Leslie R. Williams – författare

The first edition of this book was introduced more than a decade ago. In those ten years, the complexion of the United States has begun to change with the arrival of many immigrants, and as a country, we have continued to struggle over the issues of racism, sexism, and so on. This new edition of Diversity in the Classroom builds on the theories presented in the first edition, now incorporating the perspectives of Michael Cole, Howard Gardner, Lev Vygotsky, Sonia Nieto, Lisa Delpit, and Jamie Wurzel. Frances Kendall addresses many aspects of antibias education—from the stages of child development to strategies for educating parents—focusing particularly on the teacher's role as an agent of change. Kendall promotes teachers' self-awareness and provides guidelines for setting up multicultural environments and curricula. Two appendixes provide bibliographies of books to increase awareness in both adults and children.

Integrating the experiences of one American teacher on a year-long internship in the preschools of Reggio, with a four-year adaptation effort in one American school, this text includes many ""mini-stories"" of journeys of learning.

This clear, thought-provoking close study of teaching practices invites us into the classroom of a Head Start teacher and her assistant as they confront the challenges of early childhood education. Through classroom scenes and dialogue, Catherine Wilson explores the role that reading to children plays in an early childhood program. Drawing on the recent knowledge base on childhood literacy, Wilson looks forward, highlighting and discussing a new set of questions about prevailing prescriptions for "developmentally appropriate practice" and emergent literacy. She focuses directly on story reading and the decisions that teachers make in using children's literature in their teaching as well as the impact of public policy on teachers, children, and families. This well-written volume will interest teachers, teacher educators, and anyone concerned with childhood literacy and improving classroom practices.

This timely volume provides a constructivist interpretation of developmentally appropriate curriculum in early childhood education. Rheta DeVries, one of the founders of constructivist early education, and her colleagues provide the theoretical rationale and practical advice for conducting specific activities in the classroom. Descriptive vignettes are used to show how children's reasoning and teacher interventions are transformed in the course of extended experience with a physical phenomenon or group game. Throughout the book, constructivist teaching is illustrated and contrasted with the approaches found in three other classroom types.

Bridging the gap between child development and strategies for inclusion, this volume is designed to help early childhood practitioners and pre-service teachers feel better equipped to meet the needs of all the children in their early childhood setting. Each chapter introduces a child (ages from birth to eight years of age) with one or more special need, including autism, cerebral palsy, Turner Syndrome, ADHD, emotional/behavioural disorders, IDEA, apraxia, Down Syndrome, giftedness, and juvenile diabetes. Advocating a holistic view of working with children, each profile includes: a description of the child; an interview with a family member or early childhood professional describing essential facts and historical incidents in the child's life; an epilogue updating the status of the child; information for educators about the special need covered in the profile; hints for success - teaching strategies for working with children in inclusive classrooms; discussion questions for the classroom; resources for parents and teachers; and an appendix with guidelines for an IEP (Individualized Education Program).

The authors draw on their experiences as a developmental psychologist and as a teacher educator to provide ways for teachers to create positive child-teacher relationships and classroom climates. This forward-looking volume applies attachment theory to child-teacher relationships...explores strategies that teachers can use to foster positive student behavior...provides narrative examples from early childhood classrooms serving primarily low-income children of color...and uses stories from exemplary classrooms as well as those in which teachers are struggling with relationships.

Unique in its creativity and depth of understanding. The Colors of Learning promotes the integration of visual art into all early childhood curriculum areas. This volume will help early childhood professionals present in-depth art experiences to children so that they become engrossed in expressing their ideas and newly learned concepts through art media. This user-friendly volume features actual classroom dialogue throughout the text and many illustrations of children's art, including some in full color.

The last 20 years have witnessed a remarkable revival of interest in the study of emotions and of early emotional development, subjects that had been virtually ignored in previous decades. Bringing this popular resource completely up to date, Marilou Hyson offers a solid foundation for building an emotion-centered early childhood curriculum, linking emotional competence to school readiness and to a broad range of important child outcomes. She also provides educators with real-life examples and evidence-based teaching strategies to advance children’s understanding and appropriate expression of their emotions. New for the Second Edition!Resource Notes in each chapter of Part I provide examples of recent developments in emotion-related standards, policies and programs, self-assessment questions for practitioners, and other practical tools.Part II, Going Deeper: Exploring Emotions and Their Development, features brief vignettes with a series of discussion questions, summaries of key information about the topic, and an annotated list for further reading.New Appendices provide information about the history of emotions in early childhood education and guides to selected assessment tools and to classroom-based interventions.Critical Acclaim for the First Edition! “Insightful and research-based information will serve as important reading for early childhood teachers.”—Think“Hyson’s blending of theoretical and research underpinnings with practical experience should be read by all professionals in early childhood education.”—Readings"This important resource brings together current theory and research into children's early emotional development, and applies this knowledge to practice." —School Supervisor

Responding to their recent research on how children learn mathematics, the authors have revised this bestselling textbook to provide practical advice on what works and what should be avoided when teaching second graders. This volume features important revisions to their groundbreaking program based on Piaget’s theory that children learn arithmetic by constructing it from the inside, through their own natural ability to think. New for the Second Edition!The harmful effects of teaching “carrying” and “borrowing”—compared with the results of encouraging children to invent their own ways of dealing with multidigit numbers.The addition of new games that respond to what has been discovered in recent research.A shift in strategy for doing subtraction with second graders—computational fluency de-emphasized in favor of word problems.The difference between repeated addition and multiplication for this age group and how teachers can respond appropriately.The harmful effects of “testmania” and quick fixes versus teaching based on the most recent scientific explanation of how children learn mathematics.Critical Acclaim for the First Edition!“The book is useful for practicing educators, administrators, and curriculum directors, as well as students of early childhood, cognitive development and mathematics methods.”—Childhood Education“The clear narrative writing style and frequent illustrations make the book easy to read and understand…a useful resource for any primary grade teacher and curriculum specialist.”—Arithmetic Teacher“An encouraging foray into the future of educational research and practice. Although written for teachers, administrators, curriculum developers, and evaluators, Young Children Continue to Reinvent Arithmetic would also be of interest to researchers and psychologists.”—Harvard Educational Review

Play is the most effective way for children to develop critical life skills such as creative thinking and social problem solving. In this book, Betty Jones, well-known for her work on play, is joined by her colleague Renatta Cooper to offer a radical vision of early schooling—an antidote for the current pressure of standardized education.Practicing what it preaches, Playing to Get Smart will be a playful reading experience for teachers and parents alike. With jokes, riddles, and stories sprinkled throughout, the authors show how important play is for children of all ethnic and socioeconomic groups, from birth to age 8. A provocative challenge to teachers and parents of young children, Playing to Get Smart:Explains why teachers need to provide opportunities for quality play and why parents need to understand the benefits of play for their children.Demonstrates how play offers opportunities for initiative, leadership, conflict resolution, and peacemaking.Addresses the negative effects of traditional schooling, particularly on poor children.

As violence in the media and media-linked toys increases, parents and teachers are also seeing an increase in children’s war play. The authors have revised this popular text to provide more practical guidance for working with children to promote creative play, and for positively influencing the lessons about violence children are learning. Using a developmental and sociopolitical viewpoint, the authors examine five possible strategies for resolving the war play dilemma and show which best satisfy both points of view: banning war play; taking a laissez-faire approach; allowing war play with specified limits; actively facilitating war play; and limiting war play while providing alternative ways to work on the issues. New for the Second Edition:More anecdotal material about adults’ and children’s experiences with war play, including examples from both home and school settings.Greater emphasis on the impact of media and commercialization on children’s war play, including recent trends in media, programming, marketing, and war toys.Expanded discussion about the importance of the distinction between imitative and creative war play.Summary boxes of key points directed at teachers or parents.New information about violent video games, media cross feeding, and gender development and sex-role stereotyping.A more extensive list of resources and further reading for adults and children.Praise for the First Edition!“Powerful…A wealth of practical suggestions for parents and teachers.”;—Young Children“Comprehensive and useful…Educators who read this book and implement its suggestions will be making an important contribution to a peaceful future for their young students.”—Teachers College Record

Separation often evokes feelings of fear and anxiety in all of us―children, parents, and teachers alike. Because the success or failure of early separation experiences can affect a child’s movement toward independence, teachers and parents must know how to help young children cope with the unpleasant feelings sometimes associated with separation.In Everyday Goodbyes (her follow-up to Starting School: From Separation to Independence), Nancy Balaban once again addresses this critical aspect of child development. Emphasizing the need for parents and teachers to work together in phasing children into a child-care, preschool, or kindergarten program, she offers many sensitive, practical suggestions to ease the separation process for all involved.Positioning separation as the underlying curriculum for all early childhood programs, this wonderful book:-Helps teachers and parents to understand why children take time to adjust.-Uses photographs and real-life anecdotes of children, teachers, and parents to illustrate all aspects of the adjustment process.-Includes activities for the classroom that support children’s movement toward independence and self-confidence.-Includes children with special needs, those who come from special circumstances, as well as the range of cultural differences.-Provides sample “phase-in” schedules for planning the first days of a program, a sample letter of introduction that can be sent to parents, and a list of books for children, adults, and professionals.

Possible Schools tells the compelling story of the Model Early Learning Center (MELC) in Washington, D.C. - the only school in a U.S. urban area to successfully implement the principles of the Municipal Preschools of Reggio Emilia. The author describes the origin of this school, which served impoverished urban families, and traces its evolution from a chaotic inception to its ability to apply Reggio practices. Both inspirational and straightforward in its details, this book describes: a new vision for early education, showing how children and families in poverty will thrive when their abilities are promoted and intellect respected; the structure of the program, providing guidance to anyone wanting to adapt the Reggio Approach in their school; children's incredible accomplishments, including many photos; teachers' development, both personally and professionally, as they learned to use an approach that involves a new role for teachers; the role of Reggio educator Amelia Gambetti, who spent a year at the MELC; parent involvement in many new and expanded roles; and, the complex circumstances that resulted in the eventual closing of the school.

Guiding Children's Behavior is a valuable guide to behavior management for teachers, parents, and other caregivers. The authors advocate using ""developmental discipline"" to individualize discipline practices for children - from birth through elementary school. Starting with infancy, the authors explain that typical daily routines are prime opportunities for parents and childcare providers to introduce limits to very young children. Adults are encouraged to look at a child's negative behaviors such as saying, ""no,"" or hitting within the context of normal child development. The authors then look at ways to guide the behavior of preschoolers and kindergartners who are dealing with new experiences outside of the family. Next, they discuss developmental discipline with school-age children, offering approaches for older children who are grappling with social, emotional, and physical changes. The authors also examine the effectiveness of frequently used discipline methods, such as time-outs and coerced apologies. The final chapter emphasizes the importance of teachers and parents working together to create more consistency between home and school.

Every early care and education program deserves a qualified and competent supervisor. This pioneering text continues to address the special needs of administrators and staff to help them expand and improve their supervisory skills. The first to provide guidelines and practical suggestions for staff training and development in early childhood settings, this classic volume is still the best choice for those supervising staff from a wide variety of educational and cultural backgrounds. In this twentieth anniversary edition, updated to reflect the many changes that have taken place in the field, you’ll find:A new chapter on career ladders/lattices.A new chapter on staff selection, recruitment, and orientation.Promising staff development and evaluation practices that emphasize staff learning and reflection.Continued attention to issues of diversity.Relevant NAEYC accreditation criteria at the end of selected chapters.Emphasis on the development of supervisors as well as staff members.A focus on collaborative relationships and dialogue.

Completely updated, this popular guide provides teachers with a proven method for documenting (collecting, analyzing, and displaying) young children's work at school. Written by teachers for teachers, this classic resource also shows principals, curriculum coordinators, and directors of Head Start and other early intervention programs how to develop children's portfolios to share with parents or to use for assessment and other accountability purposes.Applicable to many different curriculum models, the updated Second Edition: combines two books in one by integrating the teacher forms, materials, and planning sheets from the Teacher Materials companion resource into this single volume; features a larger size to accommodate more examples and photographs of children's and teachers' work; includes more information on incorporating standards in documentation; discusses how to analyze and talk about documentation in professional learning communities; provides additional information on preparing teacher portfolios; and, documents the Movie Theater Project, a literacy-rich project from an inner-city pre-kindergarten classroom.

Of all the school readiness domains, approaches to learning is perhaps the least understood but the most important. Research shows that positive approaches to learning improve both social - emotional and academic outcomes. This new resource will help early childhood professionals implement strategies to support young children's positive approaches to learning - their enthusiasm (interest, joy, and motivation to learn) and their engagement (attention, persistence, flexibility, self-regulation, and other essential learning behaviors). Along with extensive research, the text includes images of practice in early education programs in culturally, economically, and linguistically diverse settings.This book will help teachers, future teachers, and other early childhood stakeholders to understand how children acquire positive approaches to learning, know what research says about why approaches to learning are so important, recognize what supports and what undermines children's enthusiasm and engagement in learning, identify and plan specific strategies for the classroom, use culturally sensitive assessments to plan interventions, select and modify curriculum and teaching practices, access resources to help every child enter school with positive approaches to learning, and influence educational policies and decision making.

In ""Possible Schools"", Ann Lewin-Benham showed us that we can create schools that engage the minds of children and involve parents, even in urban settings. In this book, she describes projects in a school that successfully adapted the Reggio Approach with Head Start-eligible children. She explains how to use the Reggio Approach to address current major concerns in early education, including helping children become self-disciplined, making sure children are ready for 1st grade, assessing children's progress, and laying a foundation for literacy.Presenting a multitude of examples of excellent preschool practice, this dynamic book introduces the concept of ""significant work"" that draws deeply on young children's innate intelligences, provides teachers with an opportunity to reflect on what they know and understand about young children, illustrates how teachers can make changes in their classrooms to expand and improve learning, describes robust activities from an urban preschool, including how each project relates to a particular teaching principle, and suggests more clearly defined standards and lays out policy implications for each.

This is the revised and updated edition of the bestselling textbook on caring and educating infants and toddlers. The authors use case studies and new research to show educators how to transform curricula for very young children into a dynamic, responsive experience. The insightful text includes a focus on play, attention to the physical and social environments, and advice for accommodating children with different developmental levels, backgrounds, personalities, and special needs. The second edition of this popular resource features discussion of: NAEYC's most recent standards; state standards and assessments; eco-friendly classroom materials; environments for children with disabilities; developmentally appropriate curricula;cultural diversity and non-English speaking families; and mental health issues for infants and toddlers. This book is an essential tool for early childhood educators and educarers, administrators, parents, and all involved in the care and development of very young children.