Student–teacher dialectic in the co-creation of a zone of proximal development

An example from kindergarten mathematics

Bibliographic Data

ID21685922
AuthorsSvanhild Breive (0000-0002-1520-049X, Department of Mathematical Sciences, University of Agder, Kristiansand, Norway, corresponding author)
Year2020
Volume28
Issue3
Pages413-423
Publication date2020-05-03
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueEuropean Early Childhood Education Research Journal (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1350-293X • E-ISSN: 1752-1807
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/1350293x.2020.1755498
OpenAlexW3019032103
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited12

This paper reports on a case study which explores the co-creation of a zone of proximal development (ZPD) in a mathematics teaching-learning activity in a Norwegian kindergarten. To capture the complexity of teaching and learning mathematics in kindergarten the study uses qualitative methods within an interpretative paradigm. The findings illustrate how a five-year-old girl and a kindergarten teacher co-create a ZPD by expanding each other’s action possibilities, and how the co-creation is fundamentally based on mutual trust and responsibility. The results give insights into how mathematical learning possibilities may be promoted in kindergarten. The study illustrates the importance of being receptive to children’s contributions and, above all, to trust children’s abilities to take responsibility for moving mathematical teaching-learning activities forward

Action research · Dialectic · Early childhood education · Epistemology · Mathematics education · Norwegian · Pedagogy · Qualitative research · Sociology · Zone of proximal development · Collaborative Teaching and Inclusion · Education and Technology Integration · Parental Involvement in Education · Psychology

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