Learning in pre-school: the expectations teachers have on children's learning and what children actually learn

The point of departure in this study is to describe pre-school children´s learning during a learning study and the expectations the teachers have on each child´s learning. The learning study model (Holmqvist & Mattisson, 2008) is used based on variation theory. Three micro-cycles (lessons) form a macro-Learning study cycle (including three lessons). One Learnign study was implemented during three weeks (one lesson each week). The participants in teh study were three pre-school teachers, their 36 children and researchers. The study consits of discussions with teachers on their focus when planning lessons, classroom observations during learning studies carried out in pre-school and interviews with pre-school teachers´about the expectations they have concerning the children´s learning. The results show 1) an increased learning outcome when the object of learning is presented using variation theory and 2) a discrepancy between what the children actually learned and the teachers' expectations. The expectation the teachers´have on their children´s learning differs from what they actually learned indicates that there is a risk that teachers too high or low expectations affect children´s learning ability. By the use of learning study the teachers became aware of this risk.