This volume presents current research on the connections between the home and family environment on children's mathematics development. Focusing on infancy through first grade, it details the role of parents and other caregivers in promoting numeracy and the ways their active participation can prepare young children for learning about formal mathematics. Research data answer key questions regarding the development of numeracy alongside cognitive and linguistic skills, early acquisition of specific math skills, and numeracy of children with atypical language skills. The book also provides practical recommendations for parents and other caregivers as well as implications for future research studies and curriculum design. Included in the coverage: Ways to optimize home numeracy environments. Individual differences in numerical abilities. Cross-cultural comparisons and ways to scaffold young children's mathematical skills. Mathematics and language in the home environment. Center-based and family-based child care. Games and home numeracy practice. Early Childhood Mathematics Skill Development in the Home Environment is an essential resource for researchers, graduate students, and professionals in infancy and early childhood development, child and school psychology, early childhood education, social work, mathematics education, and educational psychology.

This book, written by an international team of experienced researchers, investigates unique and dynamic approaches to key issues in policy transformation, curriculum reforms and teacher training in three cultures - China, Japan and the United States - in a globalized world. By examining their respective policy choices and evidence-based practices, the authors show how best to provide for young children based on their needs and interests, and the three countries' strategies for doing so. This book provides the latest information on the rapid developments already underway and further changes to be expected in these diverse cultures.

This book takes a radically new approach to the well-worn topic of children's relationship with the media, avoiding the "risks and benefits" paradigm while examining very young children's interactions with film and television. Bazalgette proposes a refocus on the learning processes that children must go through in order to understand what they are watching on televisions, phones, or iPads. To demonstrate this, she offers unique insight from research done with her twin grandchildren starting from just before they were two years old, with analysis drawn from the field of embodied cognition to help identify minute behaviours and expressions as signals of emotions and thought processes. The book makes the case that all inquiry into early childhood movie-viewing should be based on the premise that learning-usually self-driven-is taking place throughout.

This book contains a collection of the author's previously published articles on early childhood care and education. Each chapter was written in response and reaction to particular events or contexts that were provocative. Many of the issues explored were stimulated by experiences with teachers and caregivers of young children, many of whom were also the author's students, as well as with other professional colleagues. These background experiences and events are described briefly in the introduction to each article.

This edited book presents the most recent theory, research and practice on information and technology literacy as it relates to the education of young children. Because computers have made it so easy to disseminate information, the amount of available information has grown at an exponential rate, making it impossible for educators to prepare students for the future without teaching them how to be effective information managers and technology users. Although much has been written about information literacy and technology literacy in secondary education, there is very little published research about these literacies in early childhood education. Recently, the National Association for the Education of Young Children and the Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children s Media at Saint Vincent College published a position statement on using technology and interactive media as tools in early childhood programs. This statement recommends more research to better understand how young children use and learn with technology and interactive media and also to better understand any short- and long-term effects. Many assume that today s young children are digital natives with a great understanding of technology. However, children may know how to operate digital technology but be unaware of its dangers or its value to extend their abilities. This book argues that information and technology literacy include more than just familiarity with the digital environment. They include using technology safely and ethically to demonstrate creativity and innovation; to communicate and collaborate; to conduct research and use information and to think critically, solve problems and make decisions."

Among the welter of books on critical pedagogy, this volume will be especially valued for its direct focus on early years and elementary educators. Benefiting from the considered views of two veteran teachers of critical pedagogy, the volume is far more than a knowledge-rich resource, offering as it does vital support in applying the tenets of critical pedagogy to classroom practice. Alongside specific examples of teachers engaging in critical pedagogy in elementary and early-childhood classrooms, the material features close analysis and guidance that will help ease teachers into reflective practice in critical pedagogy that is based on praxis the point at which theory and practice meet and interact. Indeed, the authors move readers even further than this, showing how students as well as teachers can transform their experience of education through critical reflection.

After surveying the field of critical pedagogy, the authors discuss the core precepts that inform the classroom practice of critical pedagogues. They move on to discuss how vital these early and elementary years are in forging children s nascent identities. Other topics covered include discrimination, gender issues, the development of social justice projects, and the social transformations that critical pedagogy can manifest in the classroom. Finally, this resource explains how teachers can move forward in their classroom practice to enhance equity, justice and social responsibility. This book is essential reading for classroom practitioners in early and elementary education, whether neophytes or veterans, who are interested in deploying this powerful educational paradigm in their work.

After surveying the field of critical pedagogy, the authors discuss the core precepts that inform the classroom practice of critical pedagogues. They move on to discuss how vital these early and elementary years are in forging children s nascent identities. Other topics covered include discrimination, gender issues, the development of social justice projects, and the social transformations that critical pedagogy can manifest in the classroom. Finally, this resource explains how teachers can move forward in their classroom practice to enhance equity, justice and social responsibility. This book is essential reading for classroom practitioners in early and elementary education, whether neophytes or veterans, who are interested in deploying this powerful educational paradigm in their work.

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This book provides a highly informative yet concise overview of special education and inclusive education that serves as a valuable introduction to the field. Using a framework and relevant scenarios in inclusive educational settings to help readers develop a basic understanding of key concepts, it shares effective practices and engages readers in discussions on current research. Further, it highlights the commonalities between different levels of education and explores transitions across them. The book addresses theory, policy, practice and research issues in special education and inclusive education from an Australian perspective, focusing on current developments in Australian educational settings and classrooms. It also examines international issues and developments while highlighting the unique characteristics of the Australian educational context. As such, it appeals to post-graduate students, pre-service teachers, teachers and other professionals in the area.

This volume reflects the multiplicity of perspectives in the theory and practice of creativity, while it is broadly accepted that the dynamism of humanity s responses to our evolving scientific, social and environmental needs depends on our creativity. It examines the central issues that animate the themes of creativity, talent development and excellence in schools and in the workplace, as well as analysing their related socio-cultural activities and processes. Forged in the workshops of a number of conferences and symposia, this collection represents in itself a creative partnership between European and Asian academics. Thus it includes contributions from various cultural and organizational settings, as well as chapters that enhance our conceptual models of creativity in both learning and teaching.

The contributing authors recognize that exploring the nature of creativity necessitates a new paradigm in research and praxis in which integration, collaboration, and the synthesis of knowledge and expertise are key factors. Their chapters detail the results of studies relating to to creativity, talent, school excellence, team and goal setting, innovation and organizational excellence, resilience, self-regulation, and personal epistemology. Clearly defined sections take on discrete aspects of the topic that include a vital assessment of the challenges that lie ahead in fostering the creativity, talent and excellence of the young and in doing so, allowing them to play a positive and innovative role in a variety of social contexts.

Spontaneous Activity in Education details the principles of Maria Montessori's educational philosophy, allowing the reader to grasp her unique and innovative style of teaching. Published in the early 20th century and translated to English in 1917, this manual of education contains a step-by-step account of the approach Montessori took in teaching youngsters. Although a doctor by trade, Montessori held a profound interest in the development of young people's minds, and how best to ensure they fulfill their academic potential. To this end, she devised a system of education which aims to give every child the best chance of success, irrespective of their individual capacity for learning. In this book, the Montessori system is explained in terms useful for parents and teachers alike. Explaining the nature of a child's life, Montessori discusses her personal contributions to experiments in education, and how when these were applied correctly the achievement and advancement of children was improved.

In Intentional from the Start: Guiding Emergent Readers in Small Groups, Carolyn Helmers and Susan Vincent take a concentrated look at the often-underestimated reading and writing work that occurs during the emergent reading stages of literacy development (PreA-D) and the seemingly simplistic books we use to teach them in small-group guided reading. Though both may appear unsophisticated, these earliest readers and the texts we use to meet their needs are each unique and full of nuances that generally go overlooked. The authors explore how emergent readers learn best and position text levels appropriately in the service of students. They also turn their attention to a comprehensive exploration of the particular needs of emergent readers and how the work they do at text levels PreA-D lays a critical foundation necessary for them to continue growing successfully into text levels E and beyond. As they examine the needs of learners working at each emergent text level individually, Carolyn and Susan: Detail the specific demands the books in that text level require and how to best coach young readers working through them. Highlight instructional procedures for reading, writing, and word study that can be put to use immediately at your small group table. Suggest optimal schedules, techniques, and formats for efficient instruction at that level. Unpack the book characteristics specific to that level and demonstrate ways to capitalize on them to intentionally support emergent readers and writers. With plenty of useful classroom examples, as well as additional online resources with literacy center ideas that correlate directly with the work students are doing at particular levels, this book is a resource your emergent reading teacher heart will reach for again and again.

This book re-theorizes the relationship between pedagogy and play. The authors suggest that pedagogical play is characterized by conceptual reciprocity (a pedagogical approach for supporting children's academic learning through joint play) and agentic imagination (a concept that when present in play, affords the child's motives and imagination a critical role in learning and development). These new concepts are brought to life using a cultural-historical approach to the analysis of play, supported in each chapter by visual narratives used as a research method for re-theorising play as a pedagogical activity. Whenever a cultural-historical approach is applied to understanding pedagogical play, the whole context of the playful event is always included. Further, the child's cultural environment is taken into account in order to better understand their play. Children from different countries play differently for many reasons, which may include their resources, local cultural beliefs about play and specific pedagogical practices. The inclusion and acknowledgement of social, cultural and historical contexts gives credence and value to understanding play from both child and adult perspectives, which the authors believe is important for the child's learning and development. As such, the relationships that children and adults have with human and non-human others, as well as any connections with artefacts and the material environment, are included in all considerations of pedagogical play.

This twenty-third ICMI Study addresses for the first time mathematics teaching and learning in the primary school (and pre-school) setting, while also taking international perspectives, socio-cultural diversity and institutional constraints into account. One of the main challenges of designing the first ICMI primary school study of this kind is the complex nature of mathematics at the early level. Accordingly, a focus area that is central to the discussion was chosen, together with a number of related questions. The broad area of Whole Number Arithmetic (WNA), including operations and relations and arithmetic word problems, forms the core content of all primary mathematics curricula. The study of this core content area is often regarded as foundational for later mathematics learning. However, the principles and main goals of instruction on the foundational concepts and skills in WNA are far from universally agreed upon, and practice varies substantially from country to country. As such, this study presents a meta-level analysis and synthesis of what is currently known about WNA, providing a useful base from which to gauge gaps and shortcomings, as well as an opportunity to learn from the practices of different countries and contexts.

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.

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.

The Second Edition of Teaching Music to Students with Special Needs offers updated accounts of music educators' experiences, featured as vignettes throughout the book. An accompanying Practical Resource includes lesson plans, worksheets, and games for classroom use. As a practical guide and reference manual, Teaching Music to Students with Special Needs, Second Edition addresses special needs in the broadest possible sense to equip teachers with proven, research-based curricular strategies that are grounded in both best practice and current special education law. Chapters address the full range of topics and issues music educators face, including parental involvement, student anxiety, field trips and performances, and assessment strategies. The book concludes with an updated list of resources, building upon the First Edition's recommendations.

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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