This article uses a discursive lens to illuminate how writing and the writing child is constructed in different texts since the nineteenth century. The concept ‘image’ is used as an analytical tool to gain perspective on dominant ideas about children as writers and their educational writing practices. These images are produced in educational practices, theories of writing, societal conceptions and didactic models, which together are referred to as a formation. The article ends by reflecting upon what consequences may be seen if taking a critical child perspective. The article provides an analysis against which writing teachers, teacher educators and researchers can gain a perspective on dominant ideas about young writers and their educational writing practices.

I denna studie analyserar vi hur erfarna förskollärare i rollen som handledare introducerar förskollärarstudenter i professionen. Studien genomförs mot bakgrund av ett delvis nytt uppdrag som förskolan fått under senare år, som bland annat yttrar sig i att förskolan nu är en del av utbildningssystemet. Med utgångspunkt i det teoretiska begreppet argumentationstraditioner och genom att analysera metaforiken i deltagarnas resonerande, studeras hur erfarna och blivande förskollärare navigerar spänningar centrala för professionen. Deltagarnas betoning av vissa argumentationstraditioner och användningen av viss metaforik diskuteras i termer av vad de implicerar för utvecklingen av de barn som deltar i en förskoleverksamhet som formas av dessa.

The aim of this article is to describe and analyze how preschool teacher’s ways to communicate with the youngest children in preschool contributes to conditions for children's learning. Data has been gathered from four Swedish preschools where observations were conducted to study teachers' communication with 1-3 year old children. The results of the study showed qualitative differences in teachers’ communication about a content. One conclusion is that a broad repertoire of ways to communicate seems to favor conditions for children as actors to jointly expand the content in focus. Another conclusion is that the repertoire of children's actions and expressions made possible appears to be related to qualitative differences in teachers’ communication.