Care as curriculum: investigating teachers’ views on the learning in care

ABSTRACT

This article investigates the approach of care as curriculum and teachers’ perceptions of this notion. It is a descriptive account of the interviews of four Aotearoa New Zealand-based infant and toddler teachers’ perceptions of care as curriculum. Care as curriculum is a pedagogical approach that was brought to the research process. This was an approach that all of the participant teachers were familiar with due to their previous professional learning and development. The focus of this research project with infant and toddler teachers was on care rather than care and education. This is because, although care and education are integrally related, education often subsumes care. This article argues that for these four infant and toddler teachers, care is curriculum.

KEYWORDS:

• Infants
• toddlers
• teachers
• care
• curriculum
• RIE

Acknowledgement

This research was conducted at the University of Auckland for Katherine Bussey's Masters of Education research.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Katherine Bussey is a Ph.D. candidate. She is an infant and toddler specialist consultant and is particularly interested in supporting the further professional learning and development of educators who work with infants and toddlers.

Diti Hill is an honorary research fellow after many years as a senior lecturer and early childhood consultant. She is particularly interested in critical pedagogy and pedagogical beliefs of teachers and student teachers.