Teaching in relation to care and learning in the Swedish preschool: Multi-voiced teaching and didactic tact?

Abstract

Abstract: The defined research problem focuses on teaching in relation to care and learning. In other words, it investigates the possible meanings of the concept of "the whole" in policy documents, and how this might emerge in preschool teaching. There is a dearth of research illuminating this area based on more extensive empirical studies in collaborative projects. The aim of the project is to develop knowledge about possible characteristics of teaching in relation to care and learning, from preschool teachers' written materials and documented collaborative actions in the preschool as part of the Swedish school system. Methodologically, the analysis is abductive and has a didactic perspective. The material includes a total of 349 written documents and 63 hours of video recordings from 121 preschools/preschool departments in ten municipalities. The analytical unit consists of verbal data and audiovisual data. The results show that the concepts of teaching, care and learning may appear both separate and joined together in various ways. The whole analysis is held together and tested through the overall concept of "multi-voiced teaching", which might also cover "didactic tact”.