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In this article we consider historical and contemporary ideologies of childhood in China and critically examine notions of 'child' and 'childhood' in Chinese children's literature. We analyse the themes and knowledge that relate to relevant historical and contemporary political events and policies, and how these contribute to the production of childhoods. We focus on three images of childhoods in China: the Confucian child, the Modern child and the Maoist child. Each of the images reflects a way of seeing, a perspective about what a child ought to be and become, and what their childhood should look like. Everyday media are reflected in the texts and stories examined and portray both 'imagined' and 'real-life' narratives of children and their childhoods. The stories, and the connected power relations, represent an important link between the politics of childhood and the pedagogy associated with these politics, including large-scale state investment in the production of desired, ideal and perfect childhoods. Through such an examination of contemporary and historical children's literature and media in China we also explore the ways in which contemporary media revitalise particular notions of child agency.

Educational reform in China has brought about many Western educational approaches for teachers to consider as part of their pedagogy. An example of this is the theory of multiple intelligences (MI theory). This paper presents how a theory grounded in a Western context is locally reconceptualised by kindergarten teachers who grew up in a different context. A qualitative case study was selected to investigate seven kindergarten teachers' understandings of MI theory in China. Three methods were employed to gather data; semi-structured interviews, field observations and documentation. Evidence from the three sources were analysed using a thematic approach. This paper reports contextual factors that had an influence on the teachers' understandings of MI theory and thus its implementation, and argues that the introduction of new educational theories or approaches should be grounded in the local context in which the teaching will be embedded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent innovations in the field of early childhood education have prompted a re-thinking of teaching and learning. Traditional notions of child development have been undergoing some radical changes and, as such, have resulted in a reviewing and re-formulation of early years pedagogy. In Aotearoa New Zealand the field of early childhood education has reflected these changes primarily through the development of a new national early childhood curriculum based on bicultural values and beliefs. This paper traces the history and development of the curriculum document Te Whariki, New Zealand's first codified early childhood curriculum, which is seen as an empowering and holistic curriculum underpinned by principles and goals rather than being content driven. The ensuing discussion describes what this means for early years dance education, particularly at the level of pre-service teacher education programs and the emerging issues and concerns that arise from a reconceptualization of curriculum this is open to interpretation. Central to the Conceptualization of Te Whariki is the premise of the image of the competent and confident child. In support of this the paper examines the teaching and learning of dance in early childhood settings whereby opportunities are afforded for the provision of dance where children are acknowledged as active agents in directing their own learning. The paper concludes by positing a new vision for dance education in Aotearoa New Zealand as well as suggesting possible implications for dance internationally. (Contains 1 note.)

With the increasing American attention on the rapidly evolving field of Teaching Artistry, this article aims to initiate some dialogue on the international level. A global sharing of relevant ideas and practices will help to improve understanding and expand one's perspective. The authors believe ongoing global dialogue will enhance various efforts in the field, such as developing and implementing a Teaching Artist Rubric. Since this rubric is a "work in progress," overseas peers might add further insights to strengthen that process. Global dialogue around TA's work context, realities, training, strengths and weaknesses may stimulate new or different ways to look at, and possibly strengthen, current TA practices everywhere. The authors decided to take an open-ended approach to see what quantity and quality of responses were forthcoming.

Stories in children's daily lives reflect collective meaning-making and knowledge creation with educators, children, and families. The stories sparked during these collective journeys unveil their shared early childhood experiences (Engel, 2005) and inherited cultural wisdom across generations. Education for sustainable development (ESD) has drawn global interest within the field of early childhood education. UNESCO (2005) defined ESD as a weaving of social, environmental, and economical dimensions for building a sustainable world. In this article, one Hong Kong based case story was selected from a study about children's storying conducted in Aotearoa New Zealand and Hong Kong to illustrate these dimensions. This Old-Newspapers story was situated in storied conversations (Gaffney et al., 2019) among children aged 4-5 in a local kindergarten. Children inquired about the wise use of paper through conversations, experimenting, and play. Old newspapers offered pedagogical resources and inspiration that contributed to children's understanding of environmental sustainability. Besides revealing the shared and co-created learning experiences about, in, and for the environment (Davis, 1998, 2009), this story revived hidden cultural heritage and intergenerational connections in families in the social dimension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

by the authors and conducted by a group of recently-graduated teachers about their experiences of being silenced and unheard in an institutional environment as student teachers. The article addresses the aftermath and repercussions that resulted from the dissemination of the research as a presentation at a conference. The presentation revealed some raw and uncensored 'truths' or stories drawn from the teachers' narratives. Continuing to draw on, as well as extending, the process of daredevil research (Jipson & Paley, 1997) and using a critical post-formal and post-structural lens, this writing, eighteen years later, is an endeavour to reveal, remember, rediscover, and uncover an event that occurred nearly twenty years ago; an event that, at the time, we had anticipated being a catalyst for changes in teacher education by encouraging the group of teachers to draw on elements of critical pedagogy in their presentation, while cognizant that this approach to pedagogy was very new, if not unknown, to teacher education at the time and thus presented a risk in terms of others' understanding of the presentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]