Position of the Modern Teacher in Educational Theory and Practice / Pozicioniranje suvremenog odgojitelja u pedagogijskoj teoriji i praksi
Authors: Šagud Mirjana , Hajdin Ljubimka 
Published: May 2018

AbstractIn ontogenetic development, the child is a unique and specific being. In addition to his/her personal biography, s/he is also defined by general social visions and values. Significant in this regard are Vygotsky’s (1996) attempts to confirm the thesis on the close relationship between the cultural and historical context in which children live with someone, between the child and childhood, his/her activities, or the pace and the quality of progress.New social studies of childhood (be they from a historical or social perspective) and the prevailing concept of childhood show that children’s lives are shaped by the social and cultural expectations of adults. The image of childhood should not be dismissed as a critical period which represents narrow “windows” of time in which a specific part of the body is most sensitive to the absence of stimuli (deprivation) or the impact of the environment (enriched environment). The paper will examine some of the contradictions and unacceptable tendencies that occur in the interpretation and implementation of a modern paradigm of early and preschool education, and education in the area of educational practice. In particular, the analysis will relate to the position of teachers in the process of children’s activities from the perspective of their teaching and development. The evaluation of teachers’ specific positioning within dynamic practical areas is a reflection of their current personal and professional competencies, as well as their overall professional habitus. Key words: early and preschool education; preschool curriculum; teacher.  ---SažetakU ontogenetskom razvoju dijete je jedinstveno i specifično biće, osim osobnom biografijom definirano i generalnim društvenim vizijama i vrijednostima. U tom smislu važno je stajalište Vygotskog (1996) kojim se nastoji potvrditi teza o tijesnoj povezanosti kulturno-povijesnog konteksta u kojem djeca žive s nekim, djetetu i djetinjstvu svojstvenim, aktivnostima ili tempom i kvalitetom napredovanja.Nove socijalne studije djetinjstva (bilo da su iz povijesne ili društvene perspektive) i prevladavajući koncept djetinjstva pokazao je da živote djece oblikuju socijalna i kulturna očekivanja odraslih. Ne smije se zanemariti slika djetinjstva kao kritičkog razdoblja koje predstavlja uske “prozore” vremena u kojem je određeni dio tijela najosjetljiviji na odsustvo podražaja (deprivacija) ili na utjecaj iz okoline (obogaćena sredina). U radu će se problematizirati neke kontradikcije i neprihvatljive tendencije koje se javljaju u interpretiranju i implementiranju suvremene paradigme ranog i predškolskog odgoja i obrazovanja na područje pedagoške prakse. Analiza će se posebno odnositi na poziciju odgojitelja u procesu dječjih aktivnosti s aspekta djetetova učenja i razvoja. Procjena o konkretnom pozicioniranju unutar dinamičnog praktičnog područja odraz je aktualnih osobnih i stručnih kompetencija i cjelokupnog profesionalnog habitusa odgojitelja. Ključne riječi: odgojitelj; predškolski kurikul; rani i predškolski odgoj i obrazovanje.