A pioneer of nursery education in inner-city areas, Margaret McMillan changed the course of British educational history. While many are aware of the various social reforms she initiated, few are familiar with the life of the woman herself. Originally published in 1989, working from her own fresh collection of Margaret McMillan's letters and newspaper articles, Dr Bradburn tells in full the inspiring story of a cultured woman who found a new motivation. Born in America into a middle-class family in 1860, Margaret McMillan spent most of her life in Britain struggling to improve the lot of the poor and needy. Outraged by the living and working conditions of labourers in Victorian England, she turned her moral indignation into effective action by throwing herself into a campaign for a more just and compassionate society. She was a colleague of Keir Hardie, a founder member of the Independent Labour Party, and worked wholeheartedly from the 1890s for the betterment and advancement of the human race. J. B. Priestley, who knew Margaret McMillan when she was a member of the Bradford School Board, later described as 'one of those terrible nuisances who get things done and do more good than a load of bishops'. In the light of discussions on the urgent need for urban renewal and improvements in nursery education at the time of original publication, a review of the innovative work of Margaret McMillan was timely. This well-documented biography gives fascinating glimpses of a remarkable pilgrimage whose results have not been effaced by time.

Originally published in 1929, Nursery Life 300 Years Ago is about the childhood of a seventeenth-century Dauphin of France, taken from the journal of Dr. Jean Heiroard, physician-in-charge and other contemporary sources, which is used as a medium for describing the education, toys and other social aspects of childhood at that time. A fascinating glimpse into the historic study of children.

Originally published in 1980 The Verbal Games of Pre-school Children states that in the course of acquiring language, every child recognizes that verbal interaction is a powerful tool which can be used to interpret and manipulate the world. During the last previous two decades developments in the study of both language acquisition and linguistic theory had begun to illustrate that the acquisition of a first language involves considerably more than the mere learning of grammatical structure. This view of learning had led researchers gradually to see children as more than grammarians devising grammatical constructs. The tendency at the time was to see the child as an active partner in what are essentially games of communication and invention during which the rules of usage as well as the rules of grammar are discovered. This study is based on extensive and detailed observation of the verbal interaction of two pre-school children, and as such offers far-reaching ideas and conclusions concerning the manner in which all children determine the role of language in their lives, whilst simultaneously learning how to piece it together.

Originally published in 1938, there were indications that the progress of nursery education in England would proceed rapidly in the next few years. The English Nursery School was written in response to the need, from people with a duty or interest in the area, for a single volume bringing together information relating to the growth, organization and function of the nursery school and nursery class as an integral part of our educational system. The author's interest in the nursery school movement was developed by her personal association with pioneers such as Margaret McMillan and Grace Owen who were still involved with shaping the course of future developments in the field, which can still be felt today. This reissue shows where it all began.

Originally published in 1991, First Episodes: Pupil Careers in the Early Years of School is based on a four-year longitudinal study of pupils from two different catchment areas from the first days of their entry to primary school. Using qualitative methodologies of depth interviewing and 'naturalistic' observation, it attempts to examine the social construction of pupil careers in the dynamics of classroom life. Particular attention has been given to the longitudinal and continuing process in the formation of pupils over the first four years of schooling, especially in looking at the moment-by-moment processes of formulation as episode follows episode in the rapid flow of classroom life. It is suggested that teachers operate fundamental distinctions between 'normal' and 'abnormal' pupils and, in the ongoing processes of classroom life, a distinction between the episodic and the trans-episodic in their constructions of reality. Central to the analysis has been the notions of 'relativity' in the placement of boundaries in interpersonal relations. It is suggested that the casting of pupils within the framework of role (i.e. Other-role) is a central process at both episodic and trans-episodic levels. The book recommends a move away from the more usual notion of rule-transgression and its related 'societal reactions' so prominent in the literature on deviance. It is suggested that it is the role rather than the rule which is critical to the perception of deviation and the formulation of pupils in early schooling. In looking for temporal processes of 'emergence' it is suggested that there is continuing tension between the episodic and the trans-episodic in teachers' formulation of children. It seems the construction of present reality as having continuity or discontinuity with previous 'realities' is critical.

For many years, increasing stress has been placed on the importance of giving the under-sevens a good start in mathematics. Originally published in 1991, Mathematics for Young Children shows how children as young as four and five and of all abilities can be encouraged to carry out their own mathematical explorations whilst covering the content of a prescribed curriculum. A substantial part of the book is taken up with actual case-studies of children working with Marion Bird in a reception classroom, fully illustrated with examples of the children's work. These case-studies are then analysed to show how a prescribed syllabus can be effectively covered through an investigational approach: a point which is of paramount importance to teachers concerned with the introduction of the National Curriculum. The role of the teacher, too, is examined carefully in order to identify those parts of a teacher's repertoire which seems to be particularly fruitful in encouraging young children's active mathematical thinking. Throughout, readers are encouraged to apply and amend ideas to suit their own particular circumstances.

Originally published in 1958, this reconstruction of the lives of young children of nursery age is an excursion into the past, from the Middle Ages to the opening years of the twentieth century. It tells of the methods, often extraordinary to our ideas, by which they were brought up from babyhood to about seven years old, their clothes, diet, the fearsome remedies that were inflicted on them in illness, their toys, games, books and first steps in education. It shows how the pristine simplicity of the child's nature, which hardly alters throughout the centuries, was moulded by the pressure of the adult society around them into some semblance of the accepted contemporary type. This story of the nursery is not only about young children, but about their parents too. There are parents in it who are stern, harsh, even cruel, and many more loving and careful ones; but one thing strikes us in these parents of former times: there is an air of unassailable confidence and certainty about them that the modern parent, versed in child psychology, would find it hard to achieve. As one seventeenth-century worthy put it, 'For that which always happens in a concerne so universall as breeding children must needs be provided for by a traditionell method of proceeding.'

With this book, any teacher can start teaching philosophy to children today

Co-written by a professor of philosophy and a practising primary school teacher, Philosophy for Young Children is a concise, practical guide for teachers. It contains detailed session plans for 36 philosophical enquiries - enough for a year s work - that have all been successfully tried, tested and enjoyed with young children from the age of three upwards.

The enquiries explore a range of stimulating philosophical questions about fairness, the environment, friendship, inclusion, sharing, right and wrong, manners, beauty, pictures, the emotions, dreaming and reality. All the stories, drawings and photographs that you ll need to carry out the enquiries are provided and can be used with your children directly from the book.

Each step-by step enquiry includes:

• The philosophical topic and the aim of the enquiry
• The stimuli you ll need
• Questions to ask the children
• Possible answers to help move the discussion forward
• Ideas to help you summarise and extend the enquiry.

If you are an Early Years or primary school teacher, this complete resource will enable you to introduce philosophy to your children quickly and with confidence."

This book is designed to support professionals with the sensitive and effective use of the storybook, Floss and the Boss, created to help young children understand about domestic abuse and coercive control. By defining domestic abuse and coercive control and exploring the effects upon children and their education, this guidebook puts the professional in a position to have important conversations with children about what to do if something at home does not feel right. When used with the storybook, it provides a vehicle for talking to children about staying safe and their emotional wellbeing. Key features of this book include: Page-by-page notes, with discussion topics and points for conversation around the Floss and the Boss story Activities for supporting children, safety planning strategies and guidance for taking on a key adult role A comprehensive list of helplines and organisations in place to support adult victims of domestic abuse This is a vital tool for teachers, social care staff, therapists and other professionals working with the Floss and the Boss story to teach young children about domestic abuse and coercive control.

* Clearly shows how the work of each pioneer has directly impacted on practice today * Includes practical examples, questions for reflective practice and summary tables to help the reader engage with the text * The author is Italian and has accessed much of these women's original writing - the book provides fresh insights and has greater authority because of this * Fully updated in line with the revised EYFS and features a new chapter on Charlotte Mason.

Aims to do for Religious Education what developmental psychology has already done for learning in science, maths and literacy. Informed by research with both children and teachers and offers perspectives from a range of faiths and traditions - Christian, Hindu, Muslim and Jewish. Essential reading for all developmental psychologists researching religious and spiritual development, and special teachers and researchers of RE who want to better understand children's knowledge, teaching and learning.

Literature and Philosophical Play in Early Childhood Education explores the role of philosophy and the humanities as pedagogy in early childhood educational research and practice, arguing that research should attend to questions about education and growth that concern social structures, individual development, and existential aspects of learning. It demonstrates how we can think of pedagogy and educational practices in early childhood as artistic, poetic, and philosophical, and exemplifies a humanities-based approach by giving literature and artful play a place in shaping the ground of practice and research. The book explores a range of alternative approaches to theory in education and the feasibility of a curriculum of moral values for young children and contains a variety of scenes involving children's play and involvement with literature and fiction. It portrays how engaging with children's play can be a philosophical and pedagogical investigation where children's own philosophising is taken seriously, where children's thoughts are put on a par with established research and philosophy. Moreover, the book engages with a range of different forms of literature - picture books, novels, auto-fiction, poetry - and develops these as portrayals that serve as a basis for non-theoretical and poetic pedagogical research. Literature and Philosophical Play in Early Childhood Education will be of great interest to academics, researchers, and post-graduate students in the fields of philosophy and education. It will also appeal to upper-level undergraduates, school psychologists, teachers, and therapists.

This edited book provides an overview of unstructured and structured play scenarios crucial to developing young children's awareness, interest, and ability to learn Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) in informal and formal education environments. The key elements for developing future STEM capital, enabling children to use their intuitive critical thinking and problem-solving abilities, and promoting active citizenship and a scientifically literate workforce, begins in the early years as children learn through play, employing trial and error, and often investigating on their own. Forty-seven STEM experts come together from 16 countries (Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Canada, England, Finland, Germany, Israel, Jamaica, Japan, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Russia, Sweden, and the USA) and describe educational policies and experiences related to young learners 3-4 years of age, as well as students attending formal-nursery school, early primary school, and the early years classes post 5 years of age. The book is intended for parents seeking to provide STEM activities for their children at home and in playgroups, citizen scientists seeking guidance to provide children with quality educational activities, daycare practitioners providing educational structures for young children from birth to formal education, primary school teachers and preservice teachers seeking to teach preschool, kindergarten or children typically aged 5-8 years old in grades 1-3, as well as researchers and policy makers working in science didactics with small children.

* Offers accessible and effective methods to supplement elementary education using strengths children already possess: imagination, physical energy and a need for personal expression, which cumulate into the idea of dynamic play * Chapters provide music, art, and dance material in addition to activities, games, and creative physical activities * Research about the correlation of movement to brain activity is included to support the thesis that creative movement as an effective adjunct to learning

This exciting new book celebrates, interrogates and re-imagines the complex and demanding role of the Early Childhood Practitioner. Exploring the many different facets of the Early Childhood Practitioner's (ECP) role, it challenges normative constructions of practitioners and how they have been shaped by assumptions of history, culture and policy. Drawing on a range of theoretical presumptions and debates, the chapters champion the multidimensional power and potentiality of the ECP, arguing for greater respect and recognition for a role that supports and enables at a crucial time in a child's life. With opportunities for reflection, key topics include: The specialist pedagogical expertise of the ECP The key role that ECPs play in the child's holistic wellbeing The ECP as diplomat across many professional contexts, effectively communicating with families and professionals The creative ECP, pushing traditional, normative boundaries of practice The ECP as so much more than they are customarily perceived as being. This latest addition to the TACTYC series will be valuable reading for Early Years students - particularly on Masters level courses - as well as those working and researching in the Early Years sector.

This exciting new book celebrates, interrogates and re-imagines the complex and demanding role of the Early Childhood Practitioner. Exploring the many different facets of the Early Childhood Practitioner's (ECP) role, it challenges normative constructions of practitioners and how they have been shaped by assumptions of history, culture and policy. Drawing on a range of theoretical presumptions and debates, the chapters champion the multidimensional power and potentiality of the ECP, arguing for greater respect and recognition for a role that supports and enables at a crucial time in a child's life. With opportunities for reflection, key topics include: The specialist pedagogical expertise of the ECP The key role that ECPs play in the child's holistic wellbeing The ECP as diplomat across many professional contexts, effectively communicating with families and professionals The creative ECP, pushing traditional, normative boundaries of practice The ECP as so much more than they are customarily perceived as being. This latest addition to the TACTYC series will be valuable reading for Early Years students - particularly on Masters level courses - as well as those working and researching in the Early Years sector.

* Cross-curricular teaching tool covering, literacy, oracy, maths and science, well-being and mental health, dance, drama and art * Unleash the power of poetry in your classroom * Contains activities, lesson plans and classroom resources

Accessible and practical guide for all practising and training kindergarten and primary teachers Covers all aspects of online teaching for early years, such at platforms, classroom management, body language, class size, feedback, assessment, and activities Filled with tried-and-tested exercises, takeaways and reflective questions for teachers to use, adapt, and integrate into teaching practice Written in a structured, cumulative manner that allows readers to read chapters based on relevance and interest

Accessible and practical guide for all practising and training kindergarten and primary teachers Covers all aspects of online teaching for early years, such at platforms, classroom management, body language, class size, feedback, assessment, and activities Filled with tried-and-tested exercises, takeaways and reflective questions for teachers to use, adapt, and integrate into teaching practice Written in a structured, cumulative manner that allows readers to read chapters based on relevance and interest

-This textbook offers an accessibly-written, practical, and amply illustrated introduction to the science of elementary math learning, written for pre-service and in-service K-5 teachers and educators with little background in cognitive development. -Balances Science and Classroom sections, synthesizing the latest developmental research, and offering ready-to-use practical classroom activities for individual, small-group, and classroom settings. -Written by an author team drawing from decades of experience in cognitive research on mathematics learning, clinical psychology, classroom experience, and working with both teachers and children.

-This textbook offers an accessibly-written, practical, and amply illustrated introduction to the science of elementary math learning, written for pre-service and in-service K-5 teachers and educators with little background in cognitive development. -Balances Science and Classroom sections, synthesizing the latest developmental research, and offering ready-to-use practical classroom activities for individual, small-group, and classroom settings. -Written by an author team drawing from decades of experience in cognitive research on mathematics learning, clinical psychology, classroom experience, and working with both teachers and children.

Playful Education provides a guide for you to activate the powers of play to boost your teaching practices and increase your effectiveness as an educator. Based on Virginia Axline and Garry Landreth's play therapy, this book is an operational and practical guide on using play therapy to strengthen your holistic learning development and relationships with students. Chapters offer practical responsive interventions for children with behavioral and academic challenges and preventative practices. You will learn the purpose and goals of implementing play times, (i.e., PlayBreaks), with individuals and groups of students, skills necessary to facilitate playtimes, and how to transfer play skills to the larger classroom. Educators will learn the foundations of play therapy and how they can be used to guide play within a classroom setting. Expanding beyond the classroom, this book is loaded with playful activities to enhance child-teacher relationships and integrate play throughout the school.

The field of reading is a compelling one, characterised by many debates and discussions. It is also amenable to investigations through a range of theories and research studies. In this book, eight leading authorities provide a 'state-of-the-art' overview of reading, using perspectives that have informed their work. There are overviews from linguistic, psychological, sociological and literary viewpoints, as well as more hybrid ones from investigations of digital literacy and multi-modality. This book celebrates what has already been achieved by bridging research, scholarship and practice; it also suggests what still needs to be done to bring the positive rewards from reading to greater numbers of young people. It also recognises that the benefits of reading extend beyond the personal. Accomplished reading skills empower people to meet the challenges of everyday life: making decisions, solving problems, and dealing with unexpected events. The need to refresh and renew our knowledge of reading has gained further impetus in the 'information age'. New technologies for information and communication continually appear: manifestations of 'fake news', disinformation and conspiracy theories spread rapidly across the globe. The book underlines the importance not only of reading, but also the fact that reading between and beyond the lines is more important than ever, in print and across multiple media platforms. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of Education 3-13: International Journal of Primary, Elementary and Early Years Education.

Learn how to effectively lead and make an impact in early childhood and primary school settings. The New Leader's Guide to Early Childhood Settings explores how to empower educators and caregivers, advocate for early intervention, promote culturally responsive teaching, and confront common fears and hurdles. Packed with helpful resources and strategies, chapters feature key tips about effective communication, leveraging technology, and questions for reflection. Practical and accessible, this engaging guidebook delivers quick, effective advice whether you're just starting out or are an experienced leader newly jumping into the early years.