Administrators as Heterotopia Architects: Supporting Expansive Possibilities of Inclusive Early Childhood Education

Overview & Synopsis

Heterotopias are complex spaces characterized by the collision of the real (i.e., physical realm--who and what materials are present) and unreal (i.e., abstract realm--socially created meanings and understandings of the "real"; Foucault, 1986; Topinka, 2010). The early childhood classroom is a heterotopia in that it is a knowledge production site where children, teachers, and their materials are physically there, but so are socially created (abstract, often unnamed) understandings about developmental norms, difference, instructional practice, and the function of the classroom space (Knight, 2009). The purpose of this article is to help early childhood administrators bring together the physical and abstract aspects of the early childhood classroom heterotopia to support high-quality inclusive early childhood education. It begins by discussing the shortcomings of an administrative focus on children's physical placement into classrooms when supporting inclusive education. Then, a more expansive definition of inclusive education is presented to identify the purposes and focus of inclusive early childhood education (the abstract realm). Finally, physical contextual features that influence inclusive education are discussed to demonstrate how administrators can support expansive inclusive education across multiple early childhood contexts.