Concluding Discussion
During the project, different patterns of variation were used when trying to develop the teaching practice. Based
on the test interviews, the children’s learning appeared to improve over the three cycles. This result is in line
with those of previous ECE LS projects demonstrating that variation theory challenges the view of learning as
something that occurs more or less on the fly and affords a tool for directing children’s attention and curiosity in
a shared direction.
Previous LS projects (e.g., Ljung-Djärf et al., 2014) as well as other projects (e.g., Thulin, 2011; Thulin &
Pramling, 2009) have questioned the combination of play and anthropomorphic speech and learning, suggesting
that play or a playful approach can even obscure the object of learning. In contrast, the presented LS displayed a
good ability to combine a playful framing with a variation theory perspective in order to stimulate children’s
understanding of why shadows occur. The children’s ability to “flicker” (Fleer, 2013) between real and imaginary
worlds was evident during the three interventions. Unlike previous projects, such as those mentioned above,