Reconceptualizing Early Childhood Care and Education is a foundational text, which presents contemporary theories and debates about early education and child care in many nations. The authors selected are leading contributors in discussions about critical early childhood studies over the past twenty years; the editors are long-time scholars in the reconceptualizing early childhood movement. Audiences include students in graduate courses focused on early childhood and primary education, critical cultural studies of childhood, critical curriculum studies and critical theories that have been contested and debated and drawn from over the course of two decades. The book is filled with recent scholarship by leading authors in the reconceptualization and rethinking of childhood studies and early childhood fields, who discuss foundational debates, new imaginaries in theory and practice and activist scholarship. A must-read for graduate students and professionals interested in beginning or continuing critical interrogations of current early childhood policy and reforms globally.

A Co-Publication of Routledge and NAEYC Technology and Digital Media in the Early Years offers early childhood teacher educators, professional development providers, and early childhood educators in pre-service, in-service, and continuing education settings a thought-provoking guide to effective, appropriate, and intentional use of technology with young children. This book provides strategies, theoretical frameworks, links to research evidence, descriptions of best practice, and resources to develop essential digital literacy knowledge, skills and experiences for early childhood educators in the digital age. Technology and Digital Media in the Early Years puts educators right at the intersections of child development, early learning, developmentally appropriate practice, early childhood teaching practices, children's media research, teacher education, and professional development practices. The book is based on current research, promising programs and practices, and a set of best practices for teaching with technology in early childhood education that are based on the NAEYC/FRC Position Statement on Technology and Interactive Media and the Fred Rogers Center Framework for Quality in Children's Digital Media. Pedagogical principles, classroom practices, and teaching strategies are presented in a practical, straightforward way informed by child development theory, developmentally appropriate practice, and research on effective, appropriate, and intentional use of technology in early childhood settings. A companion website (http://teccenter.erikson.edu/tech-in-the-early-years/) provides additional resources and links to further illustrate principles and best practices for teaching and learning in the digital age.

This popular text articulates a powerful theory of critical literacy in all its complexity. Critical literacy practices encourage students to use language to question the everyday world, interrogate the relationship between language and power, analyze popular culture and media, understand how power relationships are socially constructed, and consider actions that can be taken to promote social justice. By providing both a model for critical literacy instruction and many examples of how critical practices can be enacted in daily school life in elementary and middle school classrooms, "Creating Critical Classrooms" meets a huge need for a practical, theoretically based text on this topic.

Pedagogical features in each chapter

Teacher-researcher Vignette

Theories that Inform Practice

Critical Literacy Chart

Thought Piece

Invitations for Disruption

Lingering Questions

New in the Second Edition

End-of-chapter "Voices from the Field"

More upper elementary-grade examples

New text sets drawn from "Classroom Resources"

Streamlined, restructured, revised, and updated throughout

Expanded Companion Website now includes annotated Classroom Resources; Text Sets; Resources by Chapter; Invitations for Students; Literacy Strategies; Additional Resources "

From the best-selling author and illustrator team behind The Dinosaur Department Store, this charming picture book about overcoming fears, discovering your talent and the wonderful power of friendship will appeal to dino-loving children everywhere. Eliza Jane lives in a town where dinosaurs and humans live happily side-by-side - raptors run restaurants, Troodons are teachers and you can even pay a visit to see a dinosaur dentist. Every dinosaur has a job to do, apart from one shy dino called Parry who always feels like he's getting in the way. Eliza Jane is determined to help him find his groove but everything poor Parry tries seems to end in disaster. Then, one night, Eliza Jane discovers that Parry has a very special hidden talent and a star is born ...

Quoting an abolitionist preacher, Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "The moral arc of the universe is long, but it bends toward justice". This is true, but the moral arc doesn't bend on its own. We must lean into the task. Making Room for One Another is the story of how one kindergarten teacher did just that. This critical ethnography lies at the intersection of democratic, transformative pedagogy and differences that impact an urban kindergarten. Drawing largely on discourse analysis, the book explores the interplay between Zeke, the classroom teacher, and his students. The participation, resistance, and discourse patterns of one particular student exemplify the complex nature of social systems in general and emancipatory pedagogy in particular. All educators recognize their responsibility to hone students' cognitive abilities, to teach students to read and to write and to reason. Making Room for One Another is written for educators who dare ask themselves the question, "Read and write and reason about what? To what end must students read and write and reason?"

Doing Children s Geographies provides a useful resource for all those embarking on research with young people. Drawing on reflections from original cutting-edge research undertaken across three continents, the book focuses on the challenges researchers face when working with children, youth and their families. The book is divided into three sections. The first section provides alternatives to some of the difficulties researchers face and highlights methodological innovations as geographers uncover new and exciting ways of working. The second part specifically addresses the issues surrounding children and youth s participation providing critiques of current practice and offering alternatives for increasing young people s involvement in research design. Finally, the book broadens to a consideration of wider areas of concern for those working with children and youth. This section discusses the nature of childhood in relation to research, the place of emotions in research with young people and the process of undertaking applied research.

This book was previously published as a special issue of Children's Geographies"

Many pre-service and beginning early childhood teachers question if critical literacy is do-able with young children, particularly in the current top-down educational climate. "Critical Literacies and Young Learners" shows how it is possible, even in the context of the mandates and pressures so many teachers experience, and honors the sophisticated and complex social theorists that young children are. Featuring a mix of groundbreaking work by iconic researchers and teachers and original contributions by emerging scholars and educators in the field, the text illustrates a range of approaches to doing critical literacy with young children and, at the same time, addresses the Common Core Standards.

Part I provides several orienting frameworks on critical literacy, giving specific attention to its relationship to the Common Core Standards. Part II features chapters describing critical literacy in practice, grouped in 4 thematic clusters: using texts from popular culture and everyday life; focusing on issues-oriented texts and cultural identity; functional linguistic analysis of texts; interdisciplinary that engage young learners in critical social action projects. Part III addresses the micro-political contexts of teaching critical literacy.

Jenny Mosley's quality circle time model involves establishing an on-going, timetabled process of circle-meetings for adults and children. As a basis for teaching relationship skills, enhancing self-esteem and building a positive behaviour management and anti-bullying policy, circle time will not only increase confidence and "emotional intelligence" in pupils, but should also contribute towards a positive whole-school ethos.

Fully updated in light of changes to the Early Years Foundation Stage, this highly practical book will explain how to put the principles for early years education into practice through well-structured and purposeful circle time lesson plans. Jenny Mosley, the UK's leading expert on circle time, provides accessible guidance on:

• incorporating the curriculum for personal, social and emotional development
• enabling children to understand universal moral skills
• developing young children's emotional intelligence
• helping children to practise problem-solving skills.

Each chapter in this book explains circle time in a 'why? what? how?' format, and includes tick-sheets, bullet-pointed pages and examples showing how the theory works in practice.

This is an invaluable and fun tool for developing young children's understanding of their feelings and relationships. "

We are all mindful of the increasing news coverage of outdoor play and its benefits, but how can you go beyond the sandpit and hopscotch to create a magical and creative experience for the children in your care?

This book provides all the encouragement you will need to set up and run an outdoor toddler group. It provides a step-by-step guide to selecting an appropriate site, resourcing the outside area, devising age-appropriate activities, planning activities and the legal requirements involved. Including an overview of the developmental milestones of babies and toddlers, it shows you how you can meet their specific needs.

Features include:

With a strong emphasis on providing fun learning activities throughout the year, this book will be essential reading for all those that want to provide high quality outdoor experiences for the youngest children in their care.

Quoting an abolitionist preacher, Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "The moral arc of the universe is long, but it bends toward justice". This is true, but the moral arc doesn't bend on its own. We must lean into the task. Making Room for One Another is the story of how one kindergarten teacher did just that. This critical ethnography lies at the intersection of democratic, transformative pedagogy and differences that impact an urban kindergarten. Drawing largely on discourse analysis, the book explores the interplay between Zeke, the classroom teacher, and his students. The participation, resistance, and discourse patterns of one particular student exemplify the complex nature of social systems in general and emancipatory pedagogy in particular. All educators recognize their responsibility to hone students' cognitive abilities, to teach students to read and to write and to reason. Making Room for One Another is written for educators who dare ask themselves the question, "Read and write and reason about what? To what end must students read and write and reason?"

The characteristics of effective learning - playing and exploring, active learning and creating and thinking critically - underpin young children's learning and development and are central to the revised Early Years Foundation Stage. Practitioners need to be confident of planning, observing and assessing characteristics of effective learners and understand how they support children's learning and development. The book explores what the characteristics of effective learning look like and how practitioners can create opportunities for children to express them. It considers the ways in which they connect with children's natural explorations, play, enjoyement and the environments created by adults. Throughout the focus is on building on children's own interests as practitioners plan for, observe and assess playing and exploring, active learning and creativity and critical thinking. Including encounters from authentic settings and provocative questions for reflective practice, the book covers: children's well-being and motivations creating effective learning possibilities for all children engaging children's interests the role of the adult and environment sustained shared thinking This timely new text aims to help practitioners and students develop their understanding of the charactersitics of effective learning and show them how they can support young children in become effective and motivated learners.

Review of the first edition: 'This book provides a very accessible approach to building a better understanding of young children and their development and will be an interesting and useful read for both experienced early years practitioners and for students who are just beginning to build their practical experience.' - Early Years Update This highly practical and fully updated new edition is full of case studies and helpful advice on how to enhance our understanding of very young children. Through working with many practitioners in different settings, Christine Macintyre offers down-to-earth strategies to enhance the learning of children in their care, and asks: What are the key influences in encouraging children to achieve their potential? Are the four aspects of children's development equally important and how do they interact? Does the play - based curriculum truly cater for children with a range of abilities and interests e.g. gifted and talented children and those who need extra support? What new ways are there of enhancing learning? How can we be sure that parents appreciate how we support their children in all aspects of their development? With examples and case-studies drawn from a variety of real-life nursery practices, these interesting and thought-provoking scenarios will help enhance and develop the practice of all students and early years teachers.

This easy-to-read series provides an introduction to some of the most important early years philosophies and shows how they can be incorporated into your setting. Each book provides:

• an outline of the background to the approach
• clear explanations of the relevance to contemporary thinking
• suggestions to help you plan a successful learning environment
• examples of what the individual approach can look like in practice.

These convenient guides are essential to early years practitioners, students and parents who wish to fully understand what each approach means to their setting and children.

How has Forest School helped to change attitudes about risk and challenge in the early years? What are the benefits of using this approach for children s development, health and overall wellbeing? "

Bringing the Forest School Approach to your Early Years Practice "provides an accessible introduction to Forest School practice. It identifies the key issues involved in setting up, running and managing a Forest school environment and offers clear guidance on resources, staffing and space required for successful play and learning outdoors.

Including links to the Early Years Foundation Stage and a wide range of case studies, the book covers:

• The beginnings of Forest School and how practice has developed
• Child centred play and learning that allows for risk taking and challenge
• Planning for children s individual needs, learning styles and schemas
• The learning environment
• The role of the adult including health and safety and children s welfare.

Full of practical advice, this convenient guide will help practitioners to deliver new, exciting and inspiring opportunities for the children they care for."

Recent scholarship on children s literature displays a wide variety of interests in classic and contemporary children s books. While environmental and ecological concerns have led to an interest in ecocriticism, as yet there is little on the significance of the ecological imagination and experience to both the authors and readers young and old of these texts. This edited collection brings together a set of original international research-based chapters to explore the role of children s literature in learning about environments and places, with a focus on how children s literature may inform and enrich our imagination, experiences and responses to environmental challenges and injustice. Contributions from Australia, Canada, USA and UK explore the diverse ways in which children s literature can provide what are arguably some of the first and possibly most formative engagements that some children might have with nature . Chapters examine classic and new storybooks, mythic tales, and image-based and/or written texts read at home, in school and in the field. Contributors focus on exploring how children s literature mediates and informs our imagination and understandings of diverse environments and places, and how it might open our eyes and lives to other presences, understandings and priorities through stories, their telling and re-telling, and their analysis.

This book was originally published as a special issue of Environmental Education Research."

Through a series of exquisite encounters with children, and through a lucid opening up of new aspects of poststructuralist theorizing, Bronwyn Davies opens up new ways of thinking about, and intra-acting with, children. This book carefully guides the reader through a wave of thought that turns the known into the unknown, and then slowly, carefully, makes new forms of thought comprehensible, opening, through all the senses, a deep understanding of our embeddedness in encounters with each other and with the material world. This book takes us into Reggio-Emilia-inspired Swedish preschools in Sweden, into the author's own community in Australia, into poignant memories of childhood, and offers the reader insights into: new ways of thinking about children and their communities; the act of listening as emergent and alive; ourselves as mobile and multiple subjects; the importance of remaining open to the not-yet-known. Defining research as diffractive, and as experimental, Davies' relationship to the teachers and pedagogues she worked with is one of co-experimentation. Her relationship with the children is one in which she explores the ways in which her own new thinking and being might emerge, even as old ways of thinking and being assert themselves and interfere with the unfolding of the new. She draws us into her ongoing experimentation, asking that we think hard, all the while delighting our senses with the poetry of her writing, and the stories of her encounters with children.

* New edition includes updates for cultural relevancy (non-white characters and names, less emphasis on gender roles). * Features full color illustrations. * Filled with critical thinking activities that teachers or parents can use with gifted pre-readers.

Providing an accessible introduction to attachment thinking, this practical book offers early years practitioners' advice on translating attachment principles into practice in their settings. It clearly explains how knowledge about attachment theory underpins everyday practice and highlights the crucial role of secure attachments in young children's learning and development. Developing Attachments in Early Years Settings examines the importance of emotional' 'holding' and the nurturing of individual relationships within group childcare. The book aims to help you make a real difference to young children's sense of self and emotional security by being 'tuned in', available, responsive and consistent. With a strong focus on facilitating secure attachments from the beginning and guidance on how to observe young children effectively, this new edition has been thoroughly updated and revised to include: How to make a positive contribution to good practice for Government funded 2 year olds A new chapter on the Emotional Environment and the Developing Brain Expansion of material on the importance of the outdoors, as well as Nurture group practice Additional material about working in partnership with parents and developing positive relationships Each chapter includes a personal reflection exercise and a positive contribution to good practice section. With its accessible approach, this book is essential reading for both practitioners and students looking for guidance on how to nurture secondary attachment relationships in group care settings.

I know there is something wrong, but what? How do I know if outside help for this child is needed? How do I tell parents that their child could have a learning difficulty? These are questions that most nursery workers will have to face during their careers, and questions which this new edition of Identifying Additional Learning Needs sets out to answer. Based on the experiences of real children and typical situations in early years settings, this book will be an invaluable companion for early years practitioners who care for and educate young children with additional learning needs. Attention Deficit Disorder, dyspraxia, dyslexia and autism are some of the difficulties explained in depth, with detailed suggestions to help support children with these special needs. Chapters in this fully revised new edition: explore the process of early identification; show how to make inclusion a reality in the nursery; tackle the complex issue of dealing with parents; discuss techniques for skilled and informed observation and assessment. Include developmental charts to allow a child's progress to be monitored and celebrated. Each chapter has an explanation section supported by a set of practical strategies to support both the child and the practitioner. Throughout this lively and informative book, Christine Macintyre uses case studies to highlight the importance of listening to young children and shows how making time for listening is vital to providing exactly the right level of help and support.

Published long before the importance of early childhood education was formally recognised in the educational landscape this book explores the significance of play for young children. The volume includes an appendix on Montessori education.

Beginning with descriptions of the ways in which children make sense of their experience and the world, such as fantasy, stories and games, Egan constructs his argument that constituting this foundational layer are sets of cultural sense-making capacities, reflected in oral cultures throughout the world. Egan sees education as the acquisition of these sets of sense-making capacities, available in our culture, and his goal is to conceptualize primary education in a way that over comes the dichotomy between progressivisim and traditionalism, attending both the needs of the individual child and the accumulation of knowledge.

From the moment a child is born, they interact with the sensory world, looking at colours, feeling textures; constructing mental and physical images of what they see and experience. Within all early years settings and into primary school, the aim for the practitioner, is to provide as many opportunities as possible to stimulate, excite and ignite the visual and tactile imagination of the young children they teach. Young Children as Artists considers how art can be managed, understood and relished as an essential ingredient towards the creative potential of each unique young child. The book focuses, on how to enjoy, celebrate and extend what a young child can do in art and show how engaged adults and the wider school community can become confident participants in the process of early years art making. Full of practical advice, on to how to design, develop, resource and extend art and design environments within the early years setting, the book covers: Developing skills for positive and participative adult interaction and engagement Understanding and analysing child involvement in art Planning for opportunities and responding to observation and schema in art and design Practical suggestions for activities and resources (inside and out) Ideas to explore sensory development and awareness Ways to manage and savour the art transition into KS1 Ways to encourage parental participation and understanding of the art process with their children Opportunities to engage with practising artists This book will help to invigorate the art experiences offered in your early years setting by considering what is accessible, individual, inspiring and meaningful for young children and how you can best support their formative paths of enquiry.

Spirituality is frequently avoided in the public school classroom in an attempt to prevent controversy. However, by ignoring, preventing, or discounting spirituality, educators can also inhibit children's spiritual development. Based on qualitative research and interactions with both children and adults, Jennifer Mata argues that educators should be responsible for addressing children's spirituality in the classroom and for re-introducing these topics into early childhood education. By surveying the existing literature on spirituality, Mata offers a working definition of spirituality as an essential characteristic of humanness, which helps connect individuals to themselves, others, and to the transcendent. The book portrays stories and descriptions of four kindergarten children in their classroom setting, exploring their different modes of expressing and experiencing spirituality. Finally, Spiritual Experiences in Early Childhood Education offers a review of pedagogical strategies to nurture spirituality, for both teachers to implement in the classroom and teacher educators to facilitate in teacher preparation programs.

This guidebook has been created to accompany the Grammar Tales story books, a collection of beautifully illustrated picture books designed to support grammar and language development in children. Including accessible activities and ideas to help children use grammar forms expressively, the guidebook discusses the specific grammatical form focused on in each story, and offers support in using the storybooks effectively. Photocopiable and downloadable handouts for parents and carers allow therapy work to continue beyond the therapy session. This guidebook is an essential accompaniment to the Grammar Tales storybooks for Speech and Language therapists working with children.

China has become an enthusiastic supporter of and contributor to UN peacekeeping. Is China s participation in peacekeeping likely to strengthen the current international peacekeeping regime by China s adopting of the international norms of peacekeeping? Or, on the contrary, is it likely to alter the peacekeeping norms in a way that aligns with its own worldview? And, as China s international confidence grows, will it begin to consider peacekeeping a smaller and lesser part of its international security activity, and thus not care so much about it?

This book aims to address these questions by examining how the PRC has developed its peacekeeping policy and practices in relation to its international status. It does so by bringing in both historical and conceptual analyses and specific case-oriented discussions of China s peacekeeping over the past twenty years. The book identifies the various challenges that China has faced at political, conceptual and operational levels and the ways in which the country has dealt with those challenges, and considers the implication of such challenges with regards to the future of international peacekeeping.

This book was originally published as a special issue of International Peacekeeping.

How a staff team works together and how effective and cohesive they are impacts significantly on the children that they care for as well as having implications for the general early years practice and the success of the business of the setting. Drawing together theory and practice this book provides comprehensive guidance on recruiting, supervising and leading an early years team in line with the most recent national guidance. Focusing on all aspects of leading and supporting a team, the book aims to inspire managers and increase their confidence. It looks at the day-to-day demands of running a setting and the reflective thinking that is needed to establish a vision for a team. The authors consider the skills needed to lead and support a team and offers practical guidance on: recruitment, induction, ongoing staff training and supervision disciplinary processes including handling difficult conversations, refocusing a team after a critical incident staff relationships with parents and other professionals involving the team in problem solving and implementing change engaging with the community how to get support for yourself as a manager This book will be invaluable support for both new and experienced managers wanting to establish a cohesive and dynamic staff team and provide outstanding childcare provision.