Handens och tankens samverkan - om textila läroprocesser i vardagspraktiken
The purpose of my study was to explore how preschool educators in Kenya look at children's influence on teaching. Researchers have argued that the formal educational system in Kenya today is a remnant of its days as a colony when people were expected to blindly follow rules without questioning them. I have used qualitative interviews as a method in order get the most concrete understanding of educators? views on the influence from children. The educators I interviewed were based at a school I visited in Kenya. There were three preschool teachers and one first grade teacher working at the school so the number of educators available for interviews was limited. From my interviews, I wanted to learn if educators use the UN convention on the rights of the child and the curriculum in their teaching. My results of the study showed that educators think that they give children influence in the teaching when the children are involved in the teacher led lessons and activities. Not all of the educators used the UN convention on the rights of the child in their teaching and the views on children?s influence varied among the educators. Some of the educators thought that children should obey them without questioning, while other educators stated that they do give children influence in the teaching process. The curriculum provides the educators with a lot of room to make their own interpretations of children?s influence. The educators' views on the curriculum are to use it as a guide book and follow its instructions in order for the children to reach satisfactory targets. The conclusion of my studies is that there is a need of clearer guidelines in the curriculum concerning children?s influence on teaching.