2016, Nishida, Yukiyo, Abe, Fusa

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.

2018, Sims, Margaret, Nishida, Yukiyo

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).