Pedagogy through the eyes of the subaltern: beyond reflective practice in an early childhood setting in Mumbai India

This study investigated experiences of pedagogy and reflection through the eyes of the subaltern in the context of an early childhood setting in Mumbai India. Across postcolonial contexts such as India, there is a disconnect between policy and practice. This phenomenon is especially apparent in the field of early childhood education (ECE) where local knowledges may be undermined by policies which emphasise developmentally appropriate and play-based practices that reflect socio-cultural contexts from the Global North. A review of literature revealed the low priority given to ECE in India. Meanwhile, a continuous ‘push down’ of ‘school-based banking education’ discourse drives the teaching of traditional ‘technical academic skills’ to children in the early years despite policy and rhetoric and leaves early childhood teachers with limited space to engage in reflective practices. This research showcases the creative efforts of teachers to resist the marginalisation of their voices and the benefits accrued in a subaltern context.

In-depth exploration of 11 teachers in a community based not-for profit ECE setting in a subaltern community in Mumbai India was conducted. Data were collected over six months using a postcolonial methodology to engage with participants through focus groups, teacher portfolios/wallcharts, semi-structured interviews, non-participant observations, and the use of a researcher diary. Drawing on postcolonial theory and critiques of neoliberal ideologies, key findings in this study centred on teaching understood as a technical act of imparting facts and knowledge, the privileging of the English language alongside teachers’ expressions of culture and identity in pedagogy. Key findings on reflective practice included teachers’ understandings of reflective practice as descriptive retelling of teaching strategies and the beginnings of a decolonisation of reflective practice and the research process. Thus the analysis of findings suggest that there is a need to unpack the complexity of culturally relevant pedagogy in modern-day India. It appears that pedagogical approaches reflect the ‘banking approach’ and a deeply engrained neoliberal value of teacher responsibilisation.

With the intention of improving the life outcomes of children from subaltern communities, the teachers in this study overtly complied with the banking approach. However, some also demonstrated resistance and agency through the integration of yoga practices into their pedagogy. The teachers of 3 year old children in particular expressed a belief that integrating yoga practices into the classroom will support children to be more calm and focused. As such, this study suggests that by creating a space for the teachers to share their local knowledges about pedagogy, ‘Swadhyaya’ (self-study) – a yoga-informed culturally-situated approach to reflective practice – can act as a bridge in supporting pedagogical transformation between the Global North and Global South.