Learning democracy in early education: aesthetic and embodied pedagogies in teachers’ professional learning

This article examines how aesthetic and embodied pedagogies support teachers' professional learning for democratic practice in early childhood and primary education. Drawing on a Participatory Action Research (PAR) design within the Aesthetic and Embodied Learning for Democracy (AELD) strand of the AECED project, the study analyses four cases developed in Portugal and Croatia. The Portuguese cases involved a 50-hour online professional learning course structured around PAR phases, while the Croatian cases consisted of face-to-face workshops using storytelling, drama, movement and reflective dialogue. Data were generated through reflective writings, forum contributions, visual documentation and observational records. Thematic and interpretive cross-case analysis showed that aesthetic and embodied pedagogies supported teachers in developing greater sensitivity to children's perspectives, stronger awareness of participation as a relational and ethical practice and greater willingness to co-construct pedagogical decisions. Findings suggest that professional learning can function as a democratic inquiry shaped by relational and institutional conditions. The article contributes to democratic education scholarship by foregrounding teacher professional learning as a key site where democracy is enacted and interpreted.