A Child S Mind Required

Entering the Child's Mind teaches a powerful technique for gaining insight into a child's way of thinking. In the tradition of Piaget and Vygotsky, Dr. Herbert P. Ginsburg argues that standardized instruments of evaluation often fail to meet the challenges of complex cognition. Understanding that interviews, like any evaluative instrument, can be improperly conducted and assessed, Dr. Ginsburg then seeks to advance the critical analysis of the interview methods and to investigate its effectiveness and reliability. He presents guidelines intended to help novices learn to conduct clinical interviews and to assist more experienced interviewers in perfecting their techniques. Dr. Ginsburg provides to both psychologists and others interested in understanding the minds of children the first comprehensive treatment of the theory and practice of the clinical interview method. -- from back cover.

As children grow up, they discover taboo areas in their environment and in life. They are in need of advice to prevent them from placing themselves in risky situations. The primary preventive approach to a life skills programme on HIV/AIDS and sex education, called “Child Mind Project”, can be seen as such an initiative.

Full of simple mindfulness and meditation exercises for kids, this guide is “a wonderful reminder that every young person is capable of great understanding, compassion, and joy” (Thich Nhat Hanh) The interest in teaching children meditation is growing rapidly, as a number of recent stories in the mainstream media have documented, including NPR, The New York Times, and London Telegraph. Child's Mind aims to teach parents and child professionals how to integrate mindfulness into their work with children, and teach children and adolescents basics of mindfulness and meditation. Willard’s intention is to help parents pass on to their children the practices of mindfulness that they have found valuable for themselves. The book can also be a resource for those who work with children, whether it is family and children coordinators at retreat centers, religious instructors from a range of traditions, or teachers, therapists, and even medical professionals. Child's Mind aims to teach children the power that comes with the comfort of just being, and the capacity to be, be aware, and be comfortable with yourself.

How we raise young children is one of today's most highly personalized and sharply politicized issues, in part because each of us can claim some level of "expertise." The debate has intensified as discoveries about our development-in the womb and in the first months and years-have reached the popular media. How can we use our burgeoning knowledge to assure the well-being of all young children, for their own sake as well as for the sake of our nation? Drawing from new findings, this book presents important conclusions about nature-versus-nurture, the impact of being born into a working family, the effect of politics on programs for children, the costs and benefits of intervention, and other issues. The committee issues a series of challenges to decision makers regarding the quality of child care, issues of racial and ethnic diversity, the integration of children's cognitive and emotional development, and more. Authoritative yet accessible, From Neurons to Neighborhoods presents the evidence about "brain wiring" and how kids learn to speak, think, and regulate their behavior. It examines the effect of the climate-family, child care, community-within which the child grows.

Children are already learning at birth, and they develop and learn at a rapid pace in their early years. This provides a critical foundation for lifelong progress, and the adults who provide for the care and the education of young children bear a great responsibility for their health, development, and learning. Despite the fact that they share the same objective - to nurture young children and secure their future success - the various practitioners who contribute to the care and the education of children from birth through age 8 are not acknowledged as a workforce unified by the common knowledge and competencies needed to do their jobs well. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 explores the science of child development, particularly looking at implications for the professionals who work with children. This report examines the current capacities and practices of the workforce, the settings in which they work, the policies and infrastructure that set qualifications and provide professional learning, and the government agencies and other funders who support and oversee these systems. This book then makes recommendations to improve the quality of professional practice and the practice environment for care and education professionals. These detailed recommendations create a blueprint for action that builds on a unifying foundation of child development and early learning, shared knowledge and competencies for care and education professionals, and principles for effective professional learning. Young children thrive and learn best when they have secure, positive relationships with adults who are knowledgeable about how to support their development and learning and are responsive to their individual progress. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 offers guidance on system changes to improve the quality of professional practice, specific actions to improve professional learning systems and workforce development, and research to continue to build the knowledge base in ways that will directly advance and inform future actions. The recommendations of this book provide an opportunity to improve the quality of the care and the education that children receive, and ultimately improve outcomes for children.

Originally published in 1970, parents and teachers were beginning to realise how very much earlier in life human intelligence develops than was previously thought. A child’s experience in its pre-school years largely determines its future academic progress; and environment and parental influence play a very great part in this. The author describes the steps by which children develop mentally and emotionally, and the scholarly and experimental work that had been done in this field to date. The book was thought to be an eye-opener for most parents at the time (to be put beside ‘Spock’) and for all child psychologists a fascinating review of recent work.

How children think is one of the most enduring mysteries--and difficulties--of parenthood. The marketplace is full of gadgets and tools that claim to make your child smarter, happier, or learn languages faster, all built on the premise that manufacturers know something about your child's brain that you don't. These products are easy to sell, because good information about how children's minds really work is hard to come by. In their new book, neuroscientists Sandra Aamodt and Sam Wang separate fact from fiction about the inner workings of young minds. Martialing results from new studies and classic research, Aamodt and Wang provide the most complete answers out there on this subject. It liberates readers from superstitions and speculation, such as Freud's idea that all relationships are modeled on one's mother, or that it's not safe to eat sushi while pregnant. And it will reveal new truths about everything from how to make your baby sleep, to why we love to snuggle, to how children learn, forget, play, talk, walk, and feel. Welcome to Your Child's Brain is eye-opening and necessary, soon to become a staple for parents and children alike.

How does a child's mind work? And what should parents know about it to help them in their daily interaction with children? This book is a fascinating, non-technical introduction to the mental life of the child. Written in a simple, accessible way for those without an academic background in philosophy, the book explores and explains key elements of the child's mind without overwhelming the reader with complicated theories. Some of the areas discussed are: how children learn concepts the acquisition of beliefs, skills, knowledge and understanding the place of memory can we teach thinking skills? what is intelligence? imagination and creativity the development of emotion connections between home life, education and the school curriculum.