Aesthetic Practice as Part of Work with Sustainability, Participation and Learning Environments – Examples from a Finnish and Swedish Preschool

Global Water Day – Oceans project

The theme of Earth Year 2018 was the plastic pollution waste problem. At the preschool/school the teachers notified the children that there was a Global Water Day coming up. The children showed interest in the oceans of the planet since the preschool/school is situated close to a sea bay that is a familiar environment for the children. In one group of 6 year-olds in pre-primary class and pupils in year 1–2, this topic grew to be a project about the ocean, pollution and ecological sustainability. A way to explore this topic was initiated by the children/pupils. They suggested that they could look at films of oceans on the internet where marine life under water is depicted. The teachers challenged the pupils/children by combining the film material with hide-and-seek play with things from the ocean. The children were supposed to feel the hidden objects with their hands with their eyes closed, and guess what they were. After the different objects had been identified through tactile detection, they were placed in front of the pupils/children. Together they pondered what could be found on the bottom of the sea. Some of the objects belonged in the sea, but there were also objects that did not belong there. How had the objects found their way there? Why were these objects in the sea? This was the start of a project where the children became interested in the problem of plastic waste in the oceans. They divided into small groups and carried out different kinds of investigations for a longer period, and found information on plastic waste in the oceans that formed big islands of waste. This was something that intrigued the children a lot. They sought information on questions like: What characterizes a sea and an ocean? What kinds of problems are linked to pollution in the oceans? In what ways can oceans be polluted? The children studied different kinds of ocean current maps, followed information on the internet about the routes of the currents, and examined images of plastic waste (Image 1–2).

The teachers asked the children the following question: In what way could the plastic waste be re-used? The children gathered plastic waste from their homes and the material was utilized in different ways. For instance, an art installation was constructed so the plastic waste could be re-used for a good purpose. They also decided to write a song called “Keeping the Oceans Clean” to make other people more aware of the plastic waste problem as a way to minimize marine pollution and improve the ocean environment. This project was presented at the annual Green Flag summit along with other projects from the school.

The impact of Reggio Emilia’s pedagogical philosophy on Swedish ECE

The interest in Reggio Emilia-inspired educational work in Sweden can be explained by the radically new and inspiring methods developed in certain Italian preschools. The philosophy stems from the common historical tradition of European early childhood education, which is progressive, dialectical and activity-oriented. The social political views in the Emilia Romagna region correspond with Swedish social democratic aspirations for its educational system (Wehner-Godée, 2011, p. 286). According to the OECD, the interest in Reggio Emilia-inspired education, is stronger in Sweden than in other OECD countries (Lindroth, 2018). According to Hoyelos Planillo, the impact of the Reggio Emilia philosophy on Swedish early childhood education has in turn influenced the Reggio approach internationally (2004, pp. 144, 185). The Reggio Emilia approach has been criticized for using aesthetics in a superficial way, documentation as surveillance, creating a cargo cult for the educational elite (Johnson, 1999, pp. 248–261). Wright, to the contrary, points to the self-critical and de-constructing nature of the Reggio Emilia approach as vital, and suggests that the approach may instead be defined as a innately self-critical, a ”network of interdependent relationships” (Wright, 2000, p. 225).

Inspiration from Reggio Emilia in Sweden has evolved over time, and informs the design of outdoor and indoor spaces in Swedish preschools today (Nordin-Hultman, 2004). Project thinking has emerged as a tool to highlight meaningful learning, where observation and documentation is used to visualize ongoing learning processes. A focus on collective learning and reflection is crucial, because individuals live in relation to others in the lifelong learning process. This process includes affirmation of subjectivity, equality, solidarity, reciprocity and participation in an exploration of values as well as the surrounding world. The explorative method used in Reggio Emilia preschools is intended to develop children’s abilities through seamless integration between artistic activities, creative play, construction play, etc. In work with sustainable education, art, culture and visual skills are important educational strategies. A focus on the studio – or atelier – has become a symbol for the development of social participation and analysis of society by visual means. By learning to reflect on what the child sees, or growing an ability to analyse by developing ways of seeing, the child’s competence grows by exercising the ability to express, reflect and communicate thoughts and opinions (Häikiö, 2007; Vecchi, 2001, 2014). This in turn helps the child to understand the relation between concrete and abstract levels in making meaning of phenomena in the world.

Spaces, activity zones and aesthetic aspects of learning

In the Reggio Emilia preschools, the learning environment is consciously organized into activity zones (Häikiö, 2007). Documentation plays an important part in this environment as an informative, aesthetic and visual factor in the construction of the spaces (Essén, Björklund, & Olsborn Björbo, 2016). In a setting of multisensorial and emotive spaces, light, sound and other factors (transparency, osmosis, olfactory and tactile material) are taken into account when arranging the spaces (Häikiö, 2007). The spaces are described as symbols for a philosophy that mirrors the emotional, relational and communicative aspects of the approach. In this environment, mirrors of different modes are used, for instance characteristic mirror triangles, and other perceptive and optical materials are an integral part of the work with the children’s perceptive education, which in turn affects their identity and body-conception (Karlsson Häikiö, 2018b). Malaguzzi pointed out the importance of knowledge of materials for the child’s results, which in turn is related to the child’s image of him-/herself as competent (1993b). Through observing phenomena and using different kinds of materials, a repertoire of experiences is generated, offering a framework for what can be created. The creative process reinforces and deepens learning in thought as well as emotionally through the processing of various materials and techniques, according to Vecchi (2014). Learning takes place through play, exploration, creation, exchanges between children, and co-construction with the educators (Dahlberg, Moss & Pence, 2003). It is through work with perception, optical phenomena, light and projections, mirrors, colour, shape and using a variety of materials and techniques that a child’s ability grow. In this way, the children learn the qualities or “alphabet” of materials (Vecchi, 2001). The metaphor of a hundred languages has also come to characterise the Reggio Emilia approach. This metaphor for multiple modes of expression and communicative languages, is not only linked to skills and abilities, but also to the development of different communicative and relational strategies (Malaguzzi, 1993b). A child’s hundred languages can be interpreted as knowledge of materials, but it is also a metaphor for multicultural perspectives on learning and relationships that promote an understanding of others (Karlsson Häikiö, 2018a). The children explore and invent new forms of expression, formulate hypotheses, ask questions and find solutions to themes raised during discussions in morning assemblies and though the project work.

Relationships and diversity

Relational pedagogy is part of the creating sustainable education, since a preschool is something that is shaped together. The educational activities are intrinsically formed by the core values used as guiding principles at the preschool: relationships and diversity, communication and trust, participation and meaning-making as well as project work and exploration. These key values stem from the theoretical foundation of the preschool, and manifest in daily practice, child and parent participation, the organisation of interactive learning environments and in educational planning and activities. In the global sustainability goals, work with child-oriented practices is emphasised (Engdahl, 2015). The preschool is inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach, with theories of relational pedagogy and space as a third educator (Malaguzzi, 1993a; Karlsson Häikiö, 2018a, 2018b; Nordin-Hultman, 2004). Educators participate as contributors to learning, as opposed to constuctivist perspectives where the teacher is considered the prime source of knowledge (Dysthe, 1996). The preschool educators are seen as co-constructors in a collaborative approach, where children and teachers create knowledge together (Palmer, 2011). Aspelin and Persson claim the relationship between educators and children to be the basis of education (2011). An educator who enables the children to be part of a learning process together with others has the opportunity to see how the needs of children compose the conditions for learning. In this relationship, an interpersonal power field arises that Aspelin and Persson call the focal point of education, based on the interaction between educator and child. According to the educators at the preschool, their task is to see the needs of the children, help them to understand their potential, and also be aware of and set limits. This is done by supporting and confirming the children’s feelings, and being curious about the interests of each child. By creating a relationship with each individual and using everybody’s differences to create a space, a context arises where everyone is important to the group.

A dialogue-based approach is one of the keys to creating relationships. By acknowledging family needs and experiences, trust-based cooperation is built with parents, promoting a climate where everyone feels involved, which is an integral part of the preschool’s philosophy. In order to meet the needs of all the different families in the best way, the educators create different kinds of meeting places, including: daily interactions, parent meetings, workshops, and using documentation tools to enable parents to experience participation in both their children’s learning and the preschool activities. In other preschools, everybody is supposed to have the same opportunities regardless of gender, age, size, origin and language. At this preschool, educators focus on the abilities of the individual child, building on them to make everyone feel important to the group and using everyone’s differences to create a space and context where everyone can participate. This value-base permeates the preschool’s daily work, where diversity is considered to be about more than origin, where we come from, but instead about seeing differences as a part contributing to building a whole: “Everyone we meet has something new to add. In meeting with other people, we always expose ourselves to the risk and ability to change ourselves and the one we encounter” (Wehner-Godée, 2011, authors’ own translation).

Questions about educational models can be further explored based on other approaches to learning, as well as on children’s cultural participation with the aim of developing active citizenship, and from the perspective of preschool as an inclusive educational environment and social arena (Dahlberg, Moss & Pence, 2003). Therefore, in the multicultural environment of today’s preschools and schools, it becomes crucial to be able to reflect on similarities and differences. A revision of a normative view of preschool and school is necessary. Through an inclusive educational entry-point, children and parents are prepared for social participation regardless of background, with a focus on an integrated perspective on learning environments with preschool as an arena.

Communication and trust

A dialogue-based preschool is assumed to help children grow, develop and take responsibility. Responsibility is created through building confidence in one’s capabilities and trust in each other. This is done by creating linkages between the safe and the new in project work, by advocating curiosity, and creating courage to try new things and share experiences. The educators help the children to express what feels difficult and confirm the feelings of the children. This is practiced in the morning assemblies as well as during project work. If children are given responsibility, they grow with the task and their faith grows in their own ability. This includes trusting the children’s ability to solve problems and conflicts, and meet challenges. “Knowledge, of course, is nothing that one person possesses or exists as a pre-existing truth to detect, but something that is created by human beings in relation to and in dialogue with the world” (Dahlberg, Moss & Pence, 2003, p. 241, authors’ own translation). In a collegial environment, appreciation of each other’s different skills and respect for each other’s opinions is part of creating relationships, as is daring to turn to each other for help and support. Before the new preschool was built, staff had been frustrated because of the lack of a common understanding of and disagreement over their professional work. Therefore the leaders and educators were tasked with working with relational pedagogy and the working environment. They put a lot of effort into establishing the value-base of the preschool so work could start from a common base in the new preschool (Alnervik & Kennedy, 2010) built five years later. Through this work, the first principles of the value base of the preschool became apparent: sustainability in the organization of activities where each child, educator and parent forms a whole in relationships to other children and families.

Participation, project work and exploration

The project method used at the preschool is a process-based model encompassing experimentation and exploration, where children and educators formulate a hypothesis or question before looking for solutions. Explorative activities are based on individual and group interests. In order to allow for in-depth learning, the educators need to identify an interest that comes from within each child or from the group of children. The educators need to be present, collaborative, curious, attentive and observant, in the way they follow the children’s actions, words and interests. By asking open questions, they can reflect with the children, and in this way follow and drive processes that allow the children to become active seekers. Project work at the preschool starts from exploration on the part of the children and is based on what they are interested in related to the curriculum for preschool in Sweden, Läroplan för förskolan Lpfö98, revised 2017. In this way, work starts with the children’s own theories and thoughts and remains open to change and transformation. The task of the educators is to promote discovery, exploration and reflection on events before they meet final answers or well-established theories. In this way, fantasy, imagination and hypothesis-making and reasoning are an integral part of the learning process. In this kind of approach, the environment, interpersonal relations and use of multiple languages, are central, in addition to being where relationships takes shape (Palmer, 2011).

In order for the children to feel that they are an important part of the group and the entire preschool’s activities, the role of the educator is to listen actively, show interest in how the children think, and involve the children in activities and documentation. Educators offer the children many opportunities and listen attentively to the children’s thoughts and opinions. The preschool encourages parental involvement. This involvement is apparent in daily conversations about the children’s development, needs and desires, and promotes transparency. Through communication with parents, a sense of security is created, which empowers them to ask questions, express opinions and feel they have the opportunity to influence the learning environment of their child. An open attitude of listening, confirming, and trying to understand each other’s thoughts, experiences and feelings, is aimed at building an open climate. All of the preschool’s educators are involved in and have responsibility for different aspects of the educational work. They are responsible for the content of activities, encouraging the children’s curiosity, and formulating projects. Offering children the opportunity to put their thoughts into a wider context gives them opportunity not only to be seen, but also to be challenged and think one-step further from a broader perspective.

Ecology and recycling

Design and construction of the new preschool was a collaboration between the architects, principal and the educators. The previous preschool was situated in an old building that needed to be replaced. It was decided that the new preschool would be inspired by nature and have an ecological profile. The design of the new preschool building resembles bird nests and merges with the natural environment in a forested area of the municipality. During the building process, the children were also involved through visits to the construction site, work in the preschool studio or atelier and project work on the theme of construction (Karlsson Häikiö, 2018b). The educators felt a need to create a learning environment that encouraged meaningful interaction with materials. These materials, the environment and artefacts are not just insignificant objects, since materials become active agents responding to the children’s actions (Nordin-Hultman, 2004; Lenz Taguchi, 2012). Materials create curiosity and thoughts about sustainability in the world. By meeting and exploring the material on the terms of the material, children inspire each other and learn together, find the character of the material, find ways of using the material and are given space to explore.

Work with creativity, multimodality, sustainability

In the new preschool, the cook and kitchen occupy a special place, both physically and psychologically. The food prepared at the preschool is organic. The children are engaged in the planning of the meals, the process of preparing the food and in recycling leftovers. Vegetables and seasonal produce used in food preparation are grown organically and produced locally, as far as possible. The cook interacts with the children during the whole food production process, promoting healthy and ecological eating habits. The products of the kitchen are also used in the preschool atelier, for instance painting with different fruit or vegetable juices, and seasonal plants are objects of study, artistically and scientifically (Image 3–4),

The fruit and vegetables are used in different ways to understand colour, form and composition from aesthetic perspectives, and are elaborated using different artistic materials. At the same time, the children develop an understanding of nature, growing of plants, biology, and mathematics through close research on how plants look and are structured, where, how and in which circumstances they grow, and how they taste and smell differently depending on whether they are raw or prepared.

Setting of activity zones and learning environments

The activities at the preschool are inspired by nature and scientific exploration, outdoor activities and walks in the nearby forest. Inside the preschool, the educators have constructed activity zones for different purposes. For instance, light tables are used to create nature zones where the children can explore, sort and elaborate with natural material, visual material and books on nature, flowers, insects, leaves etc. Different activity zones are established as nature corners, zones of natural materials, with optical material like mirrors, settings transforming light, use of light projection, light tables. The use of sensation as receptors of information is part of the work in the atelier and several zones for aesthetic work with 2- and 3 dimensional materials have been created (Images 5–6).

Meaning-making through mediation with different modes of expression and multimodal visual tools is also part of the setting (Jewitt, 2011). Different light artefacts, light tables, over-head projectors and film projections are used to create a stimulating atmosphere for the different senses, inspiring the children to creative play, interaction and construction, and in this way challenging the senses and the children’s visual capacity. Film projections inspire the children to see new kind of environments, and explore natural phenomena and different natural environments. One year the entire preschool worked with an over-arching project called “Sustainable Future”, where each section chose their own project to focus on. In order for relational pedagogy to emerge, the educator needs to pay attention to the child’s learning process and the opportunities for learning that arise through the activities. The child in turn needs to accept the educator’s actions and show that they understand the meaning of the mutual relationship. “We become in relation to the world and in relation to each other. No other knowledge exists than in the one designed together” (Lenz Taguchi, 1999, authors’ own translation).