Table of Contents

Foreword - Peter Moss, Emeritus Professor of Early Childhood Provision at the Institute of Education, University of London; Preface to the third edition;1. A framework for listening - Introduction. Starting points. The framework for listening; Reflective questions; 2. Listening to Young children: developing the Mosaic approach - Introduction. Stage One: children and adults gathering documentation. Observation. Interviews with children. Children's photographs. Tour. Map making. Role play. Parents' perspectives. Practitioners' perspectives. Researcher's perspectives. Stage Two: Piecing together information for dialogue. Reflection and interpretation. Bringing the mosaic together. Pre-verbal children. Children with speech. Reflection into practice. Recognising the unexpected. Mosaic approach with refugee children; 3. Spaces to Play: adapting the Mosaic approach - Introduction. Stage One: gathering children's and adults' perspectives. Observation. Children's photographs and book-making. Child-led tours. Map making. Magic carpet. Interviews with children. Interviews with practitioners. Interviews with parents. Stage Two: discussing the material. Reviews with children. Reviews with practitioners. Stage Three: deciding areas of continuity and change. Places to keep: the 'caterpillar'. Places to expand: the house. Places to changes: the fence. Places to add: seating and digging. Evaluation. Changes into practice. Discussion. Reflective questions. 4. Case studies: working with the Mosaic approach - Introduction. Case Study One, UK. Case Study Two, Denmark. Case Study Three, Norway. Case Study Four, Australia. Discussion,; Chapter 5: Ethical and methodological questions - Introduction. Questions. Conclusion; Epilogue; Appendix: Further reading about the Mosaic approach and schedules ; References; Index

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Find out how to use and adapt the listening tools of the Mosaic approach to improve early childhood provision

About the Author

Alison Clark is an Honorary Senior Research Fellow at Thomas Coram Research Unit, UCL Institute of Education, London and a Visiting Associate Professor at the University of South-Eastern Norway. Alison pioneered the Mosaic approach with Peter Moss and has contributed many published articles, books and book chapters on listening to and researching with young children. Peter Moss is a Professor at the Faculty of Children and Learning, Thomas Coram Research Unit. He has wide-ranging research interests including services for children, the children’s workforce, democratic practice in children’s services, gender issues in work with children, social pedagogy and radical education. Peter is widely published.

Reviews

In this third, expanded edition of what has become a classic text about listening to young children, Alison Clark outlines the basis of the Mosaic Approach and its development. The addition of case studies and consideration of ethical issues creates spaces for reflecting, revisiting, and refining the application of the Mosaic Approach. A continuing strength of the book is the focus on the possibilities - rather than prescriptions - of listening to young children.
*Sue Dockett, Professor of Early Childhood Education at Charles Sturt University*

Alison Clark's work on the Mosaic approach is enriched by new insights and material in this expanded third edition of 'Listening to Young Children'. This book is essential reading for students and practitioners engaged in the field of early years and early childhood.
*Dr Rose Drury, Senior Lecturer in Early Years at The Open University*

A refreshing, vibrant, ethical and highly collaborative approach to conducting research with children. I thoroughly recommend this much-needed resource.
*Dr Rosie Flewitt, University College London, Institute of Education*

I was delighted to see this third version appear, both because the topic is important and because Alison Clark and the Mosaic Approach impact fundamentally the way educational communities perceive children. The value of prioritising children's perspectives must not be underestimated. The planning of educators, shaping by policy-makers and investigations by researchers will all benefit from engaging with the examples and issues raised.
*Alma Fleet, Honorary Associate Professor at Institute of Early Childhood, Macquarie University*