Embodied scaffolding and kinaesthetic learning in Finnish Early Childhood Education

Abstract

The Finnish Early Childhood education and care (ECEC) is based on a holistic learning approach where children very often learn through pedagogical projects and continuous learning. In this context, learning is understood as playful, and it involves embodiment, emotions, communication, and movement through active agency. From these premises, the aim of this chapter is to create an overview of the kinaesthetic means of action and communication between teachers and children in Early Childhood education and care settings in Finland, through the concepts of learning as embodiment and action. With the help of systematic content analysis, we describe the core concepts and understanding of kinaesthetic, active and embodied learning. In order to give an overview of the pedagogical practices, with the help of a case study, we demonstrate how teachers in ECEC conceptualise and use kinaesthetic learning through embodiment guidance and scaffolding in their classrooms. At the end of the chapter, we summarise our findings in a visual image and also discuss the implications of the findings.