Peter Moss

Taking a broad approach, Beyond Quality in Early Childhood Education and Care relates issues of early childhood to the sociology of childhood, philosophy, ethics, political science and other fields and to an analysis of the world we live in today. It places these issues in a global context and draws on work from Canada, Sweden and Italy, including the world famous nurseries in Reggio Emilia. Working with postmodern ideas, this book questions the search to define and measure quality in the early childhood field and its tendency to reduce philosophical issues of value to purely technical and managerial issues of expert knowledge and measurement. With a brand new Preface to this classic text, the authors argue that there are other ways than the 'discourse of quality' for understanding and evaluating early childhood pedagogical work and relate these to alternative ways of understanding early childhood itself and the purposes of early childhood institutions.

Taking a broad approach, Beyond Quality in Early Childhood Education and Care relates issues of early childhood to the sociology of childhood, philosophy, ethics, political science and other fields and to an analysis of the world we live in today. It places these issues in a global context and draws on work from Canada, Sweden and Italy, including the world famous nurseries in Reggio Emilia. Working with postmodern ideas, this book questions the search to define and measure quality in the early childhood field and its tendency to reduce philosophical issues of value to purely technical and managerial issues of expert knowledge and measurement. With a brand new Preface to this classic text, the authors argue that there are other ways than the 'discourse of quality' for understanding and evaluating early childhood pedagogical work and relate these to alternative ways of understanding early childhood itself and the purposes of early childhood institutions.

The early childhood services of Reggio Emilia in Northern Italy has gained worldwide interest and admiration. Drawing on the ‘Reggio approach’, and others, this book explores the ethical and political dimensions of early childhood services and argues the importance of these dimensions at a time when they are often reduced to technical and managerial projects, without informed consideration for what is best for the child. Extending and developing the ideas raised in Beyond Quality in Early Childhood Care and Education the successful team of authors make a wide range of complex material accessible to readers who may have little knowledge of the various important and relevant areas within philosophy, ethics, or politics, covering subjects such as:post-structural thinkers and their perspectivesthe history and practice of early childhood work in Reggio Emiliaglobalization, technological change, poverty, and environmental degradationethical and political perspectives relevant to early childhood services from Foucault and Deleuze, to Beck, Bauman and Rose. This book presents essential ideas, theories and debates to an international audience. Those who would find this particularly useful are practitioners, trainers, students, researchers, policymakers and anyone with an interest in early childhood education.

The early childhood services of Reggio Emilia in Northern Italy has gained worldwide interest and admiration. Drawing on the ‘Reggio approach’, and others, this book explores the ethical and political dimensions of early childhood services and argues the importance of these dimensions at a time when they are often reduced to technical and managerial projects, without informed consideration for what is best for the child. Extending and developing the ideas raised in Beyond Quality in Early Childhood Care and Education the successful team of authors make a wide range of complex material accessible to readers who may have little knowledge of the various important and relevant areas within philosophy, ethics, or politics, covering subjects such as:post-structural thinkers and their perspectivesthe history and practice of early childhood work in Reggio Emiliaglobalization, technological change, poverty, and environmental degradationethical and political perspectives relevant to early childhood services from Foucault and Deleuze, to Beck, Bauman and Rose. This book presents essential ideas, theories and debates to an international audience. Those who would find this particularly useful are practitioners, trainers, students, researchers, policymakers and anyone with an interest in early childhood education.

Available Open Access digitally under CC-BY-NC-ND licence. What if care was at the heart of how we organise our societies and economies? This timely book explores how care leave policies can help build and sustain caring democracies, economies and worlds. Bringing together international research and policy analysis – and inspired by the work of Joan Tronto and other leading care thinkers – Care Leaves and Care Time for All offers a bold, yet modest, proposal for transforming care leave policies. It reimagines paid care leaves as universal social entitlements across the life course providing care time for children and elders, for self and others, and for our social and ecological worlds. Amid growing care crises and other interconnected socio-economic and environmental crises, this book issues an urgent call for a ‘global political awakening’ – one that centres and supports care giving, care receiving and care time for all.

First published in 1991, Managing Mothers (now with a new preface by the authors) provides a detailed, authoritative inside story of the lives of parents, and particularly mothers, who return to work after the birth of a first child. It is based on a study of couples who have combined the transition to parenthood with two full-time jobs in the labour market. The authors provide extensive personal accounts from interviews and statistical data that shed light on the experience and significance of this growing social group. They reveal that mothers are the main managers of the dual-earner lifestyle; hence, they are the principal characters in this story as the authors explore women’s occupational mobility, their social networks, social and emotional support, and psychological health. The book exposes a variety of constraints upon women: the continuing power of unsupportive ideologies concerning breadwinning, marriage and family life; the failure of government to organize good quality childcare; the failure of employers to make provisions that would enable parents to fulfil their employment and domestic responsibilities; and the failure of husbands to take an equal share in household work. An understanding of these constraints is essential if the increased need for women in the labour market is to lead to better and more equal employment for women and the removal of the ‘double burden’ that weighs so heavily on many working mothers. This volume will be a beneficial read for students and researchers of sociology and psychology.

First published in 1991, Managing Mothers (now with a new preface by the authors) provides a detailed, authoritative inside story of the lives of parents, and particularly mothers, who return to work after the birth of a first child. It is based on a study of couples who have combined the transition to parenthood with two full-time jobs in the labour market. The authors provide extensive personal accounts from interviews and statistical data that shed light on the experience and significance of this growing social group. They reveal that mothers are the main managers of the dual-earner lifestyle; hence, they are the principal characters in this story as the authors explore women’s occupational mobility, their social networks, social and emotional support, and psychological health. The book exposes a variety of constraints upon women: the continuing power of unsupportive ideologies concerning breadwinning, marriage and family life; the failure of government to organize good quality childcare; the failure of employers to make provisions that would enable parents to fulfil their employment and domestic responsibilities; and the failure of husbands to take an equal share in household work. An understanding of these constraints is essential if the increased need for women in the labour market is to lead to better and more equal employment for women and the removal of the ‘double burden’ that weighs so heavily on many working mothers. This volume will be a beneficial read for students and researchers of sociology and psychology.

Neoliberalism, with its worldview of competition, choice and calculation, its economisation of everything, and its will to govern has ‘sunk its roots deep’ into Early Childhood Education and Care. This book considers its deeply detrimental impacts upon young children, families, settings and the workforce. Through an exploration of possibilities for resistance and refusal, and reflection on the significance of the coronavirus pandemic, Roberts-Holmes and Moss provide hope that neoliberalism’s current hegemony can be successfully contested. The book provides a critical introduction to neoliberalism and three closely related and influential concepts – Human Capital theory, Public Choice theory and New Public Management – as well as an overview of the impact of neoliberalism on compulsory education, in particular through the Global Education Reform Movement. With its main focus on Early Childhood Education and Care, this book argues that while neoliberalism is a very powerful force, it is ‘deeply problematic, eminently resistible and eventually replaceable’ – and that there are indeed alternatives. Neoliberalism and Early Childhood Education is an insightful supplement to the studies of students and researchers in Early Childhood Education and Sociology of Education, and is also highly relevant to policy makers.

Neoliberalism, with its worldview of competition, choice and calculation, its economisation of everything, and its will to govern has ‘sunk its roots deep’ into Early Childhood Education and Care. This book considers its deeply detrimental impacts upon young children, families, settings and the workforce. Through an exploration of possibilities for resistance and refusal, and reflection on the significance of the coronavirus pandemic, Roberts-Holmes and Moss provide hope that neoliberalism’s current hegemony can be successfully contested. The book provides a critical introduction to neoliberalism and three closely related and influential concepts – Human Capital theory, Public Choice theory and New Public Management – as well as an overview of the impact of neoliberalism on compulsory education, in particular through the Global Education Reform Movement. With its main focus on Early Childhood Education and Care, this book argues that while neoliberalism is a very powerful force, it is ‘deeply problematic, eminently resistible and eventually replaceable’ – and that there are indeed alternatives. Neoliberalism and Early Childhood Education is an insightful supplement to the studies of students and researchers in Early Childhood Education and Sociology of Education, and is also highly relevant to policy makers.

The promotional history of Rolls-Royce motor cars from the company’s beginnings in 1904 to the outbreak of World War II has been exhaustively researched and documented in these pages. When Charles Rolls met Henry Royce in May 1904 and drove the Royce car, he recognised his future partner for the engineering genius he was – but that was not enough to develop a successful business. Rolls-Royce needed to establish their reputation in a crowded field. Claude Johnson, the firm’s managing director, was the man responsible for crafting every aspect of the promotion of the cars and the company until his death in 1926 and he set a lasting standard for Rolls-Royce publicity. The story of the constant battle for recognition on both sides of the Atlantic and the different approaches used in each market is related, highlighting the outstanding variety and quality of Rolls-Royce’s illustrated advertising, and how the company used it to attract the most demanding customers. The many strands of promotion that Rolls-Royce used are pulled together, from publicity for success in races and trials, through advertising in important magazines and influential newspapers, to beautifully produced pamphlets and catalogues. It shows the unique Rolls-Royce style: publicising independent press reports and unsolicited testimonials on the quality of the cars, and detailed explanations of the engineering standards and the expertise that created that quality. It also goes behind the scenes, reporting on rare minutes from the Advertising Committee during the 1930s that reveal the decisions that led to some of the finest examples of the company’s promotional work. This book promises enthusiasts a feast for the eyes and hours of entertaining reading.

Challenging dominant discourses in the field of early childhood education, this book provides an accessible introduction to some of the alternative narratives and diverse perspectives that are increasingly to be heard in this field, as well as discussing the importance of paradigm, politics and ethics. Peter Moss draws on material published in the groundbreaking Contesting Early Childhood series to introduce readers to thinking that questions the mainstream approach to early childhood education and to offer rich examples to illustrate how this thinking is being put to work in practice. Key topics addressed include: dominant discourses in today’s early childhood education – and what is meant by ‘dominant discourse’ why politics and ethics are the starting points for early childhood education Reggio Emilia as an example of an alternative narrative the relevance to early childhood education of thinkers such as Michel Foucault and Gilles Deleuze and of theoretical positions such as posthumanism. An enlightening read for students and practitioners, as well as policymakers, academics and parents, this book is intended for anyone who wants to think more about early childhood education and delve deeper into new perspectives and debates in this field.

Challenging dominant discourses in the field of early childhood education, this book provides an accessible introduction to some of the alternative narratives and diverse perspectives that are increasingly to be heard in this field, as well as discussing the importance of paradigm, politics and ethics. Peter Moss draws on material published in the groundbreaking Contesting Early Childhood series to introduce readers to thinking that questions the mainstream approach to early childhood education and to offer rich examples to illustrate how this thinking is being put to work in practice. Key topics addressed include: dominant discourses in today’s early childhood education – and what is meant by ‘dominant discourse’ why politics and ethics are the starting points for early childhood education Reggio Emilia as an example of an alternative narrative the relevance to early childhood education of thinkers such as Michel Foucault and Gilles Deleuze and of theoretical positions such as posthumanism. An enlightening read for students and practitioners, as well as policymakers, academics and parents, this book is intended for anyone who wants to think more about early childhood education and delve deeper into new perspectives and debates in this field.

Viewing children as 'experts in their own lives', the Mosaic approach offers a creative framework for understanding young children's perspectives through talking, walking, making and reviewing material with an adult. This book demonstrates how children's views and experiences can stay in focus in early childhood provision. The multi-method approach brings together digital tools with interviewing and observation to enable adults to review current practice and implement change with children. Combining the authors' successful books Listening to Young Children and Spaces to Play into an expanded and fully updated third edition, this book builds on the authors' original ground-breaking work by commenting on the development and adaptation of the Mosaic approach, along with case studies of the Mosaic approach in action in four countries: England, Denmark, Norway and Australia. Alongside guidance on using and adapting the framework with young children, older children and adults, there is new material on the ethical and methodological issues involved.

Denna bok problematiserar försöken att definiera och mäta "kvalitet" inom förskolan och därmed reducera närmast filosofiska värdefrågor till rent tekniska och administrativa problem. Författarna hävdar att det finns andra sätt att förstå och utvärdera förskolans pedagogiska arbete – liksom att förstå såväl barndomen som innehållet i förskolans verksamhet. Bokens praktikexempel är hämtade från bl.a. Reggio Emilia och Stockholmsprojektets förskolor. Författarnas alternativa perspektiv är genomgående socialkonstruktionistiskt och postmodernistiskt, vilket innebär att framställningen i boken har giltighet långt utanför förskolan. Faktiskt kan alla som arbetar i och med såväl skola som förskola – eller arbetar med forskning, administration eller politiska uppdrag inom motsvarande områden – ha glädje och nytta av bokens analyser. Dessutom innehåller boken litteratur från hela världen, vilket innebär att den utgör en utförlig presentation av denna just nu pågående kunskapsteoretiska och sociohistoriska "synvända". Sagt om boken”...författarna för viktiga och mycket intressanta resonemang om dagens barndom och barnomsorg, då de ifrågasätter givna sanningar och synsätt. Eftersom boken är skriven på engelska, finns det anledning att översätta den till svenska” Gunilla Lindqvist, universitetslektor, Pedagogiska Magasinet, Stockholm, nr 1/00. Om författarnaGunilla Dahlberg är professor i pedagogik vid Lärarhögskolan i Stockholm. Peter Moss är professor i Early Childhood Provision vid Institute of Education, University of London. Alan Pence är professor vid the School of Child and Youth Care, University of Victoria, Kanada.

Early childhood education and care is a major policy issue for national governments and international organisations. This book contests two stories, both infused by neoliberal thinking, that dominate early childhood policy making today - ‘the story of quality and high returns’ and ‘the story of markets’, stories that promise high returns on investment if only the right technologies are applied to children and the perfection of a system based on competition and individual choice. But there are alternative stories and this book tells one: a ‘story of democracy, experimentation and potentiality’ in which early childhood centres are public spaces and public resources, places where democracy and experimentation are fundamental values, community workshops for realising the potentiality of citizens. This story calls for transformative change but offers a real utopia, both viable and achievable. The book discusses some of the conditions needed for the story’s enactment and shows what it means in practice in a chapter about project work contributed by a Swedish preschool teacher. Critical but hopeful, this book is an important contribution to resisting the dictatorship of no alternative and renewing a democratic politics of early childhood education. It is essential reading for students and teachers, researchers and other academics, and for all other concerned citizens.

Early childhood education and care is a major policy issue for national governments and international organisations. This book contests two stories, both infused by neoliberal thinking, that dominate early childhood policy making today - ‘the story of quality and high returns’ and ‘the story of markets’, stories that promise high returns on investment if only the right technologies are applied to children and the perfection of a system based on competition and individual choice. But there are alternative stories and this book tells one: a ‘story of democracy, experimentation and potentiality’ in which early childhood centres are public spaces and public resources, places where democracy and experimentation are fundamental values, community workshops for realising the potentiality of citizens. This story calls for transformative change but offers a real utopia, both viable and achievable. The book discusses some of the conditions needed for the story’s enactment and shows what it means in practice in a chapter about project work contributed by a Swedish preschool teacher. Critical but hopeful, this book is an important contribution to resisting the dictatorship of no alternative and renewing a democratic politics of early childhood education. It is essential reading for students and teachers, researchers and other academics, and for all other concerned citizens.

Care Work in Europe provides a cross-national and cross-sectoral study of care work in Europe today, covering policy, provision and practice, as well as exploring how care work is conceptualized and understood. Drawing on a study which looks at care work across the life course in a number of European countries, this book: explores the context and emerging policy agendas provides an analysis of how different countries and sectors understand and structure care work examines key issues, such as the extreme gendering of the workforce, increasing problems of recruitment and turnover, what kinds of knowledge and education the work requires and what conditions are needed to ensure good quality employment considers possible future directions, including the option of a generic professional worker, educated to work across the life course and whether ‘care’ will, or should, remain a distinct field of policy and employment. This groundbreaking comparative study provokes much-needed new thinking about the current situation and future direction of care work, an area essential to the social and economic well-being of Europe.

Forfatterne er opptatt av å bringe kvalitetsdebatten i barnehagen videre fra kvalitet til meningsskaping. Denne boken er et bidrag til den kvalitetsdebatten som foregår i våre barnehager, og er aktuell for alle som arbeider i barnehage og med barnehagespørsmål. Har litteraturliste.