James Christie – författare

How children acquire language and literacy knowledge in many different contexts—and how teachers can effectively promote the development of oral and written language—is the focus of this highly regarded resource. Readers get an authoritative look at how children acquire language and literacy in a variety of contexts and how teachers can effectively promote development in oral and written language.

Teaching Language and Literacy integrates a constructivist/emergent literacy perspective with scientifically-based instructional practices that are successful in supporting children’s reading, writing, listening and speaking development. This new edition features the work of a new author, Kathleen Roskos, and includes numerous up to date references, examples, and hands-on activities for putting theory into practice in today’s classrooms.

Helping Young Children Learn Language and Literacy takes a reader-friendly, child-focused approach to teaching the language arts. It provides pre- and in-service teachers with sound instructional strategies to facilitate children's reading, writing, speaking, and listening development from birth through kindergarten. Recognizing that children are at the heart of good language and literacy teaching, the book focuses on four central themes: a perspective on teaching and learning that blends constructivism and science-based instruction, respect for diversity, instruction-based assessment, and family involvement in literacy learning. Each chapter identifies clear learning goals and offers opportunities for readers to check their knowledge and apply what they have learned. Real-world classroom examples and case studies bring concepts to life, helping prospective teachers connect theories to strategies they can use in their own classrooms.

The 5th Edition includes up-to-date research, an increased emphasis on standards, and contains new features that reflect recent developments in the field of language arts education.

Respected play scholars James Johnson and James Christie join esteemed author Francis Wardle in this exciting new text on the theorising and research of childhood play.

Play is the universal language of childhood. In order to converse with new generations of children, today's teachers must prepare themselves and learn how this form of communication can be adapted to the classroom. Play, Development, and Early Education, challenges the reader to discover what play is and how to incorporate it into a curriculum for children from toddlerhood through the primary grades. Utilising three major ideas—the quality of play in early childhood, play as a means of self-expression, and play as a channel of communication to achieving social sense—the authors examine the beliefs, perspectives, and theories relating to play and what effects culture, media and technology have on play. In addition, the text addresses the role of parents in supporting and elaborating play, the direct connections between research and play practice, and the value of play in relation to the total development (cognitive, affective, emotional, social, and physical) of all children.

These new resources have been written for the new 9-1 grading scale, with progression, international relevance and support at their core.

What happens when the laughter stops?

In Where Will the Laughter Come From?, James Christie offers a richly observed, deeply human memoir of life as a teacher in Britain's independent school system - a world shaped as much by tradition and eccentricity as by discipline and expectation.

Spanning decades in the classroom, Christie captures the absurdities, challenges, and quiet triumphs of teaching, from chaotic staff meetings and unforgettable pupils to the complex personalities that define school life. With a voice that is by turns wry, nostalgic, and sharply perceptive, he reveals a profession sustained not just by duty, but by humour.

Set against the backdrop of institutions navigating change, this memoir becomes more than a personal story. It is a reflection on education, character, and the subtle art of inspiring young minds, even within flawed systems. Beneath the anecdotes lies a deeper question: what has been lost as schools modernise - and what truly matters in shaping the next generation?

Above all, this is a book about laughter as a force for connection, resilience, and learning - and what it means when that laughter fades.

Perfect for readers of educational memoirs, British social history, and reflective non-fiction, this is an insightful and often quietly moving account of a life spent in classrooms where humour was not just incidental, but essential.