~ Early Childhood Research

Pre-conference workshop on 4 March 2025

Welcome to participate in a NERA pre-conference workshop about Risks and Risky Play in Early Childhood.

Tuesday 4 March 2025 at 13.00-17.00.

Location: University of Helsinki (Room to be advised)

No cost for the pre-conference!

Risks and Risky Play in Early Childhood

The purpose of this pre-conference is to provide an arena for researchers and teacher educators to discuss and reflect upon diverse perspectives on risks and risky play in early childhood education and care (ECEC). This topic was identified as common interest in the former NERA 2024 pre-conference.

In a globalized intercultural world various assumption about risks in childhood and risky play inform ECEC. This workshop provides an important arena to support professional research network that discuss the possibilities and challenges of play as essential part of pedagogy of hopes in ECEC and early childhood teacher education. Play is multifaceted phenomenon and influenced by cultural perspectives on matters such as risks and risky play. In this pre-conference, participants will examine and discuss perceptions of and research on risks and risky play affordances and constraints impacting on children’s learning and choices in the Nordic countries and beyond.

Programme for the day

(10.00-11.30) Possibility to visit a Finnish kindergarten
13.00-13.15Welcome and introduction
13.15-14.00Inspirational lecture by Mary-Rose McLaren, Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia
14.00-15.00Workshop: Participants reflect upon how risks and risky play is introduced in early childhood teacher education and research on risky play in ECEC from the different national contexts
15.00-15.30Coffee Break
15.30-16.45Focusing more on collaboration and research.  Explore the possibility of joint Nordic research and applications. Invited lecturers concluding thoughts on similarities and differences between Australian and Nordic contexts in research and practice.
16.45-17.00Summarize of the day and thoughts for next year.

Registration to participate in the pre-conference, deadline 25 February

Registration link: https://nettskjema.no/a/479352

Biography

Professor Mary-Rose McLaren is the Head of Program in Early Childhood Education at Victoria University, Melbourne. Professor McLaren researches at the intersection of practice, theory, and performance, as scholarship, and knowledge building, and includes traditional and non-traditional outputs. Her research incorporates the disciplines of Early Childhood Education, Creativity, Performing Arts, History and Education. It untangles interconnections between the past and present, personal agency, collaborative agency, and creativity, focusing on the question of how we know what we know.

In Early Childhood Education, Professor McLaren’s research centres on play in public spaces, communication of values, and preservice teacher identity and experience. Research methods include grounded theory, historical-cultural theory, qualitative research, arts-based research, and creative outputs.

Professor McLaren has a track record of grants success with the Victorian Department of Education, with three substantial grants over the last six years, equating to more than $26 million for innovation in Early Childhood Education.

During November, 2023, Professor McLaren was a research fellow at Karlstad University, Sweden, located in the faculty of pedagogical work, and focussing on Early Childhood Education.

She is currently the project lead on research projects on cultural awareness in Early Childhood Education, what expert teachers do in Early Childhood Education, and professional growth and identity in Early Childhood students upskilling to teacher qualifications.