I advocate for an academic environment that studies early childhood education from an interdisciplinary perspective. So, it seems fitting to begin this series by featuring “In Defence of Interdisciplinary Childhood Studies,” recently published in the journal Children & Society.1
The article presents the viewpoint of Alan Prout, an author and professor of the sociology of childhood. He asserts that childhood studies are important to early childhood education because of serious threats that loom for the next generation: climate change, refugee crises, and the redistribution of wealth following financial crises, to name a few. He argues that the weight of these problems can be addressed by holistic solutions that consider insight from the humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences. I agree!
The article is philosophical, rather than practical, and it meanders through a discussion about the distinction between the disciplines of Education and Childhood Studies. It also explores why biological and sociological scales are helpful for understanding what makes children tick. Even if you choose to skim the article, you can begin to question some of the assumptions we make about what a good teacher preparation program should include.
Prout urges university communities to expand their curriculums beyond providing the mechanics of educating children. He wants to provide educators (and anyone else who cares about the future) with opportunities to learn about the cultures that children live in. For example:
- Is debating the virtues of nature versus nurture as important as exploring the connections that can be made between them?
- Must theories of education be mutually exclusive, or can we be open-minded, and pull insight from polarized viewpoints and then create actionable solutions for real environments?
- Which social themes do you feel most influence behavior in the classroom, and what are your suggestions for addressing them?
As Prout notes, many of these topics have political overtones. So, I propose that the most successful programs must find ways to balance viewpoints. I believe that studying them methodically will help to raise awareness among all vocations and will help educators, specifically, to consider the wide range of factors that influence learning and behavior. By learning how to make scientific and sociological investigations of classroom problems (using surveys, field research, experiments, and data analysis) we are more likely to generate solutions that are free of bias and other distortions.
- What topics do you think a good teacher education program should cover?
- What pairings of study should future teachers pursue? Just as the medical field has debated if doctors are more effective when they understand alternative medicine, do you think educators should study social themes?
I look forward to hearing your opinions. For this topic, use the hashtag #NP_ChildhoodStudies
References
The NeuroPacific Classroom™ 
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