Collective Imagining: The Early Genesis and Development of a sense of Collectiveness during Infancy

Abstract

On entering formal education, infants face the demand of participating in collective educational routines and learning experiences. However, in this age period, the sense of collectiveness is still in an embryonic form. This study explored how infants enter into and experience the need for collectiveness and how teachers create the conditions for the development of a sense of collectiveness during infancy. Our educational experiment drew on a Conceptual PlayWorld, as a collective model of practice for the development of play and imagination. Thirteen infants (0,5—2 years old) participated in the study. Visual methods were used for digital data collection and analysis. It was found that, being in the imaginary situation as play partners, teachers introduced to the infants' environment the demand to align with the collective, consistently facilitated and sustained infants' motive orientation to the collective. The use of props, the embodiment of the experience and the shift from physical objects and concrete spaces to a shared intellectual and abstract space appeared to be critical. The findings inform everyday practice and policy opening up a new area of understanding about the concept of collective imagining, as an important concept for the development of a collective orientation for infants.