This study examines how Friedrich Froebel's (1782-1852) pedagogy was translated and transformed in Japan when the system and concept of Froebel's kindergarten arrived from the West. It examines the case of his play activity, 'papier-falten', which is known as 'origami' in Japan. Papier-falten is one of Froebel's Occupations (a series of hands-on play activities) in his kindergarten curriculum, which was designed for children's handiwork and play. Origami (paper-folding) has a long history in Japan; it originated in China and was imported to Japan in the seventh century. It has become a traditional Japanese art with cultural, religious and ceremonial significance. However, origami became a rigid pedagogical tool when Froebel's pedagogy in relation to kindergarten teaching was transferred from the West to Japan in the mid to late nineteenth century. The German concept of ear[y childhood education was integrated into the Japanese kindergarten curriculum, resulting in a dramatic transformation of Japanese origami culture. This study also explores the influence of Friedrich Froebel's pedagogy on the development of origami, not only in early childhood education but also on the current origami culture in Japan.

"Come, let us live with our children!" is the well-known motto of Friedrich Froebel. Froebel was the 'Father of the Kindergarten' and is still seen today as a heroic figure in early childhood education. Some may think that Froebel is old-fashioned; however, the current important ideas of early childhood education such as play, imagination, creativity, mathematics, music, aesthetics, science, socialisation, morality and culture, all are to be found in Froebel's theory and practice. Froebel's theory and the idea of the kindergarten travelled in the nineteenth century from Germany to the countries of Western Europe, England, and the USA before eventually arriving in Japan. Froebel's theory was adopted by many ambassadors, the so-called 'Froebelians', around the world and to a large extent laid the foundation for the current practice of early childhood education in many countries. Froebel's theory was translated and transformed by Froebelians to fit in with local ideas, culture, values and politics. Although authentic Froebel's Gifts (play materials - such as shaped wooden bricks and balls) and Occupations (a series of hands-on activities) are currently not often seen in early childhood settings, the spirit of "Come, let us live with our children!" is still alive in the hearts of early childhood educators around the world. Therefore, the everyday experience of Froebelians in the past may, in many ways, be similar to ours today. I would like to relate a Froebelian's experience of creating a kindergarten in Japan through the story of Annie L. Howe (1852-1943) and depict Howe's beliefs and values concerning the education of young children.

This chapter explores how Frederich Froebel's theory was transferred, translated and transformed on implementation by the Froebelian Annie L. Howe. Howe was an American missionary woman and was seconded to Japan by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions of the Congregational Church to establish a Christian kindergarten in Japan. The chapter highlights Froebelian theory and practice and the way in which these involve the interplay of social, political, educational and cultural conditions. In Japan, there are different types of Froebelian who transferred the ideas of the kindergarten into Japan. Japanese Froebelians were mostly men who held important posts in the Meiji government or in the Ministry of Education, and had their own views and values regarding kindergarten education. In 1889, the Glory Kindergarten and Teacher Training School were opened in Kobe by Howe. They were organised along Froebelian lines from practice developed in the USA and, importantly, were based on Christian worldviews.

This study examines how origami has been implemented, practised, and developed in the early childhood education of Japan over the past 140 years. Historically speaking, paper-folding has been part of Japanese symbolic art, craft culture, and religious ceremonial artefacts since paper and paper-folding techniques were first imported from China during the seventh century. By the eighteenth century, paper-folding provided a form of mass entertainment in Japanese society. During the 1870s, paper-folding was dramatically transformed into a pedagogical tool within Japanese kindergartens after Friedrich Froebel’s (1782–1852) kindergarten system and its curriculum was transferred to Japan from the West. “Papier-Falten” (paper-folding) comprised an element of Froebel’s Occupations – which was a series of handiwork activities – in his kindergarten curriculum, whereby various folding techniques and models were derived from European traditional paper-folding and introduced into a Japanese kindergarten curriculum that was associated with the concept of Froebel’s kindergarten. Particularly seen in early childhood education in Japan, what we now call origami developed as a new form of paper-folding. This gradually emerged through the marriage of Western (German) and Eastern (Japanese) paper-folding cultures. The study highlights the benefits and uniqueness of cultural transmission and transformation when developing origami in early childhood education in Japan.

High quality early childhood education and care (ECEC) services, such as kindergarten/ preschool provide a safe, stabilising influence for all children, affording a powerful means of transcending vulnerability (Melhuish, 2011b; Oberklaid, Baird, Blair, Melhuish, & Hall, 2013). Quality ECEC enhances a child’s cognitive, behavioural, social and linguistic skills, thus laying strong foundations for successful home-to-school-transitions and future health, educational and employment outcomes (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2017). Unfortunately, children from refugee backgrounds remain significantly underrepresented in ECEC services across Australia (Hopkins, Lorains, Issaka, & Podbury, 2017; Krakouer, Mitchell, Trevitt, & Kochanoff, 2017), and participation is very low in Queensland (Allen Consulting Group, 2011; MDA, 2012; QCOSS, 2016b; Thorpe, Vromans, & Bell-Booth, 2011). Reasons for non-engagement have been difficult to ascertain (Baxter & Hand, 2013; Krakouer et al., 2017). Given contemporary neurobiological discoveries about peak brain development occurring between the ages of zero-to-five, non-participation by child refugees is an element of the wicked problem of ongoing disadvantage and social exclusion of refugees in Australian society. This holistic, qualitative, cross-sectoral study explored barriers and enablers to access and participation in ECEC services for refugee families living in Queensland. In this study, evidence about the traumatic nature of the refugee experience from a mental health perspective was fused with evidence about the importance of quality ECEC from an educational perspective. Constructivist Grounded Theory (CGT), rooted in pragmatism and relativism (Charmaz, 2014), was applied as a methodology. In CGT the researcher honours the lived experience by maintaining participants’ presence through their words and stories, with the understanding that theory is co-constructed between researcher and participant (Charmaz, 2017b). Data was obtained through semi-structured interviews and focus groups with 55 participants, 38 of whom were former refugees. Participants consisted of 29 parents and 26 early childhood practitioners (ECPs) who were educators, directors, managers, family and cultural support workers, sourced from seven community-based agencies affiliated with an early childhood initiative of the Queensland Department of Education. Results indicate that the majority of refugee families were denied access to ECEC, with key areas of exclusion being: poverty, language, trauma, culture, and racism. Families who were successful in enrolling children frequently experienced a limited sense of belonging, arising from lack of respect, racial tensions, negative perceptions about quality of care, fear of children being abused by educators, and fear of State intervention. These barriers resulted in withdrawal of children and signalled that some ECPs were ill prepared to work with young children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds (CALD) whose families had experienced war-trauma. The few families who fully participated described cultural credible services that promoted language rights; fostered culturally safe and secure environments for both children and parents; implemented trauma-informed practice and anti-discriminatory, culturally sustaining pedagogies. In drawing upon participant narratives about the encounters of child refugees in early childhood settings, I used an ecological model focusing on indicators of wellbeing informed by McFarlane, Kaplan, and Lawrence (2011), to explore the complex interplay between behavioural presentations, parental refugee experience, societal and economic conditions impacting upon families in resettlement, and interactions between families and ECPs. Findings underscore the importance of responding to complex trauma in children through an ecological approach. This study highlights the need for state-wide investment in well-resourced, responsive strategies such as: poverty alleviation through fee waivers; language rights through mandating interpreter / translator usage and dual language maintenance; and professional development to foster cross-cultural competencies and the application of trauma-informed practice by all ECPs. ECEC services are well placed to become culturally credible trauma recovery environments for children from refugee backgrounds.

I am Japanese. For half my life, I have lived in English-speaking countries and still live in one. How do I read and review The History of Education in Japan (1600-2000)? The book, in particular, encourages non-Japanese readers especially to participate in a dialogue and promote further discussion focusing on the comparative historiography of education in an international arena (pp. 159-63) - so what is my role as a Japanese reviewer?

Undōkai translates to 'sports day festival' or 'athletic festival' in Japanese, and functions as a display of athletic elements and an opportunity for outdoor play. It was developed in the mid-to-late nineteenth century as a result of social, cultural, religious and educational factors and it has become an most important school event from kindergarten to secondary education. Specifically, undōkai in early childhood education is regarded as a unique style of outdoor play which includes play, games, singing, dancing and athletic activities. Despite its sometimes teacher-centred orientation, the undōkai of today is similar to the 'play-festival' (Spielfest) devised by Friedrich Froebel for use with young children. There have been debates in recent decades about whether undōkai is good for young children. This chapter examines the development of one such child-centred undōkai as a children's play festival at a Froebelian kindergarten in Japan. The questions addressed include: What are the Froebelian educators' motivations for developing undōkai? What does the child-centred undōkai look like? And, finally, what was the process for creating the child-centred undōkai? The answers to these questions are drawn from early education contexts across time and cultures.

Exposing pre-service teachers to international professional experiences through a short-term visiting programme serves to challenge their understandings of good quality practice through disturbing assumptions and expectations previously formed through experiences in their own country/culture. Much of the research in international study focuses on pre-service teachers preparing to teach in primary, secondary or language classes. In this study we present the perceptions of pre-service early childhood students who underwent a short-term international experience. In particular we explore the ways in which their experiences impacted on their understandings of quality early childhood service provision. In the increasingly neoliberal Australian early childhood sector externally imposed standards define quality and this is enacted in relatively homogenous ways in practice, opportunities to observe practice arising from different understandings serves to challenge thinking, potentially leading to different world views (Piaget’s accommodation).