Found in Translation: Connecting Reconceptualist Thinking with Early Childhood Education Practices highlights the relationships between reconceptualist theory and classroom practice. Each chapter in this edited collection considers a contemporary issue and explores its potential to disrupt the status quo and be meaningful in the lives of young children. The book pairs reconceptualist academics and practitioners to discuss how theories can be relevant in everyday educational contexts, working with children who are from a wide range of cultural, ethnic, gender, language, and social orientations to enable previously unimagined ways of being, thinking, and doing in contemporary times.

This book introduces findings from an international, cross-cultural, and interdisciplinary study of children’s everyday experiences of growing up and going to school in the context of the three global cities of Hong Kong, Singapore and Melbourne. It takes the premise that children’s learning and orientations to educational success are shaped by everyday cultural practices at home and at school, by policy contexts that both produce and respond to educational and cultural norms, and by individual and familial desires and aspirations. Drawing on research conducted with primary school-aged children in Year 4, the book considers how day-to-day routines such as going to school, engaging in extra-curricular activities outside of school, and spending time at home with family intersect with the broader milieus of education policy ideals in a changing and interconnected world. Through a combination of visual methodologies, surveys, ethnographic observations in schools, classrooms and cityscapes, re-enactments of everyday activities with children at home, and sociological education policy analysis, this book shows both the richness of children’s everyday lives and learning in global cities, as well as exploring questions that pose challenges to educational and social norms.

This book examines the connections between policy, school experiences, and everyday activities of children growing up in the global city of Melbourne, Australia. It provides an in-depth consideration of Melbourne primary school children’s lifeworlds, exploring everyday stories and practices inside and outside of school. This includes consideration of the diverse ways that educational “success� may be understood in the context of Melbourne, productively moving beyond a narrow focus only on academic achievement. Situated alongside policy and curriculum analysis, the book draws on research in Melbourne Year 4 primary school classrooms in the form of student-completed surveys, classroom ethnographies, and student responses to a learning dialogues activity, as well as video re-enactments of out-of-school life. Through this it explores key aspects of children’s lifeworlds with a focus on school timetabling and pedagogical encounters, school engagement and belonging, and activities and everyday routines outside of school. This book offers a comprehensive and holistic exploration of children’s lifeworlds in Melbourne, drawing connections between children’s lives inside and outside of school, and the broader policy contexts.  

Meaning Making in Early Childhood Research asks readers to rethink research in early childhood education through qualitative research practices reflective of arts-based pedagogies. This collection explores how educators and researchers can move toward practices of meaning making in early childhood education. The text's narrative style provides an intimate portrait of engaging in research that challenges assumptions and thinking in a variety of international contexts, and each chapter offers a way to engage in meaning making based on the experiences of young children, their families, and educators.

Found in Translation: Connecting Reconceptualist Thinking with Early Childhood Education Practices highlights the relationships between reconceptualist theory and classroom practice. Each chapter in this edited collection considers a contemporary issue and explores its potential to disrupt the status quo and be meaningful in the lives of young children. The book pairs reconceptualist academics and practitioners to discuss how theories can be relevant in everyday educational contexts, working with children who are from a wide range of cultural, ethnic, gender, language, and social orientations to enable previously unimagined ways of being, thinking, and doing in contemporary times.

Featuring the work of leading scholar-practitioners, Visual Arts with Young Children raises critical questions about the situated nature of the visual arts and its education in early childhood. Innovative chapters explore the relationship of place to art practice and pedagogy, culturally-responsive and justice-oriented perspectives, as well as critical and reconceptualist approaches to materials, technology and media. Ideal for researchers and students of both early childhood education and arts integration programs, this volume is an essential step towards a deeper understanding of how visual arts are understood, valued and practiced in the early years.

New technologies are dramatically changing the face of education and the nature of childhood itself. In Shift to the Future, Nicola Yelland examines the ways in which these technologies are reshaping the social, personal, and educational experiences of childhood, and explores the curricular revisions such changes demand. With a focus on the various information and communications technologies (ICTs) available to young students and the possibilities these ICTs offer for teaching and learning, Shift to the Future provides inspiring examples of teachers who have innovatively incorporated new technologies into their classrooms to engage their students in contemporary times.

This work explores the ways in which young children perceive themselves and are viewed by others in terms of their gendered identities as individuals and as members of society. It considers research from a variety of perspectives in the context of home/family and school. Topics covered include: the construction of gender from the time the child is conceived; the politics of category membership; analyses of play and art making; young children's experiences with technology; the influence of popular culture on the body image; gender equity policies in early childhood education; and understanding sexual orientation.;An examination and reflection of the issues will enable educators to improve their practice and have a greater understanding of the families and the children whom they teach. The diverse range and content of the research should make this book useful for all those interested in the education of young children. It examines the issue of gender expectations of children with disabilities, and also discusses young children's experiences with technology and the ways in which they feel about their bodies.; This book should be of interest to all early childhood educators who are conc

Full Contributors:
Susan Grieshaber, Queensland University of Technology, Anna M Bower, Queensland University of Technology, Keith Gilbert, Queensland University of Technology, Virginia Casper, Harriet K Cuffaro, Steven Schultz, Jonathan G Silin and Elaine Wickens, all at Bank Street College of Education, New York, Ann Farrell, Queensland University of Technology, Lyn Martinez, Principal Education Officer, Equity Programs Unit, Queensland, Bronwyn Davies, James Cook University, Australia, Glenda McNaughton, University of Melbourne, Australia, Susan Danby, Queensland University of Technology, Kathy Lowe, Teacher, Australia, Margaret White, Macquarie University, Australia

This book examines connections between policy contexts, school experiences and everyday activities of children growing up in the global city of Singapore. In particular, it explores how Singapore children's everyday experiences inside and outside of school shape their orientations towards educational success. Alongside an analysis of school life and educational policies, it also considers children's out-of-school activities, including leisure, homework, and enrichment activities, and connections between these and their school-based activities. The book draws on empirical data from Primary 4 classes in two Singapore schools in the form of student-completed surveys, classroom ethnographies, student responses to a learning dialogues activity, and a re-enactment of one child's out-of-school life, as well as curriculum and policy analysis. It provides readers with an in-depth understanding of Singapore Primary 4 children's experiences inside and outside of school, including the structure of timetables and pedagogical approaches encountered in school lessons, children's enjoyment of activities inside and outside of school, children's engagement and wellbeing at school, and the impact of Singapore's educational policies on children's learning experiences. Moving beyond a simplistic focus on Singapore children's academic performance in international high-stakes testing, the book offers a comprehensive exploration of their lives inside and outside of school. This holistic approach is unique in the Singapore context and contributes to a greater understanding of children's everyday lives in the city.

New technologies are dramatically changing the face of education and the nature of childhood itself. In Shift to the Future, Nicola Yelland examines the ways in which these technologies are reshaping the social, personal, and educational experiences of childhood, and explores the curricular revisions such changes demand. With a focus on the various information and communications technologies (ICTs) available to young students and the possibilities these ICTs offer for teaching and learning, Shift to the Future provides inspiring examples of teachers who have innovatively incorporated new technologies into their classrooms to engage their students in contemporary times.

Ghosts in the Machine examines the complex relationships between gender and information and communication technologies (ICT). Written by women in four countries on three continents, it discusses the educational, social, artistic, and political implications of a feminine voice in the design of technology. The research presented here explores the gendering of technology and, in doing so, describes the Internet, computer games, computer-based design and construction environments, and digital art from a perspective that puts the social context in a key role. As the rate of technology design continues to grow, it is imperative that books such as this provide an alternate voice to the prevailing descriptions of technology use. Ghosts in the Machine brings women's voices out of the shadows to the forefront where they belong.

Featuring the work of leading scholar-practitioners, Visual Arts with Young Children raises critical questions about the situated nature of the visual arts and its education in early childhood. Innovative chapters explore the relationship of place to art practice and pedagogy, culturally-responsive and justice-oriented perspectives, as well as critical and reconceptualist approaches to materials, technology and media. Ideal for researchers and students of both early childhood education and arts integration programs, this volume is an essential step towards a deeper understanding of how visual arts are understood, valued and practiced in the early years.

Meaning Making in Early Childhood Research asks readers to rethink research in early childhood education through qualitative research practices reflective of arts-based pedagogies. This collection explores how educators and researchers can move toward practices of meaning making in early childhood education. The text's narrative style provides an intimate portrait of engaging in research that challenges assumptions and thinking in a variety of international contexts, and each chapter offers a way to engage in meaning making based on the experiences of young children, their families, and educators.

""This book is a valuable contribution to the creation of a more critical and theoretically diverse approach to early childhood policy and practice. Through many vivid examples and a varied cast-list of authors, both academics and practitioners, it shows the potential of this approach for pedagogical work in early childhood institutions and the education of the early childhood workforce."
. Professor Peter Moss, Institute of Education, University of London, UK.

. In the era of No Child Left Behind in the U.S., you might think that the landscape of educational research and practice has been transformed into a row of scientific models and unvarying curricular scripts. Nicola Yelland's volume will persuade you that, in contrast, the landscape in early childhood education is varied and full of unconventional angles. The authors examine virtually every significant aspect of curricular practice and postmodernist theory, while challenging readers to be skeptics themselves to engage with risky ideas on the way to transformative actions.
. . Celia Genishi, Professor of Education, Teachers College, Columbia University, USA."

. . . This book challenges long-established beliefs about early childhood education. It offers readers the opportunity to think about the aspects of their profession that are fundamental to providing effective and equitable educational opportunities for young children in the 21st century. Well-known contributors explore issues that are not only critical in terms of being fundamental to early childhood education, but also critical in that they present alternative ideas and use frameworks that are not traditional to the field. Organized in three parts, the bookconsiders: . . Contemporary views of early childhood education and teaching. The rethinking of early childhood practices. The emergence of new technologies and multiliteracies. . The chapters in the book focus on aspects of early childhood education that have for a long time been accepted as truisms, or have been too hard to deal with and thus often ignored. For example, they include a consideration of issues that range from examining play that might be sexual in focus or learning how to cope with traumatic events in young childrens lives, to the ways in which popular culture and new literacies impact on what young children are interested in and how they can be engaged in learning with information and communications technology. .

. Essential reading for students in all early childhood studies programmes, as well as early childhood practitioners who want to engage in more reflective practices around their work. . .

. Contributors
. Yarrow Andrew, Chelsea Bailey, Mindy Blaise, Elizabeth Brooker, Sheralyn Campbell, Gaile Cannella, Richard Johnson, Anna Kilderry, Jackie Marsh, Jeanette Rhedding Jones, Leonie Rowan, Sharon Ryan, Jonathan Silin, Jennifer Sumsion, Daniel Walsh, Nicola Yelland.

Early Mathematical Explorations shows readers how to provide young children with rich mathematical learning environments and experiences. This book presents teachers with a sound theoretical framework to encourage children to become numerate in the twenty-first century. It shows that mathematical learning can occur in a variety of ways, including when children explore ideas through play, problem solving and problem posing; engage in a rich variety of multimodal learning experiences; pursue self-directed activities and cooperate with others; and make connections between ideas and experiences in their everyday worlds. Chapters 2 and 3 explore the ways in which mathematical understandings can be supported from birth to five years. Chapters 4-9 provide an overview of mathematics in the early primary years. The final chapters illustrate the contexts and connections that can be made in early mathematical learning. Early Mathematical Explorations is an essential resource for pre- and in-service teachers alike.

""I think a real strength of the book is the use of the case studies to ground the points made and to offer in-depth insights into practice."
. Jackie Marsh, University of Sheffield, UK"

. . This exciting book considers the nature of young children's lives and how this can, and should, inform early childhood education in practical ways. It examines: . . What is it like for young children to learn in the 21st century?. How can we link this to new and innovative ways of providing relevant and engaging learning contexts for young children?. What it means to be multiliterate in the 21st century. . The book explores how learning and engagement with ideas can be extended through the use of new technologies, describing how information and communications technologies enable young people to extend the boundaries of their learning and social interactions.

. . These experiences have important implications for formal learning environments and the nature of the curriculum, including bold new approaches to teaching and learning which offer opportunities for children to investigate in new ways. This book provides examples of the ways in which early childhood teachers have extended opportunities for new types of learning for children by creating contexts in which they are able to explore and represent their ideas and thinking in multimodal formats using new technologies.

. . This book represents a research-based discussion for rethinking learning in the 21st century and includes various case studies and scenarios to enable students and practising teachers to try out new ideas. Finally, it considers new ways of thinking about children's learning by creating a multiliteracies portrait, pedagogies and pathways profile that enables teachers to build on their strengths to plan for effective learning outcomes.

. . . "Rethinking Learning in Early Childhood Education" is key reading for students on Early Years courses or Primary Education pre-service teacher education programmes..

Bringing together scholarship and examples from practice, this book explores ways in which early childhood curriculum - including classroom practices and community contexts - can more actively engage with a range of social justice issues, democratic principles and anti-oppressive practices. Featuring a stellar list of expert contributors, the chapters in this volume present a cross-section of contemporary issues in childhood education. The text highlights the voices of children, teachers and families as they reflect on everyday experiences related to issues of social justice, inclusion and oppression, as well as ways young children and their teachers engage in activism. Chapters explore curriculum and programs that address justice issues, particularly educating for democracy, and culminate in a focus on the future, offering examples of resistance and visions of hope and possibility. Designed for practitioners, graduate students and researchers in early childhood, this book challenges readers to explore the ways in which early childhood education is - and can be - engaging with social justice and democratic practices.

Bringing together scholarship and examples from practice, this book explores ways in which early childhood curriculum - including classroom practices and community contexts - can more actively engage with a range of social justice issues, democratic principles and anti-oppressive practices. Featuring a stellar list of expert contributors, the chapters in this volume present a cross-section of contemporary issues in childhood education. The text highlights the voices of children, teachers and families as they reflect on everyday experiences related to issues of social justice, inclusion and oppression, as well as ways young children and their teachers engage in activism. Chapters explore curriculum and programs that address justice issues, particularly educating for democracy, and culminate in a focus on the future, offering examples of resistance and visions of hope and possibility. Designed for practitioners, graduate students and researchers in early childhood, this book challenges readers to explore the ways in which early childhood education is - and can be - engaging with social justice and democratic practices.

""This innovative and challenging book offers a refreshing and vigorous response to those who seek to create childhoods that are standardized, over-regulated and framed within a 'one-size-fits-all' approach. It demonstrates how childhoods are multiple, complex and multi-faceted in a global context and outlines approaches to policy and practice that celebrate diversity and address contemporary concerns such as poverty, children's rights and quality in early childhood education. This is a book that should be read by researchers, practitioners, students and policy-makers alike: each will find important material that will change their thinking about early childhood education in the 21st century.""
Professor Jackie Marsh, University of Sheffield, UK

""An important addition to the growing body of literature contesting mainstream and standardising early childhood education, offering a rich, diverse and critical menu of work about both policy and practice.""
Professor Peter Moss, Institute of Education University of London, UK

This book considers and interrogates a range of new and critical issues in contemporary early childhood education. It discusses both fundamental and emerging topics in the field, and presents them in the context of reflective and contemporary frameworks.

Bringing together leading experts whose work is at the cutting edge of contemporary early childhood education theory and research across the world, this book considers the care and education of young children from a global perspective and deals with issues and groups of children or families that are often marginalized.

The contributing authors challenge traditional views and maintain that new ways of thinking and doing are required in these new times. The chapters in this book highlight some of the most important issues as catalysts for discussion and critique.

Central to the discussions is the notion that these are complex issues that warrant debate and that there are often no simple solutions to them. These theoretical perspectives are situated in practice with the use of engaging case studies.

This edited collection is essential reading for anyone studying or working in early childhood education.

Contributors: Marina Umaschi Bers, Erica Burman, Judith Duncan, Anne Haas Dyson, Karen Gallas, Rachael Holmes, Elizabeth Jones, Michelle Leiminer, Hillevi Lenz Taguchi, Maggie MacLure, Christina MacRae, Joanna McPake, Veronica Pacini Ketchabaw, Alan Pence, Helen Penn, Lydia Plowman, Valerie Polakow, Christine Stephen, Gail Yuen.