Position of the Modern Teacher in Educational Theory and Practice / Pozicioniranje suvremenog odgojitelja u pedagogijskoj teoriji i praksi

Abstract In ontogenetic development, the child is a unique and specific being. In addition to his/her personal biography, s/he is also defined by general social visions and values. Significant in this regard are Vygotsky’s (1996) attempts to confirm the thesis on the close relationship between the cultural and historical context in which children live with someone, between the child and childhood, his/her activities, or the pace and the quality of progress. New social studies of childhood (be they from a historical or social perspective) and the prevailing concept of childhood show that children’s lives are shaped by the social and cultural expectations of adults. The image of childhood should not be dismissed as a critical period which represents narrow “windows” of time in which a specific part of the body is most sensitive to the absence of stimuli (deprivation) or the impact of the environment (enriched environment).  The paper will examine some of the contradictions and unacceptable tendencies that occur in the interpretation and implementation of a modern paradigm of early and preschool education, and education in the area of educational practice. In particular, the analysis will relate to the position of teachers in the process of children’s activities from the perspective of their teaching and development. The evaluation of teachers’ specific positioning within dynamic practical areas is a reflection of their current personal and professional competencies, as well as their overall professional habitus.  Key words: early and preschool education; preschool curriculum; teacher.   --- Sažetak U ontogenetskom razvoju dijete je jedinstveno i specificno bice, osim osobnom biografijom definirano i generalnim drustvenim vizijama i vrijednostima. U tom smislu važno je stajaliste Vygotskog (1996) kojim se nastoji potvrditi teza o tijesnoj povezanosti kulturno-povijesnog konteksta u kojem djeca žive s nekim, djetetu i djetinjstvu svojstvenim, aktivnostima ili tempom i kvalitetom napredovanja. Nove socijalne studije djetinjstva (bilo da su iz povijesne ili drustvene perspektive) i prevladavajuci koncept djetinjstva pokazao je da živote djece oblikuju socijalna i kulturna ocekivanja odraslih. Ne smije se zanemariti slika djetinjstva kao kritickog razdoblja koje predstavlja uske “prozore” vremena u kojem je određeni dio tijela najosjetljiviji na odsustvo podražaja (deprivacija) ili na utjecaj iz okoline (obogacena sredina).  U radu ce se problematizirati neke kontradikcije i neprihvatljive tendencije koje se javljaju u interpretiranju i implementiranju suvremene paradigme ranog i predskolskog odgoja i obrazovanja na podrucje pedagoske prakse. Analiza ce se posebno odnositi na poziciju odgojitelja u procesu djecjih aktivnosti s aspekta djetetova ucenja i razvoja. Procjena o konkretnom pozicioniranju unutar dinamicnog prakticnog podrucja odraz je aktualnih osobnih i strucnih kompetencija i cjelokupnog profesionalnog habitusa odgojitelja.  Kljucne rijeci: odgojitelj; predskolski kurikul; rani i predskolski odgoj i obrazovanje.