Page 75 - Šolsko polje, XXXI, 2020, 5-6: Teaching Feminism, ed. Valerija Vendramin
P. 75
a. mladenović ■ feminist classrooms in practice
in feminist pedagogy principles. The interview was planned and conduct-
ed as a qualitative research technique, via Zoom, to explore her thoughts,
perspectives and, most importantly, experiences of teaching. The inter-
view was then transcribed and parts of it are included in the sections be-
low. It is clearly stated which of the examples shared come from the litera-
ture and which are Nina’s experiences.
Preschool Education
Feminist pedagogy holds the potential to greatly enrich early childhood
education by providing an alternative outlook on children in the most in-
tensive phase of their cognitive development. Feminist classrooms on the
preschool level base their methods on gender-sensitive and feminist peda-
gogies. One of the usual starting points in such educational environments
has to do with the constructions of gender. Activities include different
ways of challenging children’s preconceived notions of femininity and
masculinity, gender stereotypes, traditional gender roles and gender rela-
tions. These may include role-play, learning about different occupations,
offering a diverse range of toys and encouraging children to choose gen-
der-atypical toys or even choosing not to give any specific cues to children
so as not to risk influencing their choices or behaviour with the teacher’s
(often unconscious) preconceptions, instead providing the background,
posing challenging questions3 and ultimately letting them make their own
decisions. Preschool may be critically assessed as a “system of gendering
factors” (Karlson & Simonsson, 2011, p. 281) that shapes children’s minds
but it also has the potential to empower children by building on personal
experience and offering alternative ways of teaching and learning. Kristina
Andersson and Annica Gullberg (2012) describe a brilliant exploration of
how two different epistemological perspectives on the same teaching and
learning situation4 generate different outlooks on which kind of science
teaching competencies may be beneficial in preschool settings. In the first
perspective, the central goal of science teaching is the development of a
conceptual understanding. In this view, the purpose of science activities
with younger children is to provide them with opportunities to practice a
scientific way of thinking by using scientific concepts. The floating-sink-
ing experiment was unsuccessful from this perspective of learning sci-
ence. Children mostly did not acquire new concepts or misunderstood
certain science concepts; the situation even enhanced a “misconception”
3 It is important that questions are posed in a way that is adjusted to children’s current cog-
nitive level, yet still challenges their line of thought.
4 In this case, it was a floating-sinking experiment in which the children throw different ob-
jects into the water and observe if they float or sink.
73
in feminist pedagogy principles. The interview was planned and conduct-
ed as a qualitative research technique, via Zoom, to explore her thoughts,
perspectives and, most importantly, experiences of teaching. The inter-
view was then transcribed and parts of it are included in the sections be-
low. It is clearly stated which of the examples shared come from the litera-
ture and which are Nina’s experiences.
Preschool Education
Feminist pedagogy holds the potential to greatly enrich early childhood
education by providing an alternative outlook on children in the most in-
tensive phase of their cognitive development. Feminist classrooms on the
preschool level base their methods on gender-sensitive and feminist peda-
gogies. One of the usual starting points in such educational environments
has to do with the constructions of gender. Activities include different
ways of challenging children’s preconceived notions of femininity and
masculinity, gender stereotypes, traditional gender roles and gender rela-
tions. These may include role-play, learning about different occupations,
offering a diverse range of toys and encouraging children to choose gen-
der-atypical toys or even choosing not to give any specific cues to children
so as not to risk influencing their choices or behaviour with the teacher’s
(often unconscious) preconceptions, instead providing the background,
posing challenging questions3 and ultimately letting them make their own
decisions. Preschool may be critically assessed as a “system of gendering
factors” (Karlson & Simonsson, 2011, p. 281) that shapes children’s minds
but it also has the potential to empower children by building on personal
experience and offering alternative ways of teaching and learning. Kristina
Andersson and Annica Gullberg (2012) describe a brilliant exploration of
how two different epistemological perspectives on the same teaching and
learning situation4 generate different outlooks on which kind of science
teaching competencies may be beneficial in preschool settings. In the first
perspective, the central goal of science teaching is the development of a
conceptual understanding. In this view, the purpose of science activities
with younger children is to provide them with opportunities to practice a
scientific way of thinking by using scientific concepts. The floating-sink-
ing experiment was unsuccessful from this perspective of learning sci-
ence. Children mostly did not acquire new concepts or misunderstood
certain science concepts; the situation even enhanced a “misconception”
3 It is important that questions are posed in a way that is adjusted to children’s current cog-
nitive level, yet still challenges their line of thought.
4 In this case, it was a floating-sinking experiment in which the children throw different ob-
jects into the water and observe if they float or sink.
73
