Including young children's voices: early years gender policy
Staffing
Professor Glenda Mac Naughton, Sally Barnes, CEIEC, The University of Melbourne;
Shirley Dally, Department of Education and Children's Services, South Australia
Summary
The Including Young Children’s Voices action learning consultation was ‘designed to support three and four year old learners to take part in the consultation on the national review and recast of Gender Equity: A Framework for Australian Schools at the South Australian jurisdiction level’ (Lountain, 18 th Feb, 2004). The action learning consultation was enacted in several interconnected phases: literature review and design of an action learning process (February 2004), implementation of an action learning sessions with teachers (March 2004), teacher consultations with children (March 2004), analysis and report writing (April – July 2004). Six core questions drove the consultation with preschool children. They were designed to support the gender equity policy review by focusing on how children constructed gender, the effects of gender in curriculum, teaching and learning; and how gender impacted on the learning culture, ethos and relationships in the preschool sites. The consultation with the children highlighted that children are actively constructing gender in the early years and, more importantly, they are constructing it in early childhood settings. However, gender has different effects in different early childhood settings. It is important that gender policy recognises this so that it is responsive and relevant to the specific and changing gender dynamics that emerge from the different ways in which different children construct gender in their early years. Within this, gender policy needs to specifically address gender fairness and safety because children regard gender as a key factor in what makes kindergarten unfair and unsafe for them. This is especially pertinent for several girls who experienced gender harassment and for any boy or girl who wants to ‘do’ or perform gender/gender identity differently.
Status
Complete
Funding Source
Department of Education and Children's Services, South Australia
Publications
Mac Naughton, G., Barnes, S. & Dally, S. (2004). Including young children's voices: a gender equity policy consultation. Department of Education and Children's Services, South and CEIEC, The University of Melbourne, Australia.
MacNaughton, G. 2008 Constructing gender in early years education. In C. Skelton, B. Francis & L. Smulyan (Eds.). Sage Handbook: Gender and Education (pp. 127 – 138). California: Sage Publications
Dally, S., Barnes, S., & MacNaughton, G. (2008). Children informing gender equity policy. In G.MacNaughton, P. Hughes & K. Smith (Eds), Young Children as Citizens. Cambridge: Cambridge Scholars Press.
MacNaughton, G., & Gunn, A. (2007). Gender issues in early childhood education. In . L. Keesing-Styles & H. Hedges (Eds.), Critical Issues in Early Childhood Education in Australia and New Zealand (pp.121 – 136). Sydney: Pademelon Press Sydney.
MacNaughton, G. (2006, 18th April). Starting with the Child in Mind: Curriculum and Children's Rights. Public Lecture, Singapore.
MacNaughton, G. (2006, 14th January). The possibilities and challenges of creating gender fair education. Keynote presented at the Equal Opportunity in the Teaching Process Conference: European Social Fund and the Czech Republic. Prague, the Czech Republic.