In her thesis, Ødegården Aanstad examines time philosophically, theoretically, and within a unit for children under three years in an early childhood education and care centre.
"Time is both familiar and universal, with various meanings for people. It affects us as a society, within institutions, and as individuals, touching us in different ways with diverse impacts", she writes to inn.no.
Time also concerns the kindergarten as an educational institution, according to Ødegården Aanstad, who explains that in today's educational landscape, kindergartens and schools are often oriented towards competency-driven society and goal-oriented pedagogy.
Time perceived as something that can be optimized and controlled can deprive individuals in educational institutions of the opportunity to develop as whole human beings.
Through her study's exploration of time, Camilla Helén has focused on a holistic concept of time, where she has emphasised its different components. Time can be organising, it can be an inner time, and it can be serendipitous moments that grow in significance.
"If everything is rushed and directed towards competency development for the future without acknowledging that slow play with a toy car, laughter on a lap, or humming when a sandwich tastes good can have profound meaning for a person, these small events can be overlooked by a pedagogical perspective", she says.
"By taking people's time seriously, pedagogy, and consequently pedagogy perspectives in early childhood education and care, should engage with time."
Main findings in the doctoral work:
- Time is invisible and can be understood in various ways both in philosophy and theory. In the context of educational practices within a unit for children under three years, time emerges as multifaceted and complex. This complex time has different influences on the people in the unit.
- Chronos time is the external time, often organizing what can be done when. This time provides security in terms of what comes when and structures the daily routine. We need something that can point backward and forward concerning time. At the same time, chronos time can deprive other times of the opportunity to influence people.
- Aion time is the internal time understood as diverse streams of consciousness. This time is eternal in its occurrence and is valuable for our development as whole human beings. In this time, memories, experiences, and emotions are built. Aion time is characterized by the absence of other times to arise and unfold, but aion time can never be the sole goal of pedagogy. Aion time is part of a whole within a broad time perspective.
- Kairos time is the fortunate moments that can grow in significance. One must be lucky to experience kairos time, yet it appears that kairos time can be encountered more often when distant or recent past is brought into the present.
- The three types of time complement each other and impart different characteristics to pedagogy, providing children with various opportunities to be whole individuals, not just victims of a controlling time.
- By bringing time forth from the unreflected and the taken-for-granted, the study contributes to knowledge development for early childhood education and care and other educational institutions, highlighting time so that it becomes visible. In this way, individuals working in educational institutions can consider time in their pedagogical practices.
Camilla Helén Ødegården Aanstad has completed her doctoral work in the PhD programme Child and Youth Participation and Competence Development.
The thesis is titled: "The Influences of Time: A Study of Time in Philosophy, Theory, and in a Unit for Children Under Three Years at an Early Childhood Education".