Language acquisition is a contentious field of research occupied by cognitive and developmental psychologist, linguists, philosophers, and biologists. Perhaps the key component to understanding how language is mastered is explaining word acquisition. At twelve months, an infant learns new words slowly and laboriously but at twenty months he or she acquires an average of ten new words per day. How can we explain this phenomenal change? A theory of word acquisition will not only deepen our understanding of the nature of language but will provide real insight into the workings of the developing mind. In the latest entry in Oxford's Counterpoints series, Roberta Golinkoff and Kathryn Hirsh-Pasek will present competing word acquisition theories that have emerged in the past decade. Each theory will be presented by the pioneering researcher. Contributors will include Lois Bloom of Columbia University, Linda Smith of Indiana University, Amanda Woodward of the Huniversity of Chicago, Nameera Akhtar of the University of California, Santa Cruz and Michael Tomasello of the Max Planck Institute. The editors will provide introductory and summary chapters to help assess each theoretical model. Roberta Golinkoff has been the director of The Infant Language Project at the University of Delaware since 1974. For the past decade she has collaborated with Kathryn Hirsh-Pasek of Temple University to solve the question of language acquisition in children.

In just a few years, today's children and teens will forge careers that look nothing like those their parents and grandparents knew. Even the definition of ""career"" and ""job"" are changing as more people build their own teams to create new businesses, apps, and services. Although these changes are well underway, most systems lag behind. Most education systems still subscribe to the idea that content is king. The exclusive focus on content is reflected in what is tested and taught, and even in the toys that we offer our children at home. Employers want to hire excellent communicators, critical thinkers, and innovators - in short, they want brilliant people. But they are often disappointed. So what can we do, as parents, to help our children be brilliant and successful? Stories about the failures of our educational systems abound, but most of them stop after pointing out the problems. Becoming Brilliant goes beyond complaining to offer solutions that parents can apply right now. Authors Roberta Michnick Golinkoff and Kathy Hirsh-Pasek provide a science-based framework for how we should be educating children in and outside school. Parents become agents of change for children's success when they nurture six critical skills. Constructed from the latest scientific evidence and presented in an accessible way rich with examples, this book introduces the 6Cs - collaboration, communication, content, critical thinking, creative innovation, and confidence - along with tips to optimise children's development in each area. Taken together, these are the skills that will make up the straight-A report card for success in the 21st century.