Towards a new Pedagogy in the after-school setting

The voluntary after-school setting is a significant part of the educational system in Sweden and includes about 80% of the children from 6- to 9-years-old. The national curriculum stipulates that the setting should not carry on teaching, but provide a stimulating and safe environment and offer activities that support the development of values, communicative and social skills. The aim of this article is to challenge this polar understanding of knowledge and discuss after-school pedagogy from a 'nomadic' and democratic perspective, based on observations of how children receive, handle and develop activities in the after-school setting. The results present an alternative understanding of learning and knowledge and show that children's activities unfold and open for new ways to assemble and handle a situation, although not articulated and understood as learning by the pedagogues. The staff's supervising and fostering activities can interrupt the children's flow and becomings, but in some cases also be supportive. This implicates a pedagogy in the after-school setting that builds on children's play, intensity and the joy of exploring the possibilities of a situation.