Nicola Yelland – författare

“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 book considers:

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.

ContributorsYarrow 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

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:

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.

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.

"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