How Children Learn Book 3

This book summarises the ideas of educational theorists and psychologists of the last 60 years, from Elinor Goldschmied to Tina Bruce. It also looks at the important contemporary issues in early years education, from whether boys and girls learn differently to the role of the community in the early years setting.

An ideal introduction to the pioneers of educational theory for anyone studying childcare, child development or education – whether at further or higher education level. The first edition of this book has been a best-seller for almost a decade, identified as one of the top ten books for students of child development or early childhood care and education. In this new edition, there is an increased emphasis on both what practice based on particular theories of learning looks like and on criticisms of each theory. A glossary is included in sections highlighting words and concepts particular to the theorist in question. Full-colour photographs are used to illustrate some aspects of each theory or approach. How Children Learn looks at a wide range of theorists and practitioners who have influenced current understandings of how children learn and what this means for work with young children. The book summarises the findings and ideas of famous giants such as Montessori and Piaget as well as the more recent ideas of writers and thinkers such as Howard Gardner and Margaret Donaldson. It begins by looking at the work and life of Comenius who is widely described as the father of modern education and looks at the theory behind different approaches to early childhood care and education such as Steiner Waldorf education, HighScope and Te Whariki. You will find this book invaluable in giving you a clearer picture of how ideas about children's learning have developed over the past four centuries.

This book summarises the ideas of educational theorists and psychologists of the last 60 years, from Elinor Goldschmied to Tina Bruce. It also looks at the important contemporary issues in early years education, from whether boys and girls learn differently to the role of the community in the early years setting.

From the preface by Deborah Meier: "We have a long way to go to make John Holt's dream available to all children. But his books make it possible and easier for many of us to join him in the journey." In this enduring classic, rich with deep, original insight into the nature of early learning, John Holt was the first to make clear that, for small children, "learning is as natural as breathing." In his delightful book he observes how children actually learn to talk, to read, to count, and to reason, and how, as adults, we can best encourage these natural abilities in our children.

How do children learn that the word "dog" refers not to all four-legged animals, and not just to Ralph, but to all members of a particular species? How do they learn the meanings of verbs like "think," adjectives like "good," and words for abstract entities such as "mortgage" and "story"? The acquisition of word meaning is one of the fundamental issues in the study of mind. According to Paul Bloom, children learn words through sophisticated cognitive abilities that exist for other purposes. These include the ability to infer others' intentions, the ability to acquire concepts, an appreciation of syntactic structure, and certain general learning and memory abilities. Although other researchers have associated word learning with some of these capacities, Bloom is the first to show how a complete explanation requires all of them. The acquisition of even simple nouns requires rich conceptual, social, and linguistic capacities interacting in complex ways. This book requires no background in psychology or linguistics and is written in a clear, engaging style. Topics include the effects of language on spatial reasoning, the origin of essentialist beliefs, and the young child's understanding of representational art. The book should appeal to general readers interested in language and cognition as well as to researchers in the field.

"Living Values Education Activities for Children Ages 3-7, Book 1" is an updated and expanded edition of the original "Living Values Activities for Children Ages 3-7" resource. Book 1 offers a rich variety of values activities to help children explore and develop values. The eight values units of Book 1 are Peace I, Respect 1, Love and Caring, Tolerance, Honesty, Happiness, Responsibility, and Simplicity and Caring for our Earth and Her Oceans. The Living Values Education Activities in this book incorporate a variety of ways to introduce, explore and teach values. The Peace Unit begins with a commentary which encourages children to imagine what a peaceful world would be like. Art activities, playing with peace puppets and the making of a peace tent help them bring some of their ideas into life. Reflection points explain values in simple ways. Stories, songs, sharing, and teaching skills are combined with playing, art, movement and role playing. Quietly Being exercises help children learn to self-regulate and fill themselves with peace, love and respect. In this peaceful, nurturing and enjoyable approach, personal social and emotional skills develop as well as positive, constructive social skills. These values activities can be used by elementary school teachers, nursery and pre-school teachers, parents, caregivers and day-care center staff. This book reflects the experience of Living Values Education educators ... that children love to explore. They are naturally receptive, enthusiastic about learning, and spontaneously caring and creative. They thrive in a positive, nurturing, values-based atmosphere where they feel safe, and easily assimilate learning about peace, conflict resolution and the giving of respect and love. Consciously modeling peace, respect, caring and honesty, and teaching about values is increasingly important as children in today's world are exposed to violence and inappropriate models of behavior at younger and younger ages. The Living Values Education Activities books are part of the curricular resources offered by the Association of Living Values Education International. Growing from strength to strength, Living Values Education (LVE) has enriched the lives and educational experience of young people and educators around the world since its initial pilot in February 1997. A global endeavor dedicated to nurturing and educating hearts as well as minds, LVE provides an approach and tools to help people connect with their own values and "live" them. A values-based learning community fosters positive relationships, quality learning and quality education. With Living Values Education, educators and students become co-creators of a culture of peace and respect. Educators are welcome to participate in Living Values Education professional development workshops. Creating a values-based atmosphere in which young people are loved, valued, respected, understood and safe helps students "catch" the values being shared.

A step-by-step program that shows parents, simply and clearly, how to teach their child to read in just 20 minutes a day.

The comprehensive guide to the most influential theorists and their ideas on how children with special educational needs learn and develop.