sensory Modalities. International Journal of Early Childhood, 47(1), 105–117. (12 p.)

Lindqvist, Gunilla. (1996). The Aesthetics of Play. A Didactic Study of Play and Culture in Preschools. Early Years, 17(1), 6–11. (5 p.)

Lindqvist, Gunilla. (2001). When Small Children Play: How adults dramatise and children create meaning. Early Years, 21(1), 7–14. (7 p.)

Mead, Rebecca. (2015, January 19). A City Run by Children. The New Yorker. (10 p.)

Nilsson, Monica & Ferholt, Beth (2015). Vygotsky's theories of play, imagination and creativity in current practice: Gunilla Lindqvist's “creative pedagogy of play” in U. S. kindergartens and Swedish Reggio-Emilia inspired preschools. I Perspectiva, 32(3), sid. 920-950. (30 p.)

Pramling Samuelsson, Ingrid, & Pramling, Niklas. (2016). Variation Theory of Learning and
Developmental Pedagogy: Two Context-related Models of Learning Grounded in Phenomenography. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 60(3), 286–295. (9 pages)

Rogers, Susan. (2011). Play and Pedagogy: A Conflict of Interest. In S. Rogers (Ed.), Rethinking play and pedagogy in early childhood education: Concepts, contexts and cultures (pp. 5–18). New York: Routledge. (13 pages)


Samuelsson, Ingrid, & Carlsson, Maj Asplund. (2008). The Playing Learning Child: Towards a pedagogy of early childhood. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 52(6), 623–641. (18 pages)

Total pages – Course Literature: 572


In addition to listed course texts there will be, in accordance with lecturers’ recommendations,
reports, articles and internet resources.

Reference literature
Hutt, Corrine (1966). Exploration and play in children. In Symposia of the Zoological Society of London (Vol. 18, pp. 61–81). (20p.)

Rinaldi, Carla (2006). In dialogue with Reggio Emilia listening, researching and learning. London; New York: Routledge. (150 p.)


Rethinking Play Special Interest Group - EECERA. (2014). Position Paper on The Role of Play in Early Childhood Education. (5 p.)

Sandberg, Anette, & Arlemalm-Hagser, Eva. (2011). The Swedish National Curriculum: Play and learning with fundamental values in focus. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 36(1), 44-50. (6 p.)




Citing Sources – How to Create Literature References. http:ju.se/library/search-write/citingsources---how-to-create-literature-references.html


Information Material about Anti-Plagiarism at Universities. The Interactive Anti-Plagiarism
Guide – Jönköping University. http:pingpong.ju.se/public/courseId/10565/publicPage.do