Early Childhood Curriculum by
Through its unique integration of curriculum and learning principles, Early Childhood Curriculum: A Constructivist Perspective, 2nd Edition fosters authentic, developmentally appropriate practice for both preschool and early elementary classrooms. The constructivist format of this book encourages active involvement on the part of readers by asking them to observe, question, reflect, research, and analyze, thus allowing readers to create their own knowledge through their responses and actions. Early Childhood Curriculum examines curricular goals such as autonomy, development, and problem solving and links those goals with constructivist principles of learning. It explores ways teachers can create meaningful learning environments and choose curriculum tasks appropriately--in all content areas--that are linked to the learning and development needs of young children. The text provides a wealth of practical detail about implementing constructivist curriculum as the authors discuss classroom climate and management, room design, play, and cooperative learning, among other topics. The book also includes information about how teachers can meet required mandates and national and state standards in appropriate ways as they plan their curriculum, and examines the early childhood educator's role with community agencies, reform and legal mandates, and public relations. Special Features: * "Curriculum Strategies" highlight models for developing curriculum, including projects, curricular alignment, integration of various subject matter areas, and types of knowledge. * "Constructions" promote problem solving by allowing students to explore, revisit, examine, and learn from first-hand experience. * "Multiple Perspectives from the Field" provide interviews with teachers and other early childhood professionals, offering students a realistic look at the profession from a diverse group of educators. * "Teacher Dialogues" explore a wide range of student concerns, including curriculum, learning environments, assessment, and documentation, representing a collaborative support group for pre-service teachers and readers.
Special Needs in the Early Years by
This highly popular and accessible text contains a wealth of information about how early years staff can work effectively with professionals and parents to help identify and meet a range of special educational needs. This book aims to explore the most effective ways of supporting the child and implementing that support across the child s day to day life. Now in its third edition" Special Needs in the Early Years" is fully updated to reflect current policy, and topics covered include: Early identification Effective communication with parents and carers An exploration of the legal context How to implement joint planning for identified needs A consideration of the issues affecting collaboration With case-studies, checklists, suggestions for good practice and cartoons to illustrate and enrich the text throughout, this book is structured to be easily accessible and invaluable for those who are in training to work in the early years sector. It will also be of interest to students on foundation and undergraduate students on Early Childhood Education and childcare courses as well as more experienced practitioners."
The Boy Who Would Be a Helicopter by
How does a teacher begin to appreciate and tap the rich creative resources of the fantasy world of children? What social functions do story playing and storytelling serve in the preschool classroom? And how can the child who is trapped in private fantasies be brought into the richly imaginative social play that surrounds him?The Boy Who Would Be a Helicopter focuses on the challenge posed by the isolated child to teachers and classmates alike in the unique community of the classroom. It is the dramatic story of Jason-the loner and outsider-and of his ultimate triumph and homecoming into the society of his classmates. As we follow Jason's struggle, we see that the classroom is indeed the crucible within which the young discover themselves and learn to confront new problems in their daily experience.Vivian Paley recreates the stage upon which children emerge as natural and ingenious storytellers. She supplements these real-life vignettes with brilliant insights into the teaching process, offering detailed discussions about control, authority, and the misuse of punishment in the preschool classroom. She shows a more effective and natural dynamic of limit-setting that emerges in the control children exert over their own fantasies. And here for the first time the author introduces a triumvirate of teachers (Paley herself and two apprentices) who reflect on the meaning of events unfolding before them.
Mathematics in Early Years Education by
This third edition of the best-selling Mathematics in Nursery Education provides an accessible introduction to the teaching of mathematics in the early years. Covering all areas of mathematics learning - number and counting, calculation, pattern, shape, measures and data handling - it summarises the research findings and underlying key concepts and explains how adults can help children to learn through practical experiences, discussion and more direct intervention. This new edition has been fully updated to incorporate the latest research and thinking in this area and includes: why mathematics is important as a way of making sense of the world how attitudes to mathematics can influence teaching and learning how children learn mathematics new material on sorting, matching and handling data ideas for observation and questioning to assess children's understanding examples of planned activities suggestions for language development assessment criteria. This textbook is ideal for those training to be teachers through an undergraduate or PGCE route, those training for Early Years Professional Status and those studying early childhood on foundation or honours degrees as well as parents looking to explore how their young children learn mathematics. This will be an essential text for any Early Years practitioner looking to make mathematics interesting, exciting and engaging in their classroom.
Introducing Piaget by
Jean Piaget was one of the most significant contributors to our current understanding of how children think and learn, from birth through to adolescence. In this comprehensive and accessible new book, Ann Marie Halpenny and Jan Pettersen capture the key concepts and principles of Piaget's fascinating work on children's thinking, and explore how thinking evolves and develops from infancy through the early years and beyond. Areas covered in Introducing Piaget include: key milestones and achievements in children's thinking; understanding the physical world through senses and movement in infancy; supporting the emergence of symbolic thought and language in the early years; understanding object permanence; implications of egocentric thinking in early childhood learning and development. Throughout the book, the consequences of these developments for children's social, emotional and intellectual development are discussed. Updates on Piaget's theory are also outlined with reference to more recent work on cognitive development in childhood. Each chapter provides a concise summary of material presented through a consideration of the implications for practice in working with children. A glossary of key Piagetian terms is also included. With a particular focus on how Piaget's principles and concepts can be applied to children in early childhood, this exciting new book is an invaluable resource for teachers, practitioners and students with an interest in learning and development in the early years.
The Classrooms All Young Children Need by
Teacher and author Vivian Paley is highly regarded by parents, educators, and other professionals for her original insights into such seemingly everyday issues as play, story, gender, and how young children think. In The Classrooms All Young Children Need, Patricia M. Cooper takes a synoptic view of Paley's many books and articles, charting the evolution of Paley's thinking while revealing the seminal characteristics of her teaching philosophy. This careful analysis leads Cooper to identify a pedagogical model organized around two complementary principles: a curriculum that promotes play and imagination, and the idea of classrooms as fair places where young children of every color, ability, and disposition are welcome. With timely attention paid to debates about the reduction in time for play in the early childhood classroom, the role of race in education, and No Child Left Behind, The Classrooms All Young Children Need will be embraced by anyone tasked with teaching our youngest pupils.
Picture Books for Children by
Providing descriptive annotations of the best children's picture books published in the last decade, this comprehensive overview is perfect for librarians, teachers, parents, daycare providers, and anyone who works with young children. It is both an excellent tool for collection development and an abundant resource for planning storytimes and other children's programming. With selections based on proven appeal and quality, Northrup's survey features An introductory essay on the nature of the picture book, and an explanation of the evaluation criteria Bibliographic information on each picture book, including author, illustrator, publisher, date, and age recommendation A thorough index for quick reference and an appendix of additional suggested resourcesPacked with ardent and insightful recommendations, this book makes it a snap to select and use just the right picture books.
Picturing the World by
Enrich your library collection with outstanding informational books that children really want to read. This annotated resource by veteran children's book reviewer Isaacs surveys the best nonfiction/informational titles for ages 3 through 10, helping librarians make informed collection development and purchasing decisions. With information on 250 books, this volumeFeatures an introductory chapter which takes a close look at what makes a successful informational picture bookProvides thoughtful descriptions for each title, including complete bibliographic information, age-level guidance, and notes on book awards wonWorks as curriculum support as well as a tool for elementary RA, with easy-to-use topical organization and a separate subject indexPicturing the World is an invaluable aid to librarians and educators in their ongoing search for high quality informational children's books.