Jerome Bruner

In this paper the author explores how our ideas about early learning have developed over time and proposes a new view of pedagogy, that is not based on the traditional Model of Deprivation, but outlines a new model which goes beyond deprivation. The new model proposes that the child is not deprived of culture, rather the child is deprived of opportunities for creating culture and dealing with culture. In this new perspective the child is not viewed as passive but active. The aim of schools should be to provide an “enabling culture” in which the child is involved in reinventing, refurbishing and refreshing the culture. The paper also identifies and explores

3 antinomies which have emerged as ideas about early learning developed;

• the ‘individual realisation’ versus the ‘culture serving’ antinomy

• the ‘talent centred’ versus the ‘tool centred’ antinomy

• the ‘particularism‘ versus the ‘universalism’ antinomy.

It is argued that an exploration of these 3 antinomies can provide a useful basis for thinking about what we have learned about early learning and where we are moving in current development.

The conclusion of this paper is that children from the start must be accepted as members and as participants in the culture and be given the opportunity to make and remake the culture in each generation. The case is made that we should stop thinking about deprivation of children and start thinking about participation of children.