The ADVOST project will take into practice the theoretical guiding principles for facilitating and enhancing young children’s voice in specific contexts. This will be done in close cooperation with practitioners working with indigenous children in Finland, marginalized, indigenous, and immigrant children in Canada, and children with diverse ethnical and cultural backgrounds in the UK.

The ADVOST project aims to enhance educators’ knowledge of multiple storytelling pedagogies including perspectives of land-based learning. The research-based development of composing narratives with young learners through art, writing, photography, performance and digital representations privilege young children’s voice enabling their full citizenship. These research-based initiatives will contribute to the development of child centered learning that is focused in land-based pedagogy and play.

The objectives of the study are to:

  • provide a deeper understanding of how innovative pedagogical approaches can facilitate the voices and agency of all young children
  • promote socially just means to include socially marginalized communities in the ways that value and honor the cultural diversity they bring with them to ECEC settings
  • through in-depth case studies to provide opportunities for knowledge exchange and comparisons for mutual learning
  • have impact on wide range of stakeholders, including policy makers and local authorities, so that they can make more informed provision to include young children meaningfully in their local communities

This project addresses new means in supporting social cohesion in diverse communities, empowering local communities and supporting all citizen’s involvement and active participation in them. ADVOST aims to meet these needs by looking at both processes and outcomes of social innovations promoting young children’s voices and agency through development and analysis of diverse ways for children to express themselves. The project contributes to young children and their families’ individual empowerment and wellbeing as well as those of the local communities. The innovative means of promoting young children’s voice will encourage inclusive communities and strengthen social cohesion. Practically, this is implemented through the three cases one in each participating country Finland, Canada and the UK.

Case Studies

Case 1: Finland

The Finnish case aims to produce new knowledge to language learning context that is demanding and diverse. Pedagogical innovations are needed to promote young children’s language skills and identity building, especially with children living outside of traditional Sámi areas. One answer to this challenge is distance education. The Finnish case study will explore new and innovative pedagogical models to provide culturally relevant pre-school education for 5- and 6-years old children via online learning environments.

Finnish case project in research portal

The Canadian case study will explore the ways that digital media, play, and land-based teaching approaches can come together to enhance storytelling in inclusive ways that augment literacy and language learning through culturally relevant arts-based approaches. The Canadian case study will examine how pre-school children use material culture (everyday objects) to make connections to places in which they live and learn, to share stories about their lives.

The UK case study will examine how practitioners might be better supported to work within diverse communities that permit the voices of all pupils to be heard, and their perspectives be taken into consideration when planning for teaching and learning. The case study will work with practitioners to explore principles of practice focusing on theoretical notions of voice, space, audience and influence that might facilitate the voices and agency of all young children in educational settings and contribute to social cohesion both within the school setting and beyond into the community at large.

Project Outcomes

Project Management

The project is funded by Trans-Atlantic Platform Social Innovation call, by three funding organisations: Academy of Finland, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and UK Research and Innovation (ESRC). Project period is 1/2020-2/2022. The project is part of the activities of UArctic Thematic Network on Teacher Education.

The project partners are University of Lapland, Finland (project leader), Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada and Leeds Beckett University, UK.

 

Finland: Sámi Education Institute, Regional State Administrative Agency, Utsjoki Municipality / Sámi Distance Teaching project, and Rovaniemi City

Canada: Memorial Childcare Centre, Rennie’s River School, and The Rooms

UK: ‘Look Who’s Talking’ Research Group, Up for Learning, Boothroyd Primary Academy, and Mayfield Primary School

Finnish team

Tuija Turunen

Project leader, Principal Investigator
Professor
Faculty of Education
University of Lapland
tuija.turunen(at)ulapland.fi

Pigga Keskitalo

Dr., Researcher
Faculty of Education
University of Lapland
pigga.keskitalo(at)ulapland.fi

Hanna Helander

Junior Researcher
Faculty of Education
University of Lapland
hanna.helander(at)ulapland.fi

Canadian team

Anne Burke

Principal Investigator
Professor
Faculty of Education
Memorial University of Newfoundland
amburke(at)mun.ca

Diane Collier

Associate Professor
Brock University
Adjunct Professor
Memorial University of Newfoundland
dcollier(at)brocku.ca

UK Team

Mhairi Beaton

Principal Investigator
Dr., Senior Lecturer
Carnegie School of Education
Leeds Beckett University
M.C.Beaton(at)leedsbeckett.ac.uk

Susan Atkinson

Dr., Senior Lecturer
Carnegie School of Education
Leeds Beckett University
S.J.Atkinson(at)leedsbeckett.ac.uk

News

Webinar on advancing children’s voice and agency – recording published!
31.8.2021

The project ADVOST held a network webinar on 31 August 2021. The webinar recording is now published!

Read more: Webinar on advancing children’s voice and agency – recording published! 

Network webinar on advancing small children’s voice and agency

18.8.2021

Project ADVOST organises a network webinar to present the project and its three cases, and how the pandemic has affected in doing research in the project. The webinar will be held on 31 August 2021 at 15.00 (Finnish time, UTC +3). Please check your local time.

Read more: Network webinar on advancing small children’s voice and agency 

The ADVOST project held an inspiring two-day workshop discussing children’s voice and story

27.4.2021

The workshop was organised online on the 22 and the 23 April, bringing successfully together the project researchers, teachers and the advisory board reflecting and discussing the current findings and future visions.

Read more: The ADVOST project held an inspiring two-day workshop discussing children’s voice and story 

New intern has started working with UArctic and UNESCO/UNITWIN networks on Teacher Education

17.3.2021

Titta Myllyniemi, an Intercultural education student from the University of Oulu has started her internship at the University of Lapland.

Read more: New intern has started working with UArctic and UNESCO/UNITWIN networks on Teacher Education