Storytelling in Early Childhood is a captivating book which explores the multiple dimensions of storytelling and story acting and shows how they enrich language and literacy learning in the early years. Foregrounding the power of children's own stories in the early and primary years, it provides evidence that storytelling and story acting, a pedagogic approach first developed by Vivian Gussin Paley, affords rich opportunities to foster learning within a play-based and language-rich curriculum. The book explores a number of themes and topics, including: the role of imaginary play and its dynamic relationship to narrative; how socially situated symbolic actions enrich the emotional, cognitive and social development of children; how the interrelated practices of storytelling and dramatisation enhance language and literacy learning, and contribute to an inclusive classroom culture; the challenges practitioners face in aligning their understanding of child literacy and learning with a narrow, mandated curriculum which focuses on measurable outcomes. Driven by an international approach and based on new empirical studies, this volume further advances the field, offering new theoretical and practical analyses of storytelling and story acting from complementary disciplinary perspectives. This book is a potent and engaging read for anyone intrigued by Paley's storytelling and story acting curriculum, as well as those practitioners and students with a vested interest in early years literacy and language learning. With contributions from Vivian Gussin Paley, Patricia 'Patsy' Cooper, Dorothy Faulkner, Natalia Kucirkova, Gillian Dowley McNamee and Ageliki Nicolopoulou.

How do views about children shape research concerned with their lives? What different forms can research with children take? What ethical issues does it involve? How does it impact on policy and practice, and on the lives of children themselves? This book helps you to understand how research is designed and carried out to explore questions about the lives of children and young people. It tackles the methodological, practical and ethical challenges involved, and features examples of actual research that illustrate: Different strategies for carrying out research Common challenges that arise in the research process Varying modes of engagement that researchers can adopt with participants and audiences; and The impact that research can have on future studies, policy and practice.

Storytelling in Early Childhood is a captivating book which explores the multiple dimensions of storytelling and story acting and shows how they enrich language and literacy learning in the early years. Foregrounding the power of children's own stories in the early and primary years, it provides evidence that storytelling and story acting, a pedagogic approach first developed by Vivian Gussin Paley, affords rich opportunities to foster learning within a play-based and language-rich curriculum. The book explores a number of themes and topics, including: the role of imaginary play and its dynamic relationship to narrative; how socially situated symbolic actions enrich the emotional, cognitive and social development of children; how the interrelated practices of storytelling and dramatisation enhance language and literacy learning, and contribute to an inclusive classroom culture; the challenges practitioners face in aligning their understanding of child literacy and learning with a narrow, mandated curriculum which focuses on measurable outcomes. Driven by an international approach and based on new empirical studies, this volume further advances the field, offering new theoretical and practical analyses of storytelling and story acting from complementary disciplinary perspectives. This book is a potent and engaging read for anyone intrigued by Paley's storytelling and story acting curriculum, as well as those practitioners and students with a vested interest in early years literacy and language learning. With contributions from Vivian Gussin Paley, Patricia 'Patsy' Cooper, Dorothy Faulkner, Natalia Kucirkova, Gillian Dowley McNamee and Ageliki Nicolopoulou.

As fast-evolving technologies transform everyday communication and literacy practices, many young children find themselves immersed in multiple digital media from birth. Such rapid technological change has consequences for the development of early literacy, and the ways in which parents and educators are able to equip today's young citizens for a digital future. This seminal Handbook fulfils an urgent need to consider how digital technologies are impacting the lives and learning of young children; and how childhood experiences of using digital resources can serve as the foundation for present and future development. Considering children aged 0-8 years, chapters explore the diversity of young children's literacy skills, practices and expertise across digital tools, technologies and media, in varied contexts, settings and countries. The Handbook explores six significant areas: Part I presents an overview of research into young children's digital literacy practices, touching on a range of theoretical, methodological and ethical approaches. Part II considers young children's reading, writing and meaning-making when using digital media at home and in the wider community. Part III offers an overview of key challenges for early childhood education presented by digital literacy, and discusses political positioning and curricula. Part IV focuses on the multimodal and multi-sensory textual landscape of contemporary literary practices, and how children learn to read and write with and across media. Part V considers how digital technologies both influence and are influenced by children's online and offline social relationships. Part VI draws together themes from across the Handbook, to propose an agenda for future research into digital literacies in early childhood. A timely resource identifying and exploring pedagogies designed to bolster young children's digital and multimodal literacy practices, this key text will be of interest to early childhood educators, researchers and policy-makers.

Research Methods for Early Childhood Education takes an international perspective on research design and illustrates how research methods are inextricably linked to cultural and theoretical understandings of early childhood, young children's competences and the purposes of education. The book offers a critical and reflective approach to established and innovative research methods in early childhood education, making links between diverse methodologies, methods and theory, with illustrative examples of research in practice. Each chapter addresses a specific methodological approach, linking the methodology to early childhood education with vignettes as examples of research practice in the global north, south, east and west, and offering practical examples and critical thinking around new theoretical understandings of early childhood across geographical and cultural contexts. The book critically examines: - the role of the researcher - conceptualisations of how research is undertaken; - how early childhood education is understood; - the often sensitive nature of conducting research with young children; - how young children can be included as active research participants. Throughout, the book emphasises ethical and methodological issues that arise from undertaking research in diverse social and cultural contexts. Further reading lists provide a selection of seminal and recent studies that have adopted each methodological approach.

Research Methods for Early Childhood Education takes an international perspective on research design, and illustrates how research methods are inextricably linked to cultural and theoretical understandings of early childhood, young children's competences and the purposes of education. The book offers a critical and reflective approach to established and innovative research methods in early childhood education, making links between diverse methodologies, methods and theory, with illustrative examples of research in practice. Each chapter addresses a specific methodological approach, linking the methodology to early childhood education with vignettes as examples of research practice in the global north, south, east and west, offering practical examples and critical thinking around new theoretical understandings of early childhood across geographical and cultural contexts. The book critically examines: - the role of the researcher - conceptualisations of how research is undertaken; - the often sensitive nature of conducting research with young children; - how early childhood education is understood; - how young children can be included as active research participants. Throughout, the book emphasises ethical and methodological issues that arise from undertaking research in mono-cultural and cross-cultural contexts. Annotated further reading lists provide a selection of seminal and recent studies that have adopted each methodological approach.

How do views about children shape research concerned with their lives? What different forms can research with children take? What ethical issues does it involve? How does it impact on policy and practice, and on the lives of children themselves? This book helps you to understand how research is designed and carried out to explore questions about the lives of children and young people. It tackles the methodological, practical and ethical challenges involved, and features examples of actual research that illustrate: Different strategies for carrying out research Common challenges that arise in the research process Varying modes of engagement that researchers can adopt with participants and audiences; and The impact that research can have on future studies, policy and practice.