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‘Baby teachers’: how pre‐service earlychildhood students transform theirconceptions of teaching and learningthrough an infant practicumSusan L. Recchia a & Minsun Shin ba Teachers College , Columbia University , New York, USAb Montclair State University , Montclair, NJ, USAPublished online: 10 May 2010.

To cite this article: Susan L. Recchia & Minsun Shin (2010) ‘Baby teachers’: how pre‐serviceearly childhood students transform their conceptions of teaching and learning throughan infant practicum, Early Years: An International Research Journal, 30:2, 135-145, DOI:10.1080/09575141003648357

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Early YearsVol. 30, No. 2, July 2010, 135–145

ISSN 0957-5146 print/ISSN 1472-4421 online© 2010 TACTYCDOI: 10.1080/09575141003648357http://www.informaworld.com

‘Baby teachers’: how pre-service early childhood students transform their conceptions of teaching and learning through an infant practicum

Susan L. Recchiaa* and Minsun Shinb

aTeachers College, Columbia University, New York, USA; bMontclair State University, Montclair, NJ, USATaylor and FrancisCEYE_A_465344.sgm10.1080/09575141003648357Early Years0957-5146 (print)/1472-4421 (online)Original Article2010Taylor & Francis0000000002010Associate Professor SusanRecchiarecchia@tc.edu

This qualitative study explores how working with infants changed pre-serviceearly childhood students’ thinking about important aspects of early childhoodeducation. Through a qualitative analysis of four pre-service early childhoodstudents’ weekly dialogue journals during a required, one-semester infantpracticum, the authors discovered how the course provided a context forchallenging students’ previously held notions about early childhood teaching andlearning. Their findings showed that infants’ ways of being were a powerfulinfluence on pre-service early childhood students’ sense of themselves as teachersand emphasized the value of hands-on experiences with infants as an importantcomponent of early childhood professional preparation.

Keywords: early childhood teacher education; infant care; pre-service earlychildhood teachers; early childhood professional development

I have become extremely comfortable working with the infants, and I really think myskills have progressed from the beginning of the semester. At the beginning, I washesitant to just stand back and let the children take the lead. Now, I realize how effectivethis practice can be. I know that I will take things from this experience into my future asan early childhood educator. (Lydia)

The early childhood period is clearly defined as ranging from birth to eight years ofage, yet in many programs the early childhood range seems to begin at age three,leaving the infancy period less than fully articulated not only in coursework but alsoin direct, hands-on experiences in the field. However, as Lydia reflected above in herweekly infant practicum dialogue journal, direct experiences with infants can providea unique learning context for student teachers. During this practicum experience,Lydia had a chance to challenge previously held notions concerning early childhoodeducation, develop a rich understanding of infant development and behavior, and gaina more holistic and comprehensive sense of the multiple roles and competencies of anearly childhood teacher.

Grounded in the belief that infancy should be regarded as an important componentof the early childhood professional knowledge base, we aimed in this study to explore‘baby teachers’, examining pre-service student teachers’ reflections on their teachingand relationships with infants, and illustrating learning opportunities that studentteachers encounter in their work with infants. Our title reflects the reciprocal nature of

*Corresponding author. E-mail: recchia@tc.edu

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teaching and learning in an infant group care setting – although our adult studentscarry the title of ‘student teacher’, they are often learning more about teaching andlearning from the infants, who show them the way.

Becoming an early childhood teacher

The journey of becoming an early childhood teacher involves mastery of particularknowledge and a set of skills that are the basis for quality practice (Ryan andGrieshaber 2005). Early childhood teacher education programs can greatly influencethe ways that their graduates impact the nature and quality of young children’s inter-actions and experiences in early childhood settings (Ackerman 2005). In guidingyoung children’s development and learning, early childhood teachers need three broadareas of knowledge, including early childhood foundations, domain-specific curricu-lum content, and issues related to working with families and working with studentsfrom diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds (Lobman et al. 2005; Copple andBredekamp 2009). Traditional early childhood professional preparation programsmost often regard developmentally appropriate practice as the grounding philosophyfor early childhood education and care (Cannella and Grieshaber 2001). In addition,early childhood teacher preparation programs have long valued the merits of practi-cum experiences and made them a central part of their structure (Girod and Girod2008). Providing opportunities to practice new teaching skills in the field has beenregarded in high-quality teacher education programs as a critical factor for promotingand enhancing a teacher’s ability to influence children’s development and learning ina positive way (Hyson et al. 2009).

One area in early childhood teacher education which has not been well articulatedin the field is that of infant care and education. Although the range of early childhoodtypically extends from birth to eight years, many early childhood teacher preparationprograms do not adequately cover the earliest years. Some programs do not includepracticum experiences for their students across the full early childhood age range, asthey focus more on children from three to eight years of age (Ray et al. 2006). Somestates, such as New Jersey, offer P–3 (preschool–grade 3 level) certification(Ackerman 2005). Therefore, students have very few opportunities to experience theways that very early development comes to life in practice. Considering the gapbetween theories regarding teaching learned in coursework and actual teachingexperiences in early childhood education settings, what students know about infancyoften remains theoretical, academic and superficial. In the program being studied, wehave discovered that very few of our students have had experience working withinfants and toddlers in groups, and as a result they are less adept at applying theirlimited theoretical knowledge of this age group to actual classroom practice.

Infants have traditionally been viewed as incapable and dependent (Cannella1997), leading caregiving adults to underestimate their potential as learners. Even theterm ‘infant’ is derived from the Latin word infans, meaning ‘unable to speak’(Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary 2009). In order to challenge their previouslyheld assumptions and to make way for new understandings, early childhood educationstudents need to learn more about the capacities of infants through meaningfulinteractive experiences in high-quality infant settings.

Historically there has been a division in the field between early care and educationthat often places those who teach the youngest children (infants and toddlers) in alower status group (Manning-Morton 2006). This is reflected in staffing policies and

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practices in the United States as well as in other Westernized countries, where theeducational preparation required of infant and toddler ‘caregivers’ is less rigorous thanthat required of ‘teachers’ of older children. Manning-Morton (2006) argues that theskills required of infant caregivers, which she sees as undervalued in the field, arehighly specific, and include ‘a broad theoretical knowledge, a deep understanding ofindividual children and a high level of self-awareness’ (p. 45). She clearly articulatesthe uniqueness of infant learning as based in their physical and sensory experiences,and discusses the ways in which working with infants can be highly challenging forcaregivers. She believes that teacher preparation for infant caregivers cannot be‘adequately addressed through standard, content-focused training’ (p. 46) but musttake place in a supportive, safe, process-oriented context. In her study, she describesa program through which infant practitioners were supported in making ‘connectionsbetween their experiences and children’s experiences. Making links among observa-tions of children, theoretical concepts and personal experiences seemed to help keepthe children’s voice in mind’ (p. 46). Our infant practicum course provided a similartype of preparation for pre-service early childhood students.

In this study, we aimed to: (1) examine four early childhood pre-service students’reflections on their interactions and relationships with infants; (2) carefully scrutinizethe issues that students struggle with in the infant classroom; (3) uncover the ways inwhich students encounter unique learning opportunities in their work with infants thatcan inform their experiences in classrooms for older children; and (4) explore how work-ing with infants can influence pre-service students’ sense of themselves as teachers.Pre-service students’ weekly dialogue journals from their semester-long practicum withinfants were examined in order to respond to the following research questions:

1. What unique challenges and learning opportunities emerged for pre-serviceearly childhood students during an infant practicum experience?

2. How did working with infants help pre-service early childhood studentsexpand and transform their overall conceptions of early childhood teachingand learning?

Methods

This qualitative study explored the ways in which four pre-service early childhoodstudents, who were enrolled in a master’s-level integrated early childhood pre-serviceprogram, reflected on their experiences during a required, one-semester infantpracticum course based at a university-affiliated child care center in New York City.The infant practicum was one of several required by the program.

Setting

The four participating students spent nine–12 hours per week working alongsideteacher-caregivers in the infant classroom of a university-affiliated center for earlycare and education, and attended a weekly seminar designed to integrate theory andpractice. A requirement of this practicum was keeping a weekly reflective journal,which served as a catalyst for discussion and feedback between the students and thecourse instructor (the first author of this study).

The infant room philosophy was grounded in principles that prioritize humanrelationships throughout the caregiving system and view infants as competent and

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innately motivated to learn. Infant caregivers were guided in a teaching philosophybased on ‘watching, waiting, and wondering’ (Muir 1992), which allowed space forthe infants to tell and show caregivers what they need. An emergent, relationship-based, integrated curriculum respected infants’ learning in the moment.

Two co-head teachers and two part-time assistant teachers staffed the classroomon a staggered schedule. The practicum students provided additional assistance duringthe hours of their placements. A total of seven infants ranging in age from threemonths to two years were in attendance on most days.

Each of the students was assigned a ‘key’ child within the classroom who was theirfocus for their course assignments, which included ongoing observation, a home visitto the child and family, and a final developmental summary based on the child’sgrowth and learning throughout the semester.

Participants

A summary table (Table 1) describes the four study participants’ characteristics. Eachof the participants was a fully matriculated student enrolled in the Integrated EarlyChildhood Program at the university. All of these students were in their final semesterof the program at the time of the study, and had completed several other placementsin settings with older children before enrolling in the infant practicum course. Theirprevious experience with infants was limited. They expressed initial feelings ofexcitement about the infant practicum, but were also a little nervous and scared aboutthis new experience.

Data sources and data analysis

For this study, the field-based journals were chosen as the primary data source becauseof their organic, unfiltered nature. These journals provided students with a space toopenly share their beliefs and question their assumptions about teaching. They werenot graded for specific content or grammar, and the students were encouraged to usethe journals as a vehicle to express authentic feelings about their experiences and todiscuss issues that surfaced in practice. The course instructors responded to the weeklyjournals in a style that encouraged inquiry and reflection.

Table 1. Characteristics of the four study participants.

Name Ethnicity AgePrevious experience with infants Key child Initial feelings

Ana Latina 24 Minimal M 7 months Eager to learn but a bit scared

Ella Euro-American 24 None Jo 17 months Excited but a little nervous – first time working with kids this young

Pei Asian 24 None C 14 months Excited to be working with infants but nervous too

Lydia Euro-American 24 Some babysitting Ja 17 months Excited to work closely with such young children – curious to learn about them as individuals

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Our analysis process was complex, elaborate and interpretive, bringing meaning tothe data. Each researcher began the process independently, reading carefully throughevery journal multiple times, then examining the data to identify emergent themes,recurring ideas or language and patterns of belief (Marshall and Rossman 1999).Segments of the journals in which students described new challenges and ways thattheir ideas were changing as a result of their experiences in the infant practicum werehighlighted in the text and open codes were applied. After this initial analysis, eachjournal was reviewed again to bring primary themes into focus. Next, the four studentjournals were examined as a whole, looking for those themes which best reflected thestudents’ overall experiences in the practicum.

Following these independent analyses, both researchers came together tosynthesize their initial findings. All emergent themes were discussed and compared,deciding on any disagreements by consensus. When all themes were validated, bothresearchers selected anecdotes to support each theme across participants (Wolcott1994; Stake 2005).

Initial documents completed by the students as they began the practicum were alsoexamined for information concerning their previous experience in the field and theirpreliminary goals and feelings about working with infants. The students’ final journalentries were looked at separately for evidence of their overall reflections on the course.

Findings

Our findings speak of the powerful influence that infants’ ways of knowing andcommunicating can have on caregivers’ conceptions of teaching and learning, andwhat new infant teachers can learn from and about infants by developing meaningfulrelationships with them (Hopkins 1988). Through their reflections, the studentsilluminated the ways in which hands-on experiences of working with infants createdopportunities for re-thinking their own beliefs about what infants need, thus trans-forming their sense of themselves as early childhood teachers. The following themeswere articulated through the data-analysis process.

Initial surprise and feelings of incompetence

‘Scared’, ‘confused’, ‘nerve-wracking’ and even ‘shocked’ are a few of the words thatstudent caregivers used to describe their initial surprise when they first entered theinfant classroom. Many of the students had never seen an infant setting before, andfew had much previous experience handling or caring for infants. As illustrated in theanecdotes below, it was fascinating to note how these usually ‘powerful’ or ‘authori-tative’ adults felt totally unsure and vulnerable in the presence of what are typicallyviewed as ‘powerless’ infants:

I must say that I was a bit scared and had many questions as I entered the room: ‘howshould I approach the infants?’ ‘What do I do now?’ ‘What do I do next?’…

I was standing up and completely froze as I observed her lying down on the mat. I trulydid not know what to do so I walked away feeling sad and incompetent. (Ana)

Being in the infant room was like going back to day one at the beginning of the program;I found myself feeling a little lost and hoping to pick up as much as possible in the short-est amount of time so that I could be of some use in the room rather than an extra bodysimply taking up space. (Pei)

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Although these students had a firm knowledge base regarding infants’ overalldevelopment gained in their previously taken child development courses, working withsuch young children who require a different level of care, communication and under-standing was quite ‘foreign’ for the student caregivers, as Ella described in her journal:

I have plenty of experience with toddlers, but working with children who cannot yet walkand/or talk is completely foreign territory! And like any new experience, it is both excitingand completely nerve-wracking … infants have very different needs and being a teacherof this age group means something very different than it does in elementary school. (Ella)

Initially, the students all shared a certain level of discomfort and surprise that seemedto bring down their confidence in their own sense of themselves as teachers. Theystruggled to redefine their role as ‘teachers’ with this very different age group.

Student caregivers’ conceptions of teaching and teacher

Not only were they challenged to discover the infants’ ways of being, student caregiv-ers were also confused about the role of the teachers in the classroom. Since infants’needs are quite different from those of older children, student caregivers were notquite sure what to do, especially with younger infants. As Lydia mentioned, ‘expecta-tions for what infants should be able to do and what they can do are hazy’.

Moreover, based on the watch, wait, and wonder (WWW) philosophy in thecenter, the student caregivers were expected to wait and actively engage throughobservation before they imposed their own agenda in responding to the children. AsPei mentions in the anecdote below, students were not expected to direct every step oftheir interactions, but to follow the infants’ lead:

Being here requires us to be okay with not actively giving the orders through every stepof the day; a sense of control over the idea of less control. (Pei)

It was noted that the students were challenged by this concept of teaching andstruggled to get comfortable to sit, wait and observe, waiting for the infants’ input,rather than actively engaging to do ‘more’. Ella comments on this dilemma below:

Speaking of being a teacher of infants, I am still struggling to understand the teacher’srole…. It feels uncomfortable sometimes to sit back and watch for a long period oftime without interacting. I always feel like I should be doing more, whatever ‘more’may be. (Ella)

The challenges that students experienced also offered them opportune moments torealize the power of observation and to see through the child’s eyes. Both Pei and Anacomment on this in their anecdotes cited below. It might seem more natural for someteachers to jump in and do whatever they can to interact with and get to know thechildren. However, it was intriguing to see how sitting back and actively watchingcould help the student teachers to understand what infants were trying to tell them orsimply who the infants were as individuals:

At first I tried to follow him around and interact with him no matter what he was doing.Then I realized that C. enjoys doing things on his own, and I’d probably learn so muchmore about him by sitting back every now and then and just watching how he works withthings and people in his environment. (Pei)

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It is very difficult for me to understand M. because I have my own idea of what he needsand this interferes with my actions and in responding to him as he wants. (Ana)

Consequently, student caregivers experienced a transformation in their ideas regard-ing the meaning of ‘teaching’ in the infant room:

It seems that this shift into the infant/toddler age group is a naturally overwhelmingone with regard to what we know as educators. Perhaps my need to be more usefulcould be stemming from my previous definitions of what ‘useful’ actually means in aclassroom. (Pei)

As they came to better understand how infant learning took place within the contextof playful everyday events and in the absence of direct instruction, they began to trustmore in the infants’ ability to competently grow and change through their own explo-ration of the environment:

… I was playing with Ch. on the rug, and she began to turn her body in an attempt to rollover onto her back. The first few times she tried, she got stuck midway and rolled backonto her stomach. As I sat there watching and encouraging her, I had to wonder, ‘ShouldI be helping her? Can babies roll over by themselves at this age? Is it cruel for me to justsit back and watch as she tries, time and time again, to get onto her back?’ I decided thatI’d give her a few more shots at doing it herself and, lo and behold, on the fourth time,she rolled over. Then she rolled over again. And again … so I think it’s safe to say thatCh. is perfectly capable of doing this on her own, and the more time I spend with her,the more I will be able to determine these things immediately. (Ella)

I think that when I started realizing that the infants could communicate effectively, usinggestures and minimal language, I was able to notice their interactions and appreciate theskills they were developing with and without adult assistance. (Lydia)

In sum, these results highlight how students were initially surprised by the infants andchallenged by the ‘disconnect’ between their preconceived notions of teaching and thephilosophy of the classroom. Classroom challenges, however, also brought learningmoments for them as they discovered the power of observation during practice andhow effective this was in moving them toward better understanding the infants’ needsand competences and responding to them.

Intimate relationships

Teaching and working with infants are exceptional experiences in many ways. Theparticipants articulated that the practicum in the infant room was quite different fromworking with older children, particularly in terms of the ways in which the infantsengaged with each other and with their caregivers. One big difference between beingan infant caregiver and working with older children is the level of intimacy that isrequired for quality caregiving. The intimate and intense relationships with younginfants that infant caregivers experienced during their practicum felt different to themfrom their previous classroom experiences with older children (Keenan 1998). Theclose, physical activities involved in working with infants, such as diapering, feeding,and holding, create a framework for infant educators to develop intimate attachmentsand emotional connections to the infants, as Ella so poignantly expressed:

I’ve already had several dreams about the children…. It’s interesting though, because Iwas in a 1st grade classroom for a year and almost never had dreams about my students,

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yet after six weeks with the infants I am yelling out ‘Jo, time for diaper!’ in my sleep. Iwonder why that is; probably because the teacher–student relationship is much more inti-mate at this age…. (Ella)

In addition, it was interesting to note how the relationships they established with theinfants made the caregivers feel good about themselves in the moment, and evenenhanced their overall self-esteem:

When we went to the dance studio on Monday, she actually let me lift her out of the cart!‘E., I’m so glad you’re letting me help you today! This makes me so happy!’ … It wasalarming how much joy this brought me. (Ella)

Children have finally accepted me as a part of the community. This actually helps myown self-esteem…. In many ways I guess how we rate ourselves as caregivers is basedupon how the children respond to us. Many times they can be our hardest evaluators! (Pei)

Not all professions require an emotional connection with the people you are workingwith. However, in the field of infancy, the emotional bond is not only essential butunavoidable. While the students enjoyed being with the infants and the physical andemotional contact this provided, they also felt some inner conflicts around the intimaterelationships they were forming with infants, which are illustrated in detail in thefollowing section.

Professionalism

Pei mentioned in her journal that being in the infant room was so different from atypical classroom in that it is much harder just to be a caregiver and not form closerelationships with the children. At the same time, she also felt tension between herown pleasure in making more intimate connections with the children and her feelingsabout maintaining a professional relationship, as illustrated in the following quote:

I felt it was so hard to keep a professional relationship with the children in this sort ofsetting. There have been times where I just enjoyed myself and I wanted that hug froma child. Then I stop and wonder if I’ve gotten too personal. (Pei)

Some of the students wondered whether these loving and intimate experiences that aresuch a regular part of caring for infants might cross the boundaries of professionalism.As ‘true professionals’ should they not be so loving and intimate? Ella expressed thisquestion about professionalism in her journal:

I think most teachers, to some degree, want to feel ‘liked’ by their students (as they getolder, of course, finding the balance between being ‘liked’ and being ‘respected’ gets alittle trickier). (Ella)

In sum, being a professional early childhood teacher involves more than the masteryof knowledge and skills. It also involves the ability to form meaningful relationshipswith the children in your classroom. Working with infants can create opportunities forstudents to re-think their values and expectations of themselves as teachers as they feelthe conflicts and tensions brought on by the emotional complexities involved in beingan infant caregiver. The infant room is an emotional place, where joy and laughter, aswell as tears and tantrums, are regular parts of every day. Infant teachers must beaware of their own emotional responses to the children and to the environment and the

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ways that their reactions might influence others (Recchia and Loizou 2002). At thesame time, being a professional infant caregiver also requires the ability to ‘profes-sionalize’ your practice. The close and intimate level of care that infants require fortheir own growth and well-being creates a natural opportunity for students to explorethe ways in which care and professionalism are integrated in early childhood teachingpractices (Keenan 1998).

Final thoughts

As the practicum came to an end, the students’ final journals reflected some of themost important things that they felt they had learned through this experience. Each ofthem expressed their increased comfort level in working with infants over the courseof the semester:

After reading Muir’s article and reflecting upon how I have been applying the watch,wait, and wonder principles in the classroom, especially with M., I now feel much moresure of my role as a caregiver in the infant room. (Ana)

At the beginning, I was hesitant to just stand back and let the children take the lead. Now,I realize how effective this practice can be. (Lydia)

They also commented on the ways in which participating in the infant practicumcourse had broadened their sense of themselves as both learners and teachers. Thefollowing anecdotes capture their feelings in their own words, as they came to the endof their final practicum and prepared to enter the early childhood workforce:

There are many benefits and ideas that I can take away from working with these younginfants, in terms of developmental foundational understanding, as well as curriculargoals and ideas. I am constantly learning, remembering, and being inspired! (Lydia)

This experience has really made very obvious the fact that as educators the learningnever stops! (Pei)

I have really come to the conclusion (with your help!) that when it comes to respondingto and interacting with children, there is infrequently a right or wrong answer. As longas I know the child very well (developmentally and temperamentally), try to be tuned into them, and be eager to learn more from them, I’ll be okay. (Ana)

I definitely have more faith in myself as an educator and trust that despite how foreignthe territory (and infants were quite the foreign territory), I will find my place within it.(Ella)

Conclusion

The results of this study revealed that experiences working with infants createdopportunities for early childhood pre-service teachers to re-think their existing beliefsabout infants’ capacities and capabilities. Through the process of caring for, buildingrelationships with and coming to terms with some of their own issues of control inworking with very young children, the students transformed their sense of themselvesas early childhood teachers. Traditional theories of infancy tend to view babies asincapable, powerless and fully dependent, leaving power and authority to adults(Cannella 1997). As Cannella (1997) argues, the ensuing discourse of need and depen-dence constructs a natural authority and privileges adult control in ways that can limitinfants’ potential for learning in the infant classroom. However, during the infant

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practicum, students illustrated how those ‘powerless’ infants could make them feelshocked, vulnerable and ineffective. Unlike older children, infants’ communicationskills are still emerging. Thus, students must develop the ability to interpret infants’non-verbal behavioral cues in order to understand and respond appropriately to theirneeds. As students learned the power of observation and thus understood the uniqueways in which infants communicate and ‘are’ with each other and with caregivers,they came to regard the infants as very powerful social beings, who taught themsomething quite meaningful about being an early childhood teacher.

Because observation and interpretation of young children’s characteristics,behaviors and dispositions guide teaching practices, curriculum decision-makingprocesses and interactions (Degotardi and Davis 2008), it is essential that earlychildhood students have multiple opportunities to engage in well-planned andsupervised field-based practica across the early childhood range. The quality of theplacement environment must also be considered as students may be highly influ-enced by the nature of the early care and education practices that are modeled forthem in the field.

In this study, the infant classroom provided a unique context for challengingsome previously held notions concerning early childhood teaching and learning asthe students encountered inner conflicts and tensions during the practicum. Forinstance, the students were asked to sit, actively engage through observation, andlearn about children and their own ways of interacting with peers and the environ-ment rather than always to ‘be in action’ or ‘be useful’ in the classroom. Throughthese challenges, and with the guidance and support of experienced classroommentor teachers who demonstrated high-quality infant caregiving practices, studentsexperienced a shift from seeing the teacher as an authority and control figure, toseeing the teacher as a learner being led by the children. These concepts can beequally powerful when applied across the early childhood spectrum, but seemed tobe illuminated for the students in a more distinct way through the unique demands ofworking with infants.

Our findings highlight the notion that moving toward a more ‘professional’ rolewithin the infant teaching/caregiving system may be more complex than it seems. Aswe foster increased mastery of knowledge, skills and accountability we must notignore the nuanced and dynamic processes involved in teaching and learning frominfants, or the socially constructed nature of professionalism. The physical andemotional intensity and intimacy that is so much a part of working with infants asopposed to older children (Honig 2000; Colley 2006; Manning-Morton 2006) mustbe recognized as an important element of professionalism in infant caregiving.Intimate relationships are a necessary foundation for developing infants’ basic abilityto trust others and their sense of self-worth. Thus, it is important for infant caregiversto create emotionally safe environments as well as to be emotionally available forinfants (Elfer and Dearnley 2007). However, interestingly, this important part ofworking and being with infants may be viewed as less than professional to thestudents. Realizing this dichotomy between work with infants and older children,and the ways it interacts with developing views of professionalism, is an importantfirst step in increasing our understanding of the complex social and emotionalaspects of early childhood educators’ work (Bowman 1989). This study providesinsight into the unique learning opportunities that emerge in practice with infantsthat can be applied to broader and better-developed understandings in the field ofearly childhood education.

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