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Abstract
The article examines Danish pedagogue students’ supervision during their placement periods in early childhood settings. Throughout the long history of Danish pedagogue education, discourses relating to the placement element have been located either within a ‘work’ paradigm or a ‘scholastic’ paradigm. These two understandings of the function of placements are analysed and related to the current aim of integrating them. The supervisory roles of both the university college and the early childhood centre are critically examined, with a specific focus on the mentoring role of pedagogues in the centres. Many attend short-term courses, and some enrol for a diploma course. Challenges for the future include the need for more investment and engagement from local authorities, centre directors and university colleges.
Acknowledgements
This paper is based on a country report written for a cross-national study on ‘Workplace-based learning and mentoring practices in early childhood teacher education in Europe’, coordinated by Pamela Oberhuemer (Munich, Germany) for WiFF (Weiterbildungsinitiative Frühpädagogische Fachkräfte). The Early Years Professional Development Initiative WiFF was launched in 2009 as a joint project of the Federal Ministry for Education and Research (Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, BMBF), the Robert Bosch Foundation (Robert Bosch Stiftung) and the German Youth Institute (Deutsches Jugendinstitut). It is funded by the BMBF and the European Social Fund (ESF) of the European Union. The full-text report in German can be downloaded at: www.weiterbildungsinitiative.de/uploads/media/WiFF_Studie_22_Fachpraktische_Ausbildung.pdf.
Notes
1. The term pedagogue (pædagog) in Denmark refers to a specific profession.
2. For a short introduction to the history see Oberhuemer, Schreyer, and Neuman (Citation2010).