Judgements on young children by early years practitioners: working with phronêsis

ABSTRACT

Various instruments that have the aim of assessing children even from a very young age are constantly being developed. We argue that these instruments and assessment processes risk removing judgement from educators and teachers. Using the Aristotelian concept of phronêsis, we argue that teachers need to develop a habit of engaging with practical judgments with children. This is done through being attentive to children, that gives us the possibility to ‘see the ordinary world around us’ [Smith, R. 1999. ‘Paths of Judgment: The Revival of Practical Wisdom.’ Educational Philosophy and Theory 31 (3): 327–340, 334].

KEYWORDS:

• Phronêsis
• practical judgments
• attentiveness
• assessments
• screening

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Duncan P. Mercieca is an associate professor of Philosophy of Education in the Department of Education Studies at the University of Malta. His research draws upon French post-structuralist philosophers to think through educational issues, in particular those related to diversity and otherness; inclusion and disability; and critiquing education research and its methods.

Daniela Mercieca is a practising educational psychologist and associate professor within the Department of Education Studies at the University of Malta. Her research interest is in critically problematising the assumptions that underpin educational practice with children and deconstructing situations in which decisions are made concerning children's wellbeing in schools.