Safe, Inclusive Participative Pedagogy: Improving Early Childhood Education in Fragile Contexts

幼儿期是所有儿童的关键时期。研究已最终确认，这一时期对于此时此地的幼儿权利、儿童未来的教育、经济和健康成果以及最终的社会繁荣具有重要意义。随着对幼儿教育的关注增加，世界各国政府正在转向义务学前教育和早期教育，这是一个关键时刻：a）了解在不同文化和政治背景下提供这种教育的挑战/机遇;以及B）从根本上重新思考全球幼儿教育的未来方向。我们在这个时候有重要的问题要问，关于学习经验和专业支持的质量，幼儿教育如何在文化上有意义和适当，并确保它是负担得起的，包容性的和可访问的。该项目响应了四个海外发展中国家-巴西、斯威士兰、南非、西岸和加沙-的迫切研究需求，这些国家在经历暴力、不平等和集中贫困的脆弱环境中正在出现新的供应模式。它建立在巴西学术合作伙伴（PUC-RIO儿童研究和政策国际中心）的创新基础上，该中心研究了如何加强和增加里约热内卢两个低收入社区幼儿早期学习的安全场所（2014-17）。从这个扩展，在巴西，斯威士兰，南非，约旦河西岸和加沙地带，和英国的学术合作伙伴将确定和开发安全，包容性的参与式教学法，是在脆弱的环境和可持续的政府，社区和家庭实施。尽管四个伙伴国家的社会经济和文化背景各不相同，但它们都已准备好通过国家政策发展幼儿教育，正在经历执行方面的困境，并且由于极端和普遍的暴力、不平等和/或贫困而环境脆弱。为此，本研究将解决以下四个问题：1。当前的政策、制度和组织以何种方式以及如何支持脆弱环境中的包容性参与式教学法？2.可以调动哪些信息、知识和专业知识来了解脆弱的环境以及幼儿学习、幼儿及其家庭的威胁、资产和机会？3.包容性参与式教学法如何能够在社区及其正式和非正式环境中扎根并可持续，以支持儿童的早期学习？4.是否存在包容性参与式教学法的经济理由？如果是，相关的组成部分是什么，短期和长期的成本和效益是什么？包容性参与式教学法是一个新的概念，本项目将发展，测试和挑战。它借鉴了幼儿教育学、包容性教育和预防暴力等各自领域，以及研究团队从儿童发展到公共卫生再到经济学的综合学科。它有可能为幼儿及其家庭提供高质量、文化上适当和可获得的幼儿教育的政策和实践问题提供答案。通过这项研究及其分享学习和影响变革的配套战略，该项目将在早期和包容性教育以及防止暴力侵害儿童方面为伙伴国家实现可持续发展目标做出重大贡献。

Early childhood is a critical period for all children. It has been conclusively recognised by research that this period is significant for young children's rights in the here and now, for children's future educational, economic and health outcomes, and ultimately societal flourishing. As attention to early childhood education increases, and governments across the world are moving to compulsory pre-school and early education, this is a pivotal moment for: a) understanding the challenges/opportunities for such provision in different cultural and political contexts; and b) radically rethinking future directions of early childhood education globally. We have significant questions to ask at this very time about the quality of learning experiences and professional support, how early childhood education can be culturally meaningful and appropriate, and ensuring it is affordable, inclusive and accessible. This project responds to an urgent research need within four overseas development countries - Brazil, Eswatini, South Africa, and the West Bank and Gaza -- where new provision models are emerging in fragile contexts experiencing violence, inequalities and concentrated poverty. It builds on the innovation of the Brazilian academic partner (the International Centre International Centre for Research and Policy on Childhood at PUC-RIO), who researched how to strengthen and increase safe places of early learning for young children in two low-income communities in Rio de Janeiro (2014-17). Expanding from this, the academic partners in Brazil, Eswatini, South Africa, the West Bank & Gaza, and the UK will identify and develop safe, inclusive participative pedagogy that is implementable in fragile contexts and sustainable for governments, communities and families. While differing in socio-economic and cultural contexts, all four partner countries are poised for early childhood education development through national policy, are experiencing implementation quandaries and have fragile settings due to extreme and pervasive violence, inequalities and/or poverty. To do so, the research will address these four questions:1. In what ways and how do current policies, systems and organisations support inclusive participative pedagogy in fragile contexts? 2. What information, knowledge, expertise can be mobilised to understand fragile contexts and the threats, assets and opportunities for early childhood learning, young children and their families? 3. How can inclusive participative pedagogy become embedded and sustainable in communities, their formal and informal contexts, so as to support children's early learning?4. Is there an economic case for inclusive participative pedagogy? If so, what are the relevant components and what are the short- and long-term costs and benefits?Inclusive participative pedagogy is a novel concept, which this project will develop, test and challenge. It draws on the respective fields of early childhood pedagogy, inclusive education and violence prevention, and the combined disciplines of the research team which range from child development to public health to economics. It has the potential to provide the answers to the policy and practice questions about quality, culturally appropriate and accessible early childhood education for young children and their families. Through this research, and its accompanying strategy to share learning and influence change, the project will substantially contribute to partner countries achieving their Sustainable Development Goals in terms of early and inclusive education and preventing violence against children.