The Role of the Teacher in Early Childhood Education from a Winnicottian Perspective

Abstract

This article discusses the contributions of Winnicottian theory to understanding the role of the teacher in Early Childhood Education, with a focus on the concepts of holding, handling, and object presentation. Transposed into the educational field, these concepts highlight the teacher as the one who welcomes, cares for, and mediates the child’s relationship with culture. From the psychoanalytic perspective, which does not present itself as a prescriptive pedagogical model but as a reflective field on the impasses and possibilities of education, the article emphasizes the importance of the child’s subjectivity and the teacher’s position in building meaningful educational experiences. The research, qualitative in nature, adopted the methodology of narrative review and explores academic productions addressing the relationship between psychoanalysis and education. As a theoretical-reflective study, it seeks to provide insights into the constitution of an educational environment capable of sustaining practices that integrate care and learning. It is argued that Winnicott’s theory, still incipient in theBrazilian pedagogical field, can enrich practices in Early Childhood Education institutions, especially those dedicated to the care and education of infants.