Diversification - meanings and policies in practice of preschool education in Serbia

Abstract

Ako želimo da predškolsko vaspitanje i obrazovanje stvarno poprimi odlike otvorenosti, autentičnosti i demokratičnosti u kome se dete sagledava kao kompetentno biće sa autentičnim načinom izražavanja i učenja, u kome se uvažavaju njegove potrebe i prava, ali i njegovih roditelja i u kome se gradi odnos participacije sa porodicom i širom lokalnom zajednicom, onda pitanje diversifikacije programa ne bi trebalo da postavljamo. Pitanje u kojim pravcima je moguće vršiti diversifikaciju ostaje i dalje otvoreno za promišljanje i ne može se ponuditi jedan, univerzalni odgovor. Kompleksnost diversifikacije se ogleda upravo u načinu konceptualizovanja, kao rezultat različitih teorijskih, ali i ideoloških, polazišta u razumevanju deteta i detinjstva, učenja i razvoja, uloga odraslih i uloge javne politike. S obzirom da je pitanje diversifikacije veoma aktuelno pitanje, mi moramo da prepoznamo teorije i prakse i prisutne paradigme i diskurse u njima koji prate diversifikaciju. Prikaz dominantnih diskursa i implikacija prisutnih paradigmi i diskursa u teorijama i politikama koje proističu iz njih učinjen je s namerom da se problematizuje koncept diversifikacije i ukaže kako teorijska polazišta utkana u diskurs drugačije vide dete, a onda i samu diversifikaciju i samim tim nose sa sobom i drugačija rešenja.

If we want preschool education to really take the characteristics of being open, authentic and democratic, in which a child is seen as being competent with authentic way of expression and learning, in which his/her needs and rights, as well as his parents’, are observed, in which the relationship of participation is built together with the family and wider local community, then the question of programme diversification should not be posed. The question in what directions diversification can be performed through still remains open to rethinking and do not offer a universal answer. The complexity of diversification is reflected in the way of conceptualizing as a result of various theoretical and ideological starting points in understanding the child and childhood, learning and development, the role of adults and the role of public policy. Considering to the question of diversification highly topical issue, we have to recognize the theory and practices and present paradigms and discourses that accompany them in diversification. Preview of dominant discourses and the implications of present paradigms and discourses in the theories and policies arising from them has been made with the intention to problematize the concept of diversification and show how meanings and understanding weaved into theoretical assumptions differently see the child, diversification and consequently provide different solutions.