Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate how educators and teachers working with younger ages work with the picture book in preschool and school, based on the aesthetic subjects and how this work affects children's learning. This is relevant and important for the preschool teacher and teacher's profession as children of today live in a world where symbols, characters, text and image are part of their culture, and language, gestures and images are included in a broader perspective on what reading and writing mean. In preschool, children should be encouraged to use and explore various communicative tools to support and challenge their learning. In the study, the qualitative research method the focus group interview is used. The focus groups consisted of educators in preschool and teachers working with younger ages. In the focus group interviews, educators and teachers present a concrete example of how they process the picture book, based on the aesthetic subjects. This presentation is used as an icebreaker for the continued discussion on the subject. The focus group interviews were analysed based on the model of the phenomenography of data analysis and the socio-cultural theory of learning.

In the results, focus group interviews 1, 2 and 3, their work on the picture book are presented  based on the aesthetic subjects and how the aesthetic subjects affected children in preschool and school. In conclusion, I find stress as an influence of the aesthetic subjects in teaching