Professor of Early Childhood Education and Foundation Chair at
The Centre Research Director for the Centre for Childhood Studies.
Research Leader for Furthering Early Education and Learning at Monash Univeristy.
She is particularly interested in the writings of Vygotsky because they help her with her own scientific investigations into early childhood education.
The President of the International Society for Cultural Activity Research.
She has written extensively on early learning in relation to science, technology and culture and pedagogy.
She is currently working on an international study of development with Professor Mariane Hedegaard from the
Visit in Taiwan International Academic Conference of Indigenous Science and Mathematic Education 2008年10月4-5日（週六至週日）原住民族數理教育國際學術研討會在台東大學教學大樓五樓舉行
Marilyn Fleer, professor of Monash university, Melbourn, Australlia, президент ISCAR - International Society for Cultural and Activity Research (Международного общества культурно-деятельностной психологии)
What is ISCAR? (pdf)
Marilyn.Fleer@Education.monash.edu.au
Biography
Marilyn Fleer is the Director for the Centre for Research into Childhood Studies and Program Leader for Primary and Early Childhood Education at
Marilyn has worked in education for 25 years. She began her career as an early childhood teacher. Later she was seconded to the Department of Education, Aboriginal Education Branch, as an advisor, later as a Curriculum Officer and finally as a Research Officer (shared with the University of Western Australia). In 1988 she took up an appointment as lecturer at the University Canberra, remaining there until 2001 as Professor of Education. In 2002 she commenced her new position at
Research Interests
Marilyn has a diverse range of research interests and has won grants of nearly 2 million Australian dollars. Recent grants have included an ARC Discovery (with Professor Dick Gunstone) entitled The sociocultural construction of science learning: The transformation and appropriation of scientific concepts within situated playful encounters in early childhood contexts; International study of pedagogy and play 0 to 36 months: Australian component (with Dr Holli Tonyan); An investigation of the participation structures to support learning across cultures (with Denise Williams-Kennedy).
Her particular research interests and expertise include: cross-cultural research, early childhood science education, technology education, and the building of new theoretical tools to support early childhood education.
Professional Associations
International Membership
European Early Childhood Education Research Association
British Education Research Association
Regional or Australian Membership
Australasian Science Education Research Association
Australian Early Childhood Association
Australian Research in Early Childhood Education Association
Victorian Membership
Technology Education of
Leadership
Member of Publications Committee, Early Childhood
Editor, Australian Journal of Early Childhood
Advocacy Award (Australian Early Childhood Association) in 2000
Community Service
Policy Experience
Marilyn has worked at the international, national and local levels in the development of evidence based policies and practices. At the international level she has been a member of the OECD Thematic Review of Early Childhood Education and Care Policy, Australian Background Report Committee (2000-2001), and a member of PLAN International, Technical Advisory Committee for Early Childhood (since 2001- ongoing). At the national level she was a Research Fellow for the Australian Government (Department of Education, Science and Training) in 2000, Australian Bureau of Statistics Conceptual Framework Consultative Committee (2001), and Preschool Profile Development Committee, Indigenous Branch, Department of Education, Training and Youth Affairs (2000-2004). At the local level she was a member of the Ministerial Advisory Committee on Public Education in the ACT (1992-1994) and the Victorian Premiers Childrens Advisory Council in 2004.
Leadership
Marilyn won the Advocacy Award in 2000 (Australian Early Childhood Association)
Supervision
Currently Marilyn supervises PhD students in early childhood education (theory and practice), new pedagogical approaches in primary education, curriculum development theory, science education, environmental education, and technology education.
Publications for 2008 and 2009
Books
2009 Pramling-Samuelsson, Ingrid, and Fleer, M., (2009) (eds.) Play and Learning in Early Childhood Settings: International Perspectives (International perspectives on early childhood education and development). (Hardcover - Nov 21, 2008) / Berlin
2008 Fleer, M., and Hedegaard, M., (2008) Studying Children: A Cultural-Historical Approach. Open University Press , UK
2009 Fleer, M., Hedegaard, M., Prout, A., and Tudge, J., (2009) (eds) World Yearbook of Education 2009 - Childhood Studies and the impact of globalization: Global and local policies and practices, World Year Book Series, Routledge, New York. (Hardcover - Dec 22, 2008) Buy new: $160.00 19 Used & new from $131.80
Contents:
List of Figures (p. x)
List of Tables (p. xi)
List of Contributors (p. xii)
Series Editors’ Introduction (p. xvii)
1 Constructing childhood: global-local policies and practices / Marilyn Fleer, Mariane Hedegaard and Jonathan Tudge (p. 1)
Part I
The Constructions of Childhood Development and Learning (p. 21)
2 Cultures in early childhood care and education / A. Bame Namensang (p. 23)
3 Cultural practices, social values and childhood education : the impact of globalization / Angela Uchoa Branco (p. 46)
4 Childhood in
6 The power of motives : the dialectical relations between neurobiological constraints and activity in child development / Louise Bottcher (p. 108)
Part II
Global-Local Childhood Studies
7 Vygotsky and the conceptual revolution in developmental sciences : towards a united (non-additive) account of human development / Anna Stetsenko (p. 125)
9 An environmental affordance perspective on the study of development : artefacts, social others, and self / Jytte Bang (p. 161)
10 Radical-local teaching and learning : a cultural-historical perspective on education and children's development / Seth Chaiklin and Mariane Hedegaard (p. 182)
11 Cultural-historical psychology in the practice of education / G.G. Kravtsov and E.E. Kravtsova (p. 202)
12 Developmental education : improving participation in cultural practices / Bert van Oers (p. 213)
Part III
Global Politics Shaping Local Childhoods
13 Motivation and behaviour in Russian schools : the impact of globalisation upon the Soviet educational legacy / Julian Elliott (p. 233)
14 Family practices and how children are positioned as active agents / Mariane Hedegaard and Marilyn Fleer (p. 254)
15 Conceptions of early childhood care and education in
Index (p. 313)
Constructing childhood: global-local policies and practices / Marilyn Fleer, Mariane Hedegaard and Jonathan Tudge -- Cultures in early childhood care and education / A. Bame Namensang -- Cultural practices, social values and childhood education : the impact of globalization / Angela Uchoa Branco -- Childhood in Turkey : social class and gender differences in schooling, labor, and play / Artin Göncü, Serap Özer and Nihal Ahioglu -- A cultural-historical reading of "children as researchers" / Marilyn Fleer and Gloria Quiñones -- The power of motives : the dialectical relations between neurobiological constraints and activity in child development / Louise Bottcher -- Vygotsky and the conceptual revolution in developmental sciences : towards a united (non-additive) account of human development / Anna Stetsenko -- A cultural-ecological perspective on early childhood among the Luo of Kisumu, Kenya / Jonathan Tudge and Dolphine Odero-Wanga -- An environmental affordance perspective on the study of development : artefacts, social others, and self / Jytte Bang -- Radical-local teaching and learning : a cultural-historical perspective on education and children's development / Seth Chaiklin and Mariane Hedegaard -- Cultural-historical psychology in the practice of education / G.G. Kravtsov and E.E. Kravtsova -- Developmental education : improving participation in cultural practices / Bert van Oers -- Motivation and behaviour in Russian schools : the impact of globalisation upon the Soviet educational legacy / Julian Elliott -- Family practices and how children are positioned as active agents / Mariane Hedegaard and Marilyn Fleer -- Conceptions of early childhood care and education in Brazil / Lia B.L. Freitas, Terri L. Shelton and Tania M. Sperb -- A cultural-historical analysis of play as an activity setting in early childhood education : views from research and from teachers / Marilyn Fleer ... [et al.]
Chapters and Reports
Fleer, M. (2008). Interpreting research protocols – the institutional perspective, In M. Hedgeaard and M. Fleer (eds.) Studying children. A cultural-historical approach, Open University
Fleer, M. (2008) Interpreting research protocols – the child’s perspective, In M. Hedegaard and M. Fleer (eds.) Studying children. A cultural-historical approach, Open University
Fleer, M. (2008). Using digital video observations and computer technologies in a cultural-historical approach, In M. Hedegaard and M. Fleer (eds.) Studying children. A cultural-historical approach, Open University
Fleer, M., (2008) A cultural-historical perspective on research in design and technology education, In H.E. Middleton, H (ed.) Researching Technology Education: Methods and techniques,
Fleer, M., (2009) A cultural-historical perspective on play: Play as a leading activity across cultural communities, In Pramling Samuelsson,
Fleer, M., Hedegaard, M. and Tudge, J., (2009) The global construction of childhood development and learning, In M. Fleer, M., M. Hedegaard, and J. Tudge, (due 2009) (eds) Constructing childhood: Global-local policies and practices, World Year Book Series,
Articles
Fleer, M., (2008) A cultural-historical reading of “culturally Sensitive Schooling”: thinking beyond a constructivist view of science learning. Cultural Studies of Science Education, 3, 781-786.
Fleer, M., (2009) Understanding the dialectical relations between everyday concepts and scientific concepts within play-based programs, Research in Science Education, 39, 281-306.
Publications for 2005 and 2006
Books and Chapters
Fleer, M., Edwards, S., Hammer, M., Kennedy, A., Ridgway, A., Robbins, J., Surman, L., (2006) Early childhood learning communities. Sociocultural research in practice, Pearson Education, NSW,
Fleer, M., (2005) Looking in and not seeing yourself mirrored back: Investigations of some Indigenous family views on education. In, Colin Marsh, (ed.) Curriculum Controversies. Point and counterpoint 1980-2005. Australian Curriculum Studies Association Inc. ACT,
Fleer, M., (2006) Meaning-making science: Exploring the sociocultural dimensions of early childhood teacher education, In K. Appleton (ed.) Elementary science teacher education: International perspectives on contemporary issues and practice,
Fleer, M., (2006) A sociocultural perspective on early childhood education: Rethinking, reconceptualizing and reinventing, In Fleer, M., Edwards, S., Hammer, M., Kennedy, A., Ridgway, A., Robbins, J., Surman, L., (2006) Early childhood learning communities. Sociocultural research in practice, Pearson Education, NSW,
Fleer, M., and Robbins, J., (2006) Working in the zone: New insights into the Zone of Proximal Development, In Fleer, M., Edwards, S., Hammer, M., Kennedy, A., Ridgway, A., Robbins, J., Surman, L., (2006) Early childhood learning communities. Sociocultural research in practice, Pearson Education, NSW,
Fleer, M., and Robbins, J., (2006) Diversity in the context of universal early childhood education: Family involvement or family exclusion? In Fleer, M., Edwards, S., Hammer, M., Kennedy, A., Ridgway, A., Robbins, J., Surman, L., (2006) Early childhood learning communities. Sociocultural research in practice, Pearson Education, NSW,
Robbins, J., Hammer, M., and Fleer, M., (2005) Broadening the lens on diversity, In Fleer, M., Edwards, S., Hammer, M., Kennedy, A., Ridgway, A., Robbins, J., Surman, L., (2006) Early childhood learning communities. Sociocultural research in practice, Pearson Education, NSW,
Fleer, M., and Surman, L., (2006) A sociocultural approach to observing an dassessing, In Fleer, M., Edwards, S., Hammer, M., Kennedy, A., Ridgway, A., Robbins, J., Surman, L., (2006) Early childhood learning communities. Sociocultural research in practice, Pearson Education, NSW,
Fleer, M., (2006) Potentive assessment in early childhood education, In Fleer, M., Edwards, S., Hammer, M., Kennedy, A., Ridgway, A., Robbins, J., Surman, L., (2006) Early childhood learning communities. Sociocultural research in practice, Pearson Education, NSW,
Fleer, M., and Kennedy, A., (2006) Quality always unfinished business, In Fleer, M., Edwards, S., Hammer, M., Kennedy, A., Ridgway, A., Robbins, J., Surman, L., (2006) Early childhood learning communities. Sociocultural research in practice, Pearson Education, NSW,
Fleer, M., Hammer, M., and Robbins, J., (2006) Joining the academy, In Fleer, M., Edwards, S., Hammer, M., Kennedy, A., Ridgway, A., Robbins, J., Surman, L., (2006) Early childhood learning communities. Sociocultural research in practice, Pearson Education, NSW,
Journal Articles
Fleer, M., (2005) Developmental Fossils- unearthing the artefacts of early childhood education: The reification of Child Development Australian Journal of Early Childhood, 30 (2), 2-7.
Fleer, M., and Robbins, J., (2005) Broadening the circumference: A socio-historical analysis of family enactments of literacy and numeracy within the official script of middle class early childhood discourse Outline, 6 (20), 17-24
Fleer, M., and Robbins, J., (2005) There is much more to this literacy and numeracy than you realise: Family enactments of literacy and numeracy versus educators constructions of learning in home contexts, Journal of Australian Research in Early Childhood Education, 12 (1), 23-42
Farquhar, S and Fleer, M., (in press) Foundational Sacred Cows: Putting Western Development out to Pasture, In Linda Keesing-Styles and Helen Hedges, Critical issues and trends in early childhood education: Australasian perspectives, Dunmore Press, New Zealand.
Fleer, M., (In press) Troubling cultural fault lines: Some Indigenous Australian families perspectives on the landscape of early childhood education, Mind, Culture and Activity
