Understanding Children

Children′s books play a vital role in education, and this book helps you to choose books that have the most to offer young children. Each chapter reflects on a different theme or genre and their role in educational settings, and recommends ten ′must reads′ within each one. The themes covered include: - books for babies - literature for the very young - narrative fiction - books in translation - poetry - picture books - graphic texts. Early years professionals, childcare professionals and teachers working from nursery to Key Stage 3 will find this book a fascinating and useful resource.

Emphasising the voices and rights of children, international expert Anne Smith examines the latest thinking on children’s learning and development. Contemporary theories and research about children and childhood are explained, using observations from children’s everyday experiences and debates about policy. A sociocultural perspective presents development as driven by a child’s learning, supported by opportunities for reciprocal social interaction across diverse cultural contexts.

This text aims to assist in the understanding of the way in which children's language and literacy develops . It outlines all the key issues in the area and explains the nature of language, the theories and sequences of language development and the development of reading, writing, listening and speaking skills. The book also includes chapters on bilingualism, communication problems and working with the child who is deaf.

Defines biological, adopted, foster, and stepparents; discusses the needs of parents; explains how parents care for their children; and tells how to develop a good relationship with parents.

What drives children as consumers? How do advertising campaigns and branding effect children and young people? How do children themselves understand and evaluate these influences? Whether fashion, toys, food, branding, money - from TV adverts and the supermarket aisle, to the internet and peer trends, there is a growing presence of marketing forces directed at and influencing children and young people. How should these forces be understood, and what means of research or dialogue is required to assess them? With critical insight, the contributors to this collection, take up the evaluation of the child as an active consumer, and offer a valuable rethinking of the discussions and literature on the subject. Features: • 14 original chapters from leading researchers in the field • Each chapter contains vignettes or case examples to reinforce learning • Contains consideration of future research directions in each of the topics that the chapters cover. This book will be relevant reading for postgraduates and advanced undergraduates with an interest in children as consumers, consumer behaviour and on marketing courses in general as well as for researchers working in this field.

Understanding Children's Development is the UK's best-selling developmental psychology textbook and has been widely acclaimed for its international coverage and rigorous research-based approach. This dynamic text emphasizes the practical and applied implications of developmental research. It begins by introducing the ways in which psychologists study developmental processes before going on to consider all major aspects of development from conception through to adolescence. New to the 6th Edition: Increased coverage in many areas, including ethics; children’s rights; participatory research methods; three models of human plasticity; breastfeeding and cognitive development; fostering; non-resident or absent fathers; parenting styles in China; effects of domestic violence on children; physical punishment, and child maltreatment; the development and fostering of emotional intelligence; homophobic bullying and cyberbullying; and developing intercultural competence through education. There are entirely new sections on immigration, acculturation, and friendships in multicultural settings; disruptive behaviour and oppositional defiant disorder; sexting; and adolescent bedtimes. The Adolescence chapter has been extensively revised, covering work on the social brain, insights from neuroscience, evolutionary perspectives on risk-taking and peer relationships, romantic development, and use of mobile phones and the internet.

Many Early Years settings are taking in children for longer periods and at a younger age. However, their day-to-day practice has not necessarily changed and instead leads to the 'management' of behaviour, rather than investigating why the behaviour is taking place. Through a combination of practice, theory and reflection, leading Early Years education consultant Penny Tassoni explores children's behaviour from a child-centred point of view. In doing so, she shows how, over time, children learn to be with others and the strategies that adults can use to positively support this development. Understanding Children's Behaviour is a practical handbook that is accessible and adaptable for Early Years practitioners looking to support children's behaviour by focusing on their personal and social skills. It includes a useful A-Z problem-solving section about dealing with unwanted behaviours for analysis and to guide practice.

This handbook is an attempt to provide answers to those innumerable questions that plaque the minds of teachers and parents alike, about children who need special attention. It is a modest attempt to Psycho-educate parents and teachers in general and create awareness of differently abled children and their learning process. Before the world can change its perception of 'special needs' and 'disabilities', one needs to understand what the terms mean and how children with special needs are different. Gone are the days when lack of information caused everyone to tiptoe around these conditions. In theory, the term 'special needs' is used to clinically diagnose mental, physical or psychological disabilities that give rise to functional difficulties. However, in lay terms, 'special needs' becomes an umbrella term for a staggering array of conditions. Children who are diagnosed with having special needs may be suffering from a mild learning problems to a major, degenerative illness. Parenting a child is a complicated task, more so when the child has special needs. The objective of this handbook is to enable parents to support, love and care for their child, regardless of the disabilities involved. Some parents may be hesitant to share their child’s diagnosis with the teacher. This may seem odd, but parents struggling to figure out how they can help their child and sometimes themselves, may be afraid of a teacher’s judgment or the treatment their child will receive once a special need has been identified. Parents are also often afraid of being blamed, and usually have an unhealthy dose of guilt themselves, even after being reassured that the disability is not their fault. The relief comes from knowing what is wrong with their child and having an appropriate plan of action. In this book, I have focused on children with a diagnosed special needs and have shared few strategies of handling these concerns, which includes a set of resources for parents as well as teachers. There is no “one size fits all” approach to special education. It’s tailored to meet each student’s needs. Special education refers to a range of services that can be provided in different ways and in different settings. It can be challenging to select instructional materials and methods, which will enrich student learning. The key is first understanding the needs of every student. In particular, all teachers need to understand how to provide help for students with special needs. Special education is a rewarding field with many benefits and challenges. As a teacher in this field, you'll face a variety of obstacles that require a particular kind of focus and patience, but within those experiences, you'll also receive a feeling of accomplishment.