Preschool Teacher Education in Sweden and Australia: The Importance of Reflection for Understanding Context

Abstract

Increasingly, researchers believe that reflection is a vital process for all professionals to develop competence and understanding of their field (Miller et al., Developing early years practice. David Fulton, London, 2005). It is, therefore, important that early childhood educators are equipped with the capabilities to engage in reflective practice, allowing them to extend their professional knowledge, skills, and competences. The skills for reflective practice are often developed during engagement with practice itself in preschool teacher education. During this time, pre-service teachers have the opportunity to learn the processes to reflect between theory and practice setting them up well for their professional lives. This chapter shares snapshots, from a Swedish and Australian context, about the importance of sustainable service learning in high quality preschools to encourage reflective practice. The chapter specifically focuses on the youngest of children in care (infants and toddlers) and shares key findings related to agency and professional knowledge.