Challenging the Culture of Expertise: Moving Beyond Training the Always, Already Failing Early Childhood Educator

Abstract

In this chapter, we look critically at the discourses of expertise as a lens for examining our experiences as teacher educators. We explain why we think that current notions of early childhood teacher training contradict the ideals of equity, liberation, and the development of human potential – our goals for education – and use two of the authors’ stories of their work with teachers of young children to provide a window into some of the contradictions, challenges, and borders we perceive. Building on the stories and our analyses of them, we posit some possible avenues to help us cross borders.

Citation

Novinger, S., O’Brien, L. and Sweigman, L. (2005), "Challenging the Culture of Expertise: Moving Beyond Training the Always, Already Failing Early Childhood Educator", Ryan, S. and Grieshaber, S. (Ed.) Practical Transformations and Transformational Practices: Globalization, Postmodernism, and Early Childhood Education (Advances in Early Education and Day Care, Vol. 14), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 217-241. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0270-4021(05)14010-5