Educational inequalities between students begin early, as children enter kindergarten with vastly different sets of background knowledge and experiences that do (or in many cases do not) prepare them to learn successfully in school. Many children enter school with skills and prior knowledge so low that they are unable to overcome this lack during the kindergarten year, leaving them unprepared for first grade. Predictably, these deficits only widen as the children progress on to subsequent grades. Conversely, children who enter kindergarten prepared to learn, and leave kindergarten having mastered key competencies in literacy and numeracy, are more likely to succeed throughout their schooling and later in life. The recent pandemic has only exacerbated this problem of learner variability. Differences in school approaches to remote or hybrid learning and variability in family and home environments have all impacted the performance of children, many of whom are now nearly a year behind. The pandemic has forced us all to consider the ways in which traditional models of schooling have fallen short, and how we might better design programs that leverage all the inputs in a young child's life (the home, parents, school, community, technology, and more) to ensure that their learning needs are met. If we hope to solve this problem at scale, we must re-examine what we know about these formative early years and develop new ways to ensure that children enter kindergarten ready to learn and leave kindergarten with all the competencies they need succeed in later schooling and beyond. We must consider of all the factors that contribute to a child's school readiness, as well as the critical learning must take place during the kindergarten year. It requires the examination of factors that most influence children's development during the first five years, and their lasting effects on the rest of children's lives. More importantly, we must examine the ways that we, as stakeholders, can influence outcomes for young children by creating synergies between and among these various factors. With all this in mind, this book proposes to assemble the most current research and thought-leadership on the ways in which innovative education stakeholders are working together to impact what are perhaps the most critical years in a child's education - the years leading up to and including kindergarten. Ensuring that children enter kindergarten ready to learn and leave kindergarten with all the key competencies required for later success must be pursued with intensity, creativity, and purpose if we truly wish to address learner variability and its impact on achievement at scale. This book will Illuminate the problem of learner variability in early childhood education, its short and long-term effects on K-12 education and life beyond school, and the potential of technological innovations to address this problem at scale.

The book you can trust to guide you through your career in the early years, as the expert authors share tried and tested techniques in a range of early years settings. For this new edition, Jennifer Colwell and Amanda Ince have drawn together an expert author team to bring you guidance from top practitioners that is both cohesive and that continues to evolve to meet the needs of today's early years practitioners. It is designed for trainees whether in universities or early years settings and looks across the full early years spectrum, from birth to 8 years old. Reflective Teaching in Early Education uniquely provides two levels of support: - Practical, evidence- based guidance on key early years issues - including relationships, behaviour, inclusion, curriculum planning and learning, and teaching strategies - Evidence- informed 'principles' and 'concepts' to help you to understand the theories informing practice, offering ways for you to continue to develop your skills and understanding of early years practice in early childhood education and care New to this edition: - Case Studies which illustrate the impact Reflective Teaching can have on your practice and your setting - New Reflective Activities - Updated references and guidance on Key Readings - Updates to reflect recent changes in curriculum and assessment across the UK reflectiveteaching.co.uk provides a treasure trove of additional support. Readings for Reflective Teaching in Early Education, the supporting 'portable library' volume, is signposted throughout this book and provides convenient access to key texts.

Resources designed to support learners of the new next generation BTEC First in Children's Play, Learning and Development specification*. * Covers the underpinning knowledge and understanding for all core, mandatory and optional units for the Award and Certificate and all core and mandatory units for the Extended Certificate. * The attractive, accessible layout is packed with learning features, which draw out key points and bring topics to life. * Provides support and practice for learners as they work towards the Award, Certificate and Extended Certificate. * Units include plenty of activities and assessment guidance to help learners achieve their potential. *Case Studies reflect the work-related nature of the qualification, so that learners are more able to put theory into practice in real-world settings. *Assessment activities help learners to achieve their potential in internally-assessed units and support external assessment. * From 2012, Pearson's BTEC First qualifications have been under re-development, so schools and colleges could be teaching the existing 2010 specification or the new next generation 2012-2013 specification.There are different Student Books to support each specification. If learners are unsure, they should check with their teacher or tutor.

With the recent uptick of violence in schools, it is essential to strategize new concepts for promoting nonviolent tendencies in children and creating safe environments. Through nonviolent teaching techniques, it is possible to effectively demonstrate mutual respect, tolerance, and compassion in order to have a lasting peace. Cultivating a Culture of Nonviolence in Early Childhood Development Centers and Schools aims to expand and deepen multicultural nonviolent teaching techniques and concepts to achieve desired outcomes for early childhood development centers, schools, institutions of higher learning, and centers of teacher development and training. While highlighting topics including child development, conflict resolution, and classroom leadership, this book is ideally designed for teachers, directors, principals, teacher organizations, school counselors, psychologists, social workers, government officials, policymakers, researchers, and students.

While building a soapbox racing car, a pair of friends provide an easy-to-understand lesson in how simple machines are all around us, making our work more efficient. Michael and Luci show readers that a broom is a lever, nails are wedges, and a screwdriver is both a lever and a wheel and axle. The two also prove that curious children can be just like scientists, making observations and using how and what questions to explore physical science principles they encounter all the time. Michael s Racing Machine is part of the I Wonder Why book series, written to ignite the curiosity of children in grades K 6 while encouraging them to become avid readers. These books explore the marvels of light, color, machines, sound, and other phenomena related to physical science. Included in each volume is a Parent/Teacher Handbook with coordinating activities. The I Wonder Why series is written by an award-winning science educator and published by NSTA Kids, a division of NSTA Press.

High quality interactions are recognised as fundamental to the achievement of outstanding teaching and learning in the early years. If you are working with children from six months to six years this authoritative new book from leading author Julie Fisher encourages you to reflect deeply on the quality and impact of interactions in your setting. Drawing on research undertaken in baby rooms, nurseries and classrooms over four years the book challenges prevailing orthodoxies and offers specific practical guidance on how to improve the quality of interactions on a day-to-day basis. With its illuminating examples, the book shows how you can best tune into and respond effectively to young children's conversations. It exemplifies how interactions are most effectively sustained and how developing high quality interactions can better scaffold and support children's learning and development. 'Interacting or Interfering?' * Identifies the key components of effective interactions and how implementing these can improve the quality of children's learning * Contains transcripts of interactions from baby rooms through to Year 2 classes which exemplify key messages * Provides prompts you can use to analyse and improve your own practice Written in the author's exceptionally clear and accessible style, this book is indispensable reading for all students and practitioners working and studying in the early years. "There is a tendency for adult talk to dominate nurseries and schools in an attempt to manage, organise and interrogate children's learning; this closes down children's own investigation and capacity for thought. Fisher points out how 'the very act of "being an educator" can sometimes distort the nature of an interaction so much that it inhibits the very learning it is trying to promote'. In this timely, thought-provoking and very readable book she prompts us to think more deeply about interactions and adapt new strategies to encourage all young children to engage in meaningful and enriching talk." TACTYC, March, 2016 "The prompts and points for reflection encourage practitioners to critically consider their role and function, noting where their work is affirmed and where there is scope for further development ... This book is both relevant, though provoking and extremely useful for all involved in early childhood - an excellent tool for professional development." Marion Dowling, Early Education Journal, No 79/ Summer 2016

A step by step guide with form drawing exercises for the four temperaments, which have a harmonising, transformative and strengthening effect on child development. Creative form drawing helps children develop hand to eye co-ordination, spatial orientation, observation skills, attention, confident movement, drawing skills and the foundation skills for handwriting. Originally developed by Rudolf Steiner, creative form drawing is used widely in Steiner and Waldorf Schools to enable healthy child development and learning. This books covers the why, what and how of creative form drawing, for balancing and deepening the four temperaments. Contents Understanding and identifying the temperaments. The purpose and benefits for children. How and why do specific form drawing exercises work? The human constitution. Overview and descriptions of the four temperaments. Form Drawing exercises, lessons and teaching methods. Clearly defined age related forms for each temperament. Over 500 colourful forms for drawing.

This book conceptualizes the nature of mathematical modeling in the early grades from both teaching and learning perspectives. Mathematical modeling provides a unique opportunity to engage elementary students in the creative process of mathematizing their world. A diverse community of internationally known researchers and practitioners share studies that advance the field with respect to the following themes: The Nature of Mathematical Modeling in the Early Grades Content Knowledge and Pedagogy for Mathematical Modeling Student Experiences as Modelers Teacher Education and Professional Development in Modeling Experts in the field provide commentaries that extend and connect ideas presented across chapters. This book is an invaluable resource in illustrating what all young children can achieve with mathematical modeling and how we can support teachers and families in this important work.