News

Save the date: PINA colloquium with Dr. Lynsey Burke, Dr. Katie Westwood & Laura Jarvie on May 13, 2026 online via Zoom!

We invite you to our PINA colloquium on Wednesday, May 13, 2026 from 6:00 – 7:30 pm (CET) with Lynsey Burke, Katie Westwood & Laura Jarvie. The colloquium will take place online via Zoom – the access details can be found below. You are all invited to join us!

Dr. Lynsey Burke, Dr. Katie Westwood & Laura Jarvie (Lectures in Early Years Education and Education Studies, University of Dundee):

Leading change: A playful approach to listening to children’s voices in the Additional Support Needs sector

This session explores how creative and play-based methods can be used to listen to the voices of children with additional support needs.  There is increasing recognition of child-centred approaches to listen to children’s voices and to enact Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC, 1989).  This increase is underpinned by theories proposing that the concept of ‘voice’ is multi-faceted and multi-layered, and that pedagogies to listen to children should align with developmentally appropriate methods, specifically play.

Drawing on a combination of an ethnographic and a participatory research approach, children located within the Additional Support Needs base of a primary school in Scotland were invited to become co-researchers, with a view to shaping change within their schools. Children decided how, when and where to share their views.  Individual communication preferences for the data collection phase were identified, and these included, for example, sand, drama, painting, percussion instruments and digital technology.  The children’s voices, captured and amplified through these arts-based methods, were subsequently used to inform meaningful change within their daily lives in school. Ethical considerations were carefully addressed throughout, using a Playful Research Ethics Framework (Burke & Jindal-Snape, 2023), recognising the particular needs of conducting research with vulnerable children.

In this PINA session, we will highlight the importance of children’s agency throughout the participatory research process. Alongside a presentation of findings, we will also hear reflections from the school’s Head Teacher, to consider the impact of this project on the school’s spaces, pedagogies and environment and to highlight how children’s voices have been used to shape change. More widely, it is hoped that this study will help to raise the profile of innovative research methods and their value when listening to and amplifying children’s voices.

Zoom-Zugangsdaten:

https://uni-potsdam.zoom-x.de/j/66305970599

Meeting-ID: 663 0597 0599
Code: 45376492

Recording of PINA session with Karsten Krauskopf

April 16, 2026 

The recording of the PINA lecture from April 15, 2026 („Identifying participation slots: Script structures of sleep and care situations in early childcare“ by Karsten Krauskopf) can be watched until July 31, 2026 by clicking the following link:

https://boxup.uni-potsdam.de/s/Nte2s2eqMZLmQC9
Password: PINAKolloquium150426

Dates PINA colloquia 2026

April 8, 2026 

The PINA team invites you to its lecture series 2026! The colloquia will take place online via Zoom from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm (CET). If you are interested, please ask our project coordinator, Marie-Therese Kuge, via the email-adress pina(at)fh-potsdam.de for the access link.

15.04.2026
Identifying participation slots: Script structures of sleep and care situations in early childcare
Prof. Dr. Karsten Krauskopf (Professor of Psychology in Social Work, University of Applied Sciences Potsdam)

13.05.2026
Leading change: A playful approach to listening to children’s voices in the Additional Support Needs sector
Dr. Lynsey Burke, Dr. Katie Westwood & Laura Jarvie (Lectures in Early Years Education and Education Studies, University of Dundee – Scotland)

17.06.2026
The Indexical Roots of Spatial Cognition
Prof. Dr. Johannes Haag (Professor of Theoretical Philosophy, University of Potsdam)

08.07.2026
The Nature of Spatiotemporal Perspectives
Prof. Dr. Susanna Schellenberg (Distinguished Professor of Philosophy and Cognitive Science, Rutgers University – USA)

18.11.2026
Early Mathematics Education – Challenges for the Training of Prospective Early Childhood Education Professionals
Prof. Dr. Hedwig Gasteiger (Institute of Mathematics, University of Osnabrück)

16.12.2026
Different Forms of Perspective-Taking in Children
Dr. Melissa Caldwell (Early Childhood Education, The Education University of Hong Kong – China) and Dr. Carrey Tik-Sze Siu (Faculty of Education, University of Canterbury – New Zealand)

13.01.2027
„There is no such thing as a baby without a mother…“  (D.W. Winnicott, 1960) – The Importance of “Early Relationships” for Early Intervention
Prof. Dr. Susanne Hommel (Professor of Psychoanalytic Intervention for Children, Adolescents, and Families, University of Applied Sciences Potsdam)

Recording of PINA session with Roberto Bottini

March 4, 2026 

The recording of the PINA lecture from March 4, 2026 („Knowledge Across Reference Frames: Adding Perspective to Cognitive Maps“ by Roberto Bottini) can be watched until June 30, 2026 by clicking the following link:

https://boxup.uni-potsdam.de/s/ekm2WfaKFNXZBEG
Password: PINAKolloquium04032026

Recording of PINA session with Chi-Chuan Chen

January 18, 2026 

The recording of the PINA lecture from January 14, 2026 („The emergence of exact equality understanding“ by Chi-Chuan Chen) can be watched until April 30, 2026 by clicking the following link:

https://boxup.uni-potsdam.de/s/g2RWNpNikqeRy72
Password: PINAKolloquium140126

Dates PINA colloquia 2025/26

April 7, 2025 

The PINA team cordially invites you to its lecture series 2025/26. The colloquia will take place online via Zoom or at the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm (CET).
If you are interested, please ask our project coordinator, Marie-Therese Kuge, via the email-adress pina(at)fh-potsdam.de for the access link.

30.04.2025 – Online
Immer noch auf der Suche nach Bildungsgerechtigkeit: Aktuelle Herausforderungen und Zukunftsperspektiven /
Still in Search of Educational Equality: Current Challenges and Future Prospects
Prof. Dr. Nadine Spörer (Universität Potsdam)

21.05.2025 – Online
Children’s metaphor comprehension: what develops?
Dr. Nausicaa Pouscoulous (University College London)

11.06.2025 – Online
Antisemitismus im Kontext von Kindertagesstätten und Grundschulen / Anti-Semitism in the context of daycare centers and elementary schools
Prof. Dr. Friederike Lorenz-Sinai (Fachhochschule Potsdam)

09.07.2025 – Online
Co-Creating a Passion for Learning in Early Years and Beyond
Dr. Katie Westwood & Dr. Sam Frankel (University of Dundee & charity-organization „Learning Allowed“)

22.10.2025 – Online
Die kinderpsychiatrische Klinik in der Villa Adlon – Einblicke in eine wechselvolle Geschichte des medizinischen Versorgungssystems der DDR. / The paediatric psychiatric clinic in the Villa Adlon – Insights into the chequered history of the GDR’s medical care system
Prof. Dr. Alexandra Schmidt-Wenzel (Fachhochschule Potsdam)

12.11.2025 – Online
Learning to think about oneself: From quasi-predicates to spatially grounded ‘I’-thoughts
Prof. Dr. Kristina Musholt (Universität Leipzig)

10.12.2025 – Online
Ist der Mensch das einzig rationale Tier? Eine Spurensuche bei Kindern und Schimpansen / Are humans the only rational animals? A search for clues in children and chimpanzees
Dr. Hanna Schleihauf (Utrecht University)

14.01.2026 – Online    
The emergence of exact equality understanding
Chi-Chuan Chen (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign)

04.03.2026 – University of Applied Sciences Potsdam (room 024, house 5)  
Knowledge Across Reference Frames: Adding Perspective to Cognitive Maps
Prof. Dr. Roberto Bottini (Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento – Italy)

Publication of the website bildungsplan-brandenburg.de: Free training courses and materials on the Bildungsplan

February 20, 2025

The website bildungsplan-brandenburg.de provides free materials and offers a wide range of free training courses on the “Bildungsplan – Erweiterte Grundsätze elementarer Bildung in Kindertageseinrichtungen im Land Brandenburg”. You can register, manage your own profile and sign up for various free face-to-face or online training courses on the Bildungsplan.

Brandenburg’s education plan comes into force

August 2, 2024 

With the publication of the new education plan “The extended principles of elementary education” by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MBJS), Brandenburg is sending a strong signal in favour of child-oriented and scientifically based early childhood education. The education plan was developed under the scientific direction of Prof. Dr Frauke Hildebrandt, professor at the Department of Social and Educational Sciences at the Potsdam University of Applied Sciences, and finalised after an intensive consultation process with daycare stakeholders in Brandenburg.

Further information on the new education plan for Brandenburg can be found at: Kita-Bildungsplan | Ministerium für Bildung, Jugend und Sport (MBJS) – Fachportal (brandenburg.de)

You can find the complete education plan here: Bildungsplan – Erweiterte Grundsätze elementarer Bildung in Einrichtungen der Kindertagesbetreuung im Land Brandenburg.

Participate in the study: “Social Gestures” – The importance of tact gestures for social preference and learning in infancy and early childhood in France and Germany

This study is currently being carried out in our working group for the DFG research project SocialGestures. We are currently looking for children between the ages of 4 and 6. The child does not have to speak German as a native language, but should be able to understand German. The study takes about 30 minutes for the child, including breaks, and takes place in the PINA laboratory. Afterwards there is a small gift as a thank you.

We are also looking for adults as participants (native German speakers between the ages of 18 and 30; teachers, educators, actors, people with dyspraxia and dyslexia are excluded).

If you are interested, please contact Stephan Engler via stephan.engler@fh-potsdam.de, who will then send you the study information and arrange individual appointments. We would be very grateful for your support!

Publication EDIT-Team and wamiki: Training series in Prezi-format
Save the Date: Scientific conference “Ensuring children’s rights in daycare centers” on 19.10.2023

July 10, 2023

Scientific conference on 19.10.2023 at the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam in cooperation with the Institute for Further Education, Research and Development (IFFE e.V.) and the German League for the Child

Today, more and more young children spend a lot of time in day care centers: The proportion of two-year-olds has doubled in the last 15 years, and the proportion of one-year-olds has even tripled. Children do not have to meet any linguistic, cognitive, or other prerequisites for their rights to promotion, participation, and protection to be guaranteed in day care. It is the responsibility of pedagogical actors to respect children’s rights, to adapt to children’s developmental needs and to ensure their well-being.

At the conference, findings from empirical research on the design of everyday situations in daycare centers will be compiled. In the light of children’s rights, pedagogical action will be analyzed and discussed in the context of findings on attachment and relationship: What is imperative to design everyday situations in a child-friendly way? In which situations and under which conditions do impairments of the child’s well-being occur? How can they be avoided in daycare centers and how can daycare centers be supported in this?
We cordially invite you to discuss these important questions.

Among the participating scientists are Prof. Dr. Lieselotte Ahnert, Prof. Dr. Fabienne Becker-Stoll, Prof. Dr. Astrid Boll, Prof. Dr. Dorothee Gutknecht, Prof. Dr. Frauke Hildebrandt, Prof. Dr. Karsten Krauskopf, Prof. Dr. Jörg Maywald, Prof. Dr. Iris Nentwig-Gesemann, Bianka Pergande, Prof. Dr. Regina Remsperger-Kehm, Prof. Dr. Susanne Viernickel, Prof. Dr. Catherine Walter-Laager, Prof. Dr. Dörte Weltzien.

Please register via our registration form on the homepage: https://www.familienzentrum-potsdam.de/tagung-kinderrechte-in-krippen-gewaehrleisten/anmeldung.html.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us via our e-mail: kinderrechte-krippe@fh-potsdam.de.

Flyer

Publication on the symposium “10 Years of Researchers’ World Blossin”: Thinking with Children – Designing Stimulating Interactions

January 30, 2023

On the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the “Forscherwelt Blossin”, a place in the state of Brandenburg where practice, teaching and research are combined in an exemplary way, a symposium on the topic “Thinking with children – designing stimulating interactions” took place at the end of September 2022. Prof. Dr. Kristina Musholt and Prof. Dr. Gerd Schäfer gave introductory lectures and then participated in a discussion round chaired by Prof. Dr. Frauke Hildebrandt. The transcript of the lectures and the discussion can be found here.

PINA supports the call “Day care centres must protect children’s rights!”

December 22, 2022

In recent days, several reports on the subject of misconduct and violence in day-care centres have been in the media. Daycare centres are good for children if the daycare centres are good. Unfortunately, however, borderline violations are also part of children’s everyday daycare life. We stand in solidarity with the children. We feel obliged to seize the moment of public attention. We stand up for the protection of children’s rights. At the same time, it is our concern to strengthen daycare centres and educational professionals.

To read the full appeal, download the PDF here.

On openPetition you can sign the call and forward it to friends.

Current reporting includes the following links:

  1. BR24 article 14/12/2022: Gewalt in Kitas: Zahl der Meldungen steigt stark an | BR24
  2. tagesschau.de article 14/12/2022: Umfrage bei Aufsichtsbehörden: Mehr Verdachtsfälle auf Gewalt in Kitas |
  3. Spiegel‑online article vom 14/12/20222: Verdacht auf Gewalt in Kitas: Alleingelassen, bloßgestellt, zum Essen gezwungen – DER SPIEGEL
  4. Drawn video on social media: https://www.facebook.com/BR24/videos/1205094673549770
  5. BR24 article 15/12/2022: Nach Kita-Recherchen: Emotionale Debatte im bayerischen Landtag | BR24
  6. Interview Spiegel Online 20/12/2022: Probleme in Kitas: »Gewaltfreie Erziehung ist ein unerreichbares Ideal«, sagt Forscher Jörg Maywald – DER SPIEGEL
  7. BR article 20/12/2022: Nach Kita-Recherchen: Bundesweiter Appell für Kinderschutz | BR24
  8. Welt article 22/01/2023 Gewalt in Kitas: Wenn Erzieher die Rechte der Kinder verletzen – WELT
  9. Report on violence in day care centers WDR broadcast “Markt” 25/01/2023 Markt vom 25.01.2023 WDR
  10. Report on child welfare in daycare centers and interview with Katrin Macha in the RBB evening program Brandenburg Aktuell Kindeswohl in Kitas – Jugendministerin Ernst verspricht Verbesserung | rbb (rbb-online.de)
  11. Article on child welfare risks in daycare centers and nurseries “Man muss sich klar machen, dass es einem selbst auch passieren kann” | rbb24