Listening to Children's Advice about Starting School and School Age Care Towards an Ethical Praxis in Early Childhood Series

Reflecting the importance of drawing on children?s perspectives to shape professional practice, this book offers a nuanced approach to understanding the aims, implications and practicalities of accessing and incorporating children?s perspectives in pedagogial practices relating to transitions. Listening to Children?s Advice about Starting School and School Age Care:

• emphasises the importance of listening to and respecting children?s perspectives at the time of their transitions to school and school age care;
• shares children?s perspectives of the transition to school and school age care in ways that are both authentic and provocative;
• explores implications for practice as a consequence of children?s input;
• provokes a deep level of critical reflection and practice/policy development that is informed by a dialogue between research and practice.

Chapters report research conducted in seven different countries to highlight approaches that acknowledge and respect children?s input, and use this as a basis for critical reflection on practice, with a view to improving the children?s transition experiences. Using examples of practice and offering practical and theoretical insights, the book illustrates the multiplicity of children?s perspectives, and prompts educators to reflect on and critique practice.

This book will be invaluable reading for researchers, students, educators and practitioners involved in young children?s transitions to school and school-age care.

Foreword: introduction to the EECERA Book Series About the Contributors and Editors Chapter 1: Children’s perspectives of transition to school: Exploring possibilities Chapter 2: Communities of children in the transition from kindergarten to school Chapter 3: Children's agency in transition experiences: Understanding possibilities and challenges Chapter 4: Transitions as a two-way window: Separation and adjustment in transition through the eyes of children starting school Chapter 5: Different transitions: Children’s different experiences of the transition to school Chapter 6: Following children’s advice on transitions from preschool to primary school Chapter 7: Children’s views on their learning in preschool and school – Reflections and influence on practice Chapter 8: Connecting school and leisure-time centre: Children as brokers Chapter 9: Children’s voices as a bridge between educators in kindergarten and teachers in primary school: Potential of children’s perspectives to support professional development Chapter 10: Children’s voices about transition processes: Strategic adaptation and civic resilience Chapter 11: From research to practice: Continuing the conversation Index

Sue Dockett is Emeritus Professor of Early Childhood Education at the School of Education, Charles Sturt University, Australia.

Johanna Einarsdottir is Professor of Early Childhood Education at the School of Education, University of Iceland.

Bob Perry is Emeritus Professor at the School of Education, Charles Sturt University, Australia.