Abstract:

This paper aims to explore the educational potential of a virtual kindergarten group during a nationwide isolation due to COVID19 outbreak. Since the COVID19 outbreak has started in Croatia, all parts of the educational system transferred to on-line teaching. From primary to university education, the teachers and the students were meeting, studying and communicating through different virtual platforms. Also, the national TV station was set up to provide continuous lectures that follow the national curriculums of every subject. However, no platform was offered for Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) teachers and preschool children. From the educational policy point of view it remained unclear what should be done concerning preschool children that, like other students, were in isolation. To the local municipality it was also unclear what should be done with their employees, the ECEC teachers, since there were no children in kindergartens to work with. Even though different stakeholders could not find the right model for ECEC teachers, children and their families, an individual initiative of a possible model came from several different ECEC teachers in Croatia. It showed that ECEC teachers were using virtual social platforms on a daily basis for years now and that they had a model that could work for a specific context of their individual kindergarten group.

This paper will give a follow-up of one kindergarten group that for years now has been offering, beside direct work in kindergarten, a virtual space as a testimony of children learning process. The main aim of creating a virtual kindergarten group was to make the process of learning and meaning making of children visible to parents in order to encourage partnership. The content that was used on a platform were different forms of documentation of children’s learning. Somolanji Tokić and Vukašinović (2018) stated that photos and videos of children's activities made the learning process easier for parents to understand. It served as a tool for practicing of listening to children’s learning and meaning making process and a helping tool for the adults to understand how children think. The endeavor of ECEC teacher who was working closely with families by using the platform resulted in a partnership based on mutual respect of each other as valuable and equal participants in the educational process. However, how would this form of practice work if there are no children in kindergarten? Will the partnership that has been created earlier surpass these circumstances and continue to prosper ensuring the continuity of children’s experiences? In these conditions the table has turned and the ECEC teacher is trying to understand children’s learning process from the documentation collected and given by parents and children. In no means the platform is supposed to transmit any form of academic content or lecture, but rather by using children experience and their individual needs and interests create a space for joint communication and partnership.

The value of this pedagogical practice is seen through ecological and sociocultural theory. By connecting different contexts, the continuity of the educational process is being fostered. The case study will show the educational potential of using virtual social networks on a daily basis. They are a powerful tool for promoting connectivity and partnership making the process of learning visible and tangible, ensuring transparent education and promoting curriculum co-construction.

Keywords:

Children's interest, continuity, partnership, preschool, virtual meeting place.