This book uses the example of a partnership journey between universities, schools, the local health industry as well as a number of government organisations which worked to ensure the growth of physical education in primary education. The initiative employed the United Nations (UN) ideals as a model and contextualised them within local schools and communities. What began as a pathway seed quickly grew to involve multi-stakeholder partnerships and therefore explores how the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) may be implemented at a grass roots level.

Interpreting the voices of under three year olds is central to early childhood education. Yet entering into their life-worlds is fraught with challenges and unrealised possibilities. This ground-breaking book generates a dialogue about the multiple ways researchers have exploited a range of methods for approaching, accessing, understanding and interpreting infant voice. Each chapter explores the kinds of ethical considerations and dilemmas that may arise in this process. The book itself represents a chorus of international voices (researchers, children, teachers and parents), all adding to a discussion about various circumstances, dilemmas and possibilities involved in doing research with our youngest. This book is an essential read for researchers and teachers alike who seek to 'listen' and 'see' very young children with fresh ears and eyes.

This Encyclopedia is a reference work about young children in the USA, designed for use by policy makers, community planners, parents of young children, teacher and early childhood educators, programme and school administrators, among others. The field of early childhood education has been affected by changes taking place in the nation's economy, demographics, schools, communities and families that influence political and professional decisions. These diverse historical, political economic, socio-cultural, intellectual and educational influences on early childhood education have hindered the development of a clear definition of the field. The Encyclopedia provides an opportunity to define the field against the background of these influences and relates the field of early childhood education to its diverse contexts and to the cultural and technological resources currently affecting it.

This book is the outcome of a joint collaboration between East China Normal University and the University of Luxembourg, initiated by the Center of Ideas for the Basic Education of the Future (IBEF), and focuses on kindergartens in China from a cultural psychology perspective. By coupling young scholars from diverse cultural backgrounds as research tandems, this book uses an innovative methodological method to reveal a deeply immersing research perspective of the often complicated issues in the Chinese social reality, where long historical tradition and strong motivation for a "modernized" future are fused together and continuously evolve itself into a vibrant and intricate landscape. Meanings and values consciously or unconsciously promoted and conducted in the kindergarten are semiotic devices and they mediate children's and educator's daily behaviours and activities, which are constantly navigating among different social institutions and crossing the border of kindergarten. The book discusses the process of children's socialization in the kindergarten from different angles such as cultural objects, moral education, conflict negotiation, children's drawing analysis and the role of Lego in numeracy development. It also provides an overview of basic educational needs in Chinese kindergartens as well as three commentaries to provide background information and to add a reflective angle for the readers. By reading the book, readers will hopefully go through a constantly transforming process between familiarizing and de-familiarizing along with the research tandem and develop their own understanding of the complex landscape of the Chinese kindergarten and its children as developing subjects constantly living and transcending the context.

Children's learning and understanding of science during their pre-school years has been a neglected topic in the education literature-something this volume aims to redress. Paradigmatic notions of science education, with their focus on biologically governed development and age-specific accession to scientific concepts, have perpetuated this state of affairs. This book offers a very different perspective, however. It has its roots in the work of cultural-historical activity theorists, who, since Vygotsky, have assumed that any higher cognitive function existed in and as a social relation first. Accepting this precept removes any lower limit we may deem appropriate on children's cognitive engagement with science-related concepts.

The authors describe and analyze the ways in which children aged from one to five grapple with scientific concepts, and also suggest ways in which pre-service and in-service teachers can be prepared to teach in ways that support children's development in cultural and historical contexts. In doing so, the book affirms the value of cultural-historical activity theory as an appropriate framework for analyzing preschool children's participation in science learning experiences, and shows that that the theory provides an appropriate framework for understanding learning, as well as for planning and conducting training for pre-school teachers.

This edited book promotes thinking, dialogue, research and theorisation on multiple ways of making connections in mathematics teaching and learning in early childhood education. The book addresses some key challenges in research, policy and practice in early childhood mathematics education. It examines diverse ways for learning experiences to connect young children to mathematics, and the importance of forging connections between mathematics and young children's lives as key elements in their engagement with mathematics. Each chapter provides research or theoretical provocations and pedagogical implications for connecting children's lived experiences and ways of learning in mathematics teaching. The chapters are drawn from a range of international authors who raise important ideas within the overall context of current research and consider the theoretical and practical implications of their research. As such, the book advances current thinking on mathematics teaching and learning for children in the early years from birth to eight years with an emphasis on children aged birth to 5 years. It considers the purpose and value in connecting mathematics teaching and learning to children's lives, and provides provocations for both educators and researchers on the many under-researched and under-represented aspects of early years mathematics teaching and learning.

This book traces the early history of the Montessori movement in the United States through the lives and careers of four key American women: Anne George, Margaret Naumburg, Helen Parkhurst, and Adelia Pyle. Caught up in the Montessori craze sweeping the United States in the Progressive era, each played a significant role in the initial transference of Montessori education to America and its implementation from 1910 to 1920. Despite the continuing international recognition of Maria Montessori and the presence of Montessori schools world-wide, Montessori receives only cursory mention in the history of education, especially by recognized historians in the field and in courses in professional education and teacher preparation. The authors, in seeking to fill this historical void, integrate institutional history with analysis of the interplay and tensions between these four women to tell this educational story in an interesting-and often dramatic-way.

This book provides new theoretical insights to our understanding of play as a cultural activity. All chapters address play and playful activities from a cultural-historical theoretical approach by re-addressing central claims and concepts in the theory and providing new models and understandings of the phenomenon of play within the framework of cultural historical theory. Empirical studies cover a wide range of institutional settings: preschool, school, home, leisure time, and in various social relations (with peers, professionals and parents) in different parts of the world (Europe, Australia, SouthAmericaand NorthAmerica). Common to all chapters is a goal of throwing new light on the phenomenon of playing within a theoretical framework of cultural-historical theory. Play as a cultural, collective, social, personal, pedagogical and contextual activity is addressed with reference to central concepts in relation to development and learning. Concepts and phenomena related to ZPD, the imaginary situation, rules, language play, collective imagining, spheres of realities of play, virtual realities, social identity and pedagogical environments are presented and discussed in order to bring the cultural-historical theoretical approach into play with contemporary historical issues. Essential as a must read to any scholar and student engaged with understanding play in relation to human development, cultural historical theory and early childhood education.

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This unique book brings together international scholars from around the globe to examine how different feminist theories are being used in early childhood research, policy and pedagogy. The array of feminist discourses captured by the authors offer contextualised possibilities for disrupting dominant patriarchal beliefs and producing change. The authors address and challenge how early childhood experiences, institutions and practices produce gendered effects across and within diverse contexts and demonstrate how feminism(s) in action can be used to reconceptualise research methods, government policy, children's learning, teaching practice and educational resources. In this way, the book contributes to creating new knowledge connections and community alliances in the global effort to end gender-based inequalities across local and global communities.

This book moves beyond the traditional constructivist and social-constructivist view of learning and development in science. It draws upon cultural-historical theory in order to theorise early childhood science education in relation to our currently globalised education contexts. The book argues that concept development in science for young children can be better theorised by using Vygotsky's concept of Imagination and creativity, Vygotsky's theory of play, and his work on higher mental functions, particularly the concept of inter and intrapsychological functioning. Key concepts are extracted from the theoretical section of the book and used as categories for analysis in presenting evidence and new ideas in the second section of the book. In this second part of the book, the authors examine how science knowledge has been constructed within particular countries around the globe, where empirical research in early childhood science education has occurred. The third part of the book examines the nature of the encounter between the teacher and the child during science learning and teaching. In the final part of the book the authors look closely at the range of models and approaches to the teaching of early childhood science that have been made available to early childhood teachers to guide their planning and teaching. They conclude the book with a theoretical discussion of the cultural-historical foundation for early childhood science education, followed by a model of teaching scientific concepts to young children in play-based settings, including homes and community contexts.

Mandates to implement practices that are antithetical to what we embrace as supportive of young children's literacy learning are pervasive. Teachers of young children are asked to teach-to-the test in ways that take away opportunities for holistic, thoughtful, play-oriented practices that allow children to construct knowledge through contextualized and purposeful experiences. In 2009 the Early Childhood Assembly was formed by a group of early childhood educators to provide a home at the National Council for Teacher of English for all who work with young children. Perspectives and Provocations in Early Childhood Education is a publication of the ECEA. The publication is intended to support teachers of young children and those interested in studying about early literacy by putting on offer texts with a strong emphasis on promoting thoughtful practices that enhance the teaching and learning of young children within and across diverse communities. All royalties from the book go to the ECEA to help the organization advance its goals of providing scholarships for early childhood teachers to participate in conferences and professional development events.

In this book, noted Nordic researchers and teacher educators provide insights into early childhood discourses and practices in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. In addition to these insiders' perspectives, an American scholars explore Nordic themes, trends, and practices as they emerge in the book's chapters on such varied topics as Nordic childhoods, children's perspectives, preschool teacher education reforms and developments, transition from preschool to primary school, learning through play, caregiving and instruction.

Recently, a new understanding of creative thought and creative performance has surfaced. In addition, an interest has emerged in professional organizations especially those in early childhood education. In addition, current creativity researchers have initiated a far more sophisticated understanding of young children's creative thinking, ways to assess creativity, strategies to promote creativity, and research methodologies. The purpose of this volume is to present a wide range of different theories and areas in the study of creativity to help researchers and theorists work toward the development of different perspectives on creativity with young children. It focuses on critical analyses and reviews of the literature on topics related to creativity research, development, theories, and practices. It will serve as a reference for early childhood education researchers, scholars, academics, general educators, teacher educators, teachers, graduate students, and scientists to stimulate further "dialogue" on ways to enhance creativity. The chapters are of high quality and provide scholarly analyses of research studies that capture the full range of approaches to the study of creativity --- behavioral, clinical, cognitive, cross-cultural, developmental, educational, genetic, organizational, psychoanalytic, psychometric, and social. Interdisciplinary research is also included, as is research within specific domains such as art and science, as well as on critical issues (e.g., aesthetics, genius, imagery, imagination, insight, intuition, metaphor, play, problem finding and solving). Thus, it offers critical analyses on reviews of research in a form that are useful to early childhood researchers, scholars, educators, and graduate students. It also places the current research in its historical context. The volume is also of interest to the general readers who are interested in the young children's creativity. The chapters are authored by established scholars in the field of young children's creativity.

- part of the CEC series, with appeal to organisations such as EECERA also - global appeal with international case studies included - the Slow Movement is gaining momentum and there are currently no direct competitors within ECE

Learn your colours with Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends in this fun board book book for curious pre-schoolers. Toddlers will love this chunky board book that takes them through all the colours of the rainbow with recognisable characters and scenes from the Winnie-the-Pooh stories. With fun rhymes and beautiful illustrations, this first colours book is perfect for pre-schoolers and the youngest readers of Winnie-the-Pooh. Yellow's the colour of our Pooh bear, Just like the bees who buzz in the air... Other available Winnie-the-Pooh early learning concept books: Winnie-the-Pooh: H is for honey (An ABC Book) Winnie-the-Pooh: 10 busy bees (A Counting Book) Winnie-the-Pooh: How Are You? (A Book about Feelings)

This volume links theoretical and instructional approaches on how reading is motivated and assessed, and examines the interrelationship between reading motivation and achievement among boys and girls in culturally and geographically different settings. Much of the research on children's reading has focused on cognitive processes; however, reading is an activity that also requires interest and motivation. These attitudes are generally defined as readers' affect toward reading and their consequence is that children with more positive attitudes are more motivated to read. Taking into account the variability that exists within the notion of gender and age, this volume aims to examine and scrutinize previous research on the topic, as well as test theories on how the different dimensions of reading motivation vary with gender, in relation to cultural issues, motivational constructs, such as engagement and classroom climate, the role of emotions, interests and attitudes towards reading, among others. The book will be of interest to researchers, educators, graduate students, and other professionals working in the area of literacy, reading motivation, reading achievement and gender differences.

A volume in Family-School-Community Partnership Series Editor Diana B. Hiatt-Michael, Pepperdine University (sponsored by the Family School Community Partnership Issues SIG) This volume focuses on research to practice issues related to partnering with families of children ages birth through 5. It analyzes family involvement practices aimed at improving child and family outcomes across a variety of early childhood settings and programs. Collectively the chapters address five themes related to principles of family-centered partnerships: 1. Recognizing and respecting one another's knowledge and expertise; 2. Sharing information through two-way communication; 3. Sharing power and decision making; 4. Acknowledging and respecting diversity; and 5. Creating networks of support The monograph supports the accomplishment of these goals as a whole by providing important insights about exemplary programs and promising practices, informed by current research. Also it highlights policies and theoretical perspectives relevant to these aims.Individual chapters offer a variety of practical strategies and recommendations that families, preservice early childhood students, early childhood practitioners, teacher educators, policymakers, and researchers can use to enhance their knowledge and strengthen their skills for partnering effectively.

This book represents the outcome of the joint activities of a group of scholars who were concerned about the lack of international research in play for children from birth to 3 years. The authors are members of the Organisation Mondiale pour l'Education Prescholaire (OMEP). For further information, see http: //www.om- ong.net/. The idea of carrying out a research project internationally was born at the OMEP's World Congress in Melbourne, Australia 2004. All member countries were invited and 10 countries decided to participate, of which three have withdrawn d- ing the process. The reason for this might be that in these countries only one person was working with the project, while other seven countries have been working in a team of two or more persons. The countries that have carried out research and contributed to this book with a chapter each are Australia, Chile, China, Japan, New Zealand, Sweden and USA (Wisconsin). For more information about the p- ticipating countries and their corresponding addresses, see Appendix I. This book project started in Melbourne with a discussion about what is general in early childhood education globally, and what is culturally speci c. The discussion was inspired by one of the keynote speakers, Nazhat Shameem (2004), judge in the supreme court in Fiji, when she said: "If we all think we are so different and speci c in each culture, the role of human rights has no value anymore." We formulated three questions: "

This book focuses on the politics of teacher resistance to the formation and implementation of neoliberal education policies in Australia. It argues that policies such as publishing examination test results online amounts to auditing teachers' work, and assumes incompetence from teachers, which ultimately results in diverting teachers from their true professional responsibilities. The book outlines the rise of transnational networks that promote market-oriented methods of achieving social objectives, such as good education for all students, and considers a range of explanations for why this education policy was strengthened in Australia in 2010. It also reviews a range of arguments about professional unionism, and reflects on the history of the Australian Education Union and its capacity to resist social neoliberalism. The book concludes by reporting on a case-study in which principals, teachers and parents at two ordinary schools in Australia have managed to keep market forces at bay. It will appeal to students and researchers in the fields of education and sociology, particularly those interested in education policy, political ideology, unionism, and schools.

This book investigates the impact of integrating culturally relevant and pedagogically dynamic classroom management strategies into the curriculum of an urban secondary education pre-service methods course. The book begins by framing the problem of integrating classroom management into the lives of those learning to teach impact. It then examines multiple case studies of students from the study's control cohort who did not have classroom management coursework in their methods course. After breaking down the challenges encountered by the control students, the book offers DCMA as a framework from which teacher educators might create an integrative methods course. The book then analyzes students from the study's experimental cohort and how they benefited from such an integrative course throughout their teacher preparation and into their first year of teaching.

This book brings together authoritative information about the child/dog bond as it is manifested with family dogs, visiting therapy dogs, and service dogs trained to assist children with disabilities. Despite the widely accepted view that participating in a dog's care and interacting with dogs in behaviorally healthy ways is a route to becoming responsible and compassionate, research on this complex dynamic is difficult to design, time-consuming to collect, and challenging to analyze. This volume synthesizes theory, research, and practice, bringing all to bear upon child/dog interactions in homes, schools, libraries, and the community at large. Children, Dogs and Education serves as a handbook for a diverse group of adults who seek to build positive relationships between children and dogs-parents/families, professional dog trainers, teachers, librarians, mental health professionals, health care professionals, and university faculty. The study of interactions between human and nonhuman animals has captured the imagination of an international community of researchers from many different fields and professions. Even though dogs are ubiquitous in the lives of most children, studies of children's interactions with dogs in families and communities are lacking. Most of the previous research on the human-canine bond has focused on adolescents and adults or, even when younger children are the focus, it has tended to rely on parents to speak for children. There are three features of this book that make it unique. First, it goes beyond exploring the child/dog bond to examine additional important issues, including: children's concepts of responsible care, their ability to interpret dogs' behavioral cues, and their ideas about canine behavioral issues/training. Second, unlike most other work to date, it represents children's voices through cases, interviews, and drawings. Finally, the contributors to this edited work use their collective wisdom to draw educational implications and suggest direction in preparing the next generation of dog guardians.

This compilation focuses on the theory and conceptualisation of statistics and probability in the early years and the development of young children's (ages 3-10) understanding of data and chance. It provides a comprehensive overview of cutting-edge international research on the development of young learners' reasoning about data and chance in formal, informal, and non-formal educational contexts. The authors share insights into young children's statistical and probabilistic reasoning and provide early childhood educators and researchers with a wealth of illustrative examples, suggestions, and practical strategies on how to address the challenges arising from the introduction of statistical and probabilistic concepts in pre-school and school curricula. This collection will inform practices in research and teaching by providing a detailed account of current best practices, challenges, and issues, and of future trends and directions in early statistical and probabilistic learning worldwide. Further, it will contribute to future research and theory building by addressing theoretical, epistemological, and methodological considerations regarding the design of probability and statistics learning environments for young children.

This book makes an original contribution to researching child-community development so that those with specific interests in early childhood education have new theoretical tools to guide their research practices. The book explicitly theorises the use of digital visual tools from a cultural-historical perspective. It also draws upon a range of post-structuralist concepts for moving research and scholarship forward. Examples of visual technologies from research in different cultural communities are foregrounded.

In particular this book introduces contemporary methodologies for researching child and community development with a focus on visual methodology so the dynamics of development can be captured over time and analysed historically, culturally, socially, ecologically and psychologically through a range of iterative techniques. Visual technology was not freely available in Vygotsky s time for example, and therefore potentially represents an extension of his genetic experimental approach to researching child development.

The book presents a range of methodological arguments about research into child and community development through which new conceptions for research centred on young children have been created. The authors of the chapters also discuss why a more holistic, dynamic and ethical view of research is needed for generating new knowledge about child development in a range of cultural contexts. "

The national movement toward massive expansion of early childhood education and development has evolved into individual state-by-state initiatives. Contributors set forth the evidence that will encourage states to take up this cause, provide advocates with the information they will need to make their case, and guide states and advocates in building a public and political will for change. Great advancements in the sciences of child development and brain development have provided a whole new foundation of thought regarding early childhood programs (preschooling) for 3- and 4-year-olds. The eleven chapters are organized into three sections: I, The Science; II, Early Childhood Intervention Programs; III, Social Action and Public Policy Issues. An inspiring read that is also serious and instructive.psychologists, teachers, and education professors and policymakers.