Morning Receptions in a Danish ECE Context: Much more than a kiss and goodbye

Abstract NERA 2017 Morning receptions in a Danish ECE context – much more than a kiss and goodbye Ida Kornerup, ass. Prof., Ph.d., Mette L. Gravgaard ass. Prof. University College Copenhagen Research topic This paper focus on a special pedagogical context; morning receptions as a learning environment. The studies of mornings are part of a 3 year long research project in which different types of learning environments were investigated. Few studies have researched morning receptions in this perspective even though pedagogues often emphasize that this particular pedagogical context have implications on the children’s wellbeing and learning possibilities throughout the day. Theoretical framework The larger study was framed and build on micro sociological and interactionist theories (Goffmann 1956, Blumer 1998, Bruner 1999) and participatory learning approaches (Lave & Wenger 1991, Dreier 2001). A learning environment is in this study understood as a pedagogical setting which is able to support and enlarge children’s pathways of participation. Methodology/research design The empirical data for this paper stems from two different methodological approaches (9 ECE facilities in all). 2 of the ECE facilities were part of the larger study where the methodological approach was participatory in the sense that staff and children participated in creating knowledge and data. 7 ECE facilities where part in a parallel study where only researchers observed the morning receptions. The empirical data is created as fieldwork, reflective workshops with participants and interviews. Observations draw upon ethnographical and anthropological methods (Hastrup 2004, Hasse 2011, Cole 2003) and similar ethnographic research studies of Danish ECE facilities and pedagogy (Larsen 2005, Gilliam & Gulløv 2012) are included in the analytical process. Expected conclusions/findings Points and findings in the study shows that morning receptions can be understood as a complex and dynamic environment, characterized by its duality of recognizability and unpredictability. In one way morning receptions has elements of cultural habits, norms and knowledge that refers back to the cultural system of ECE references, ways of doings and participating that sustains processes of inclusion and exclusion of the particular ECE facility. But on the other hand, mornings receptions also, due to its special and unpredictable configuration of time, tasks and the current children, parents and staff members of the morning, pave the ways of alternative and different types of participatory processes and in this perspective breaks down or disturb common practices. In that perspective the morning receptions seem to rise as a learning environment which is depending on a dynamic and reflective pedagogical approach and organization of the morning staff. Relevance for Nordic educational research ECE facilities are an integrated part of the Nordic wellfaresystem. It both supports mothers equal participation at the labour market and fulfill the national educational goals in relation to ECE curriculum. This dual obligation is reflected in the inner structures and understandings of the ECE framing and facilitation of the daily settings. Opposite schools, Danish ECE facilities does not have a fixed time of meeting in the morning which opens for individual meeting times for each family and child. The paper will among other aspects discuss how this (maybe very Nordic) element impart significant knowledge to the overall discussion of what to sustain or develop in ECE in a Nordic context.