Preschool teachers’ conceptualizations of spontaneous teaching: relational and balancing interactions

This article delves into conceptualizations of spontaneous teaching within Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC). Despite its frequent occurrence in ECEC settings, where educators engage in teaching activities for significant portions of the day, spontaneous teaching has not been extensively researched, nor is it often documented or assessed in practice. Empirically, this study draws on data from a one-year project in which Swedish preschool teachers documented and analyzed spontaneous teaching in their daily practice. Records of group discussions during the project and complementary interviews are used to examine how the teachers discussed and conceptualized spontaneous teaching, and identifies the characteristics of spontaneous teaching in terms of teacher–child interactions. The findings highlight the relational nature of preschool teaching in general, and spontaneous teaching particularly, emphasizing the responsiveness required to balance predetermined curricular goals with children's interests and self-initiated play. In response to previous studies highlighting the difficulty of achieving such balance, the findings indicate a seemingly seamless integration of educators’ and children's intentions and interests.