Brillante, P., Chen, J. J., Cuevas, S. et al. (Eds.) (2023). Casebook: Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8. NAEYC. ISBN-13:9781952331121
Case studies provide real-world examples that make for rich discussions and greater learning in educational and professional development settings. Engage with case studies on developmentally appropriate practice to enhance your knowledge and skills.
Developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) requires a nuanced understanding of child development, individual children, and the social and cultural contexts of children, families, and educators. This casebook presents nearly 50 cases addressing infancy through third grade and across multiple, diverse settings. Written and edited by teacher educators, researchers, classroom teachers, and other early childhood professionals, these cases offer unique opportunities for critical thinking and discussion on practice that supports all children and families.
The cases are organized into eight parts that reflect the six guidelines of DAP plus the topics of supporting children with disabilities and supporting dual language learners. Brief overviews of each guideline and the additional topics set the stage for study of the cases.
Each case provides an opportunity to
· Make connections to the fourth edition of Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs
· Think critically about the influence of context on educator, child, and family actions
· Discuss the effectiveness of the teaching practices and how they might be improved
· Support your responses with evidence from the DAP position statement and book
· Explore next steps beyond the case details
· Apply the learning to your own situation
Use this book as a companion to the fourth edition of Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs in higher education coursework, as professional development in programs, or for stand-alone study.
Li. H., & Chen, J J. (2023). The glocalization of early childhood curriculum: Global childhoods, local curricula. Routledge. ISBN-13: 9781032229508 https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003274865
With empirical evidence and theoretical critique, this book unveils the myths and debates (e.g., child-centeredness versus teacher-directedness) about early childhood curricula, revealing their unique social, cultural, and historical roots.
Analyzing globally advocated early childhood curricula and ideologies, such as the developmentally appropriate practice, the child-centered approach, constructivism, and globalized childhood, this book argues that the direct adoption of these contextually bound approaches in local environments may be inappropriate if social and cultural compatibility is lacking. The authors then examine how early childhood curricula may be implemented in a hybrid form. Featuring case studies from American and Chinese contexts, this book offers insights and recommendations for the future development and redeployment of early childhood curriculum studies and practices in a post-truth era.
This volume serves as a valuable resource for scholars and students of early childhood education and comparative education, as well as for key education stakeholders.
Hatch, J. A. (2021). Teaching as a Human Activity: Ways to Make Classrooms Joyful and Effective. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.
This is a book for teachers, especially new and soon-to-be teachers. It’s a book from one teacher to other teachers who care deeply about what goes on in schools, who see teaching as a calling, who want to make their time in classrooms life changing for the students they are lucky enough to teach. This book is meant to inspire as much as instruct.
The lessons that make up the body of this book are organized around five questions that every teacher needs to consider: (1) What can I do to be sure I realize my dream of making a positive difference in the lives of my students? (2) How can I make my teaching effective by building on vital human connections with my students? (3) How can I make my classroom management effective, while encouraging my students to become self-regulating agents of their own behavior? (4) What are instructional approaches that will engage my students in shaping their own development and learning? (5) What can I do to ensure my successful initiation into the teaching profession and avoid burnout in the future? Four lessons are included in each of the five parts defined by these questions.
Bergen, D., Lee, L., Dicarlo, C., & Burnett, G. (2020). Enhancing Brain Development in Infants and Young Children: Strategies for Caregivers and Educators. Teachers College Press.
This practical resource explains brain development from prenatal to age 8 with suggestions for activities educators and caregivers can use to foster children’s cognitive growth. The authors begin with the basics of brain development, and the issues that affect it, and then provide information specific to infant, toddler, preschool, and kindergarten to primary age levels. Educational activities are described as they relate to physical, language, social, emotional, cognitive, and academic progress relevant to brain development at each age level. Modifications of activities for young children with disabilities are included. The authors also discuss contemporary issues related to the future education of young children, including how technology-augmented experiences may positively and negatively affect children’s development.
Castle, K. (2021). Early Childhood Teacher Research, 2nd Edition. NY: Routledge, Taylor & Francis.
Accessible and interactive, this book explores the important issues every early childhood teacher should know, guiding readers from conceptualization, generating research questions, identifying data sources, gathering and analyzing data, interpreting and sharing results, to taking action. This second edition features thoroughly updated references, standards, and resources, as well as all-new sections on teacher advocacy, social media and devices, data collection, and planned versus unplanned research.
Each chapter features:
- Teacher Researcher Notebook prompts for the reader to record ideas for research questions and to develop a plan for doing research.
- “From the Field” vignettes providing rich examples of real-world early childhood teacher researchers and their perspectives on doing teacher research.
- Reflection prompts inviting readers to pause and think deeply about relating content to their own situations. Reflections can be recorded in the Teacher Researcher Notebook.
- Explorations of additional content, websites, resources, interviews, and activities.
Thomas, U. (2020). Cases on Strategic Partnerships for Resilient Communities and Schools (pp. 1-280). Hershey, PA: IGI Global. doi:10.4018/978-1-7998-3285-0
Cases on Strategic Partnerships for Resilient Communities and Schools is an essential publication that uncovers the problems and pitfalls of creating strategic partnerships between schools and other members of the community in which the schools are situated that include for-pro t businesses, not-for-pro t entities, and private organizations. The book reveals that schools that are thriving effectively do not do so in isolation but as vibrant members and centers of the communities in which they serve students and families. Moreover, it examines the difficulty in advocating for the schools and the leadership of the schools within these communities so that they can be better served. Highlighting a wide range of topics including leadership, community-based outreach, and school advocacy, this book is ideally designed for teachers, school administrators, principals, school boards and committees, non-pro t administrators, educational advocates, leadership faculty, community engagement directors, community outreach personnel, entrepreneurs, researchers, academicians, and students.
Evanshen, P., & Faulk, J. (2019). Room to learn: Elementary classrooms designed for interactive explorations. Silver Springs, MD: Gryphon House.
You may know classroom environments are a complex interaction of physical elements, including sensory components, design and organization, aesthetics, nurturing attributes, and pedagogical resources. Did you know these elements are proven to work together to improve early learning, self-efficacy and higher order thinking skills, and ultimately to achieve better child outcomes?
Room to Learn presents the Assessing the Pillars of the Physical Environment for Academic Learning (APPEAL) environmental rating scale, a valid and reliable tool developed by Pamela Evanshen, EdD and Janet Faulk, EdD, to show you how to get the most out of your classroom environment.
Use this practical guide to:
- Create student-centered, welcoming, and developmentally appropriate learning opportunities
- Encourage positive learning interactions through room arrangement
- Facilitate discovery and active engagement through learning centers
- Help children take ownership of their learning and work together in collaborative, project-based learning and problem solving
Iorio, J.M., & Parnell, W. (Eds.). (2018, Jan). Meaning making in early childhood research: Pedagogies and the personal. Special series Changing Images in Early Childhood. Routledge Taylor and Francis: NY
Meaning Making in Early Childhood Research asks readers to rethink research in early childhood education through qualitative research practices reflective of arts-based pedagogies. This collection explores how educators and researchers can move toward practices of meaning making in early childhood education. The text’s narrative style provides an intimate portrait of engaging in research that challenges assumptions and thinking in a variety of international contexts, and each chapter offers a way to engage in meaning making based on the experiences of young children, their families, and educators.
Thomas, U (2018). Advocacy in Academia and the Role of Teacher Preparation Programs. Hershey, PA: IGI Global Publishing.
Due to changes in funding and legislation, educating as a career has become unstable. It is imperative to establish a culture that values education in order to encourage pursuing and preserving the profession of teaching. Advocacy in Academia and the Role of Teacher Preparation Programs is an essential reference source for the latest scholarly research on the need of support for students and faculty by examining policy, student engagement, professorial activism, and integrated allied services. Featuring extensive coverage on a broad range of topics such as student success, specialty programs, and service learning, this publication is ideally designed for academicians, researchers, and practitioners seeking current research on issues of advocacy in education.
Li, H., Park, E., & Chen, J. (2017) (Eds.). Early childhood education policies in Asia Pacific: Advances in theory and practice. Singapore: Springer.
This book evaluates recent early childhood education policies on the basis of a ‘3A2S’ framework, which refers to accessibility, affordability, accountability, sustainability, and social justice. It systematically and empirically reviews early childhood education policies in specific countries and areas in the Asia-Pacific Region, such as Australia, Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Singapore, Vietnam, New Zealand, Pacific Islands, and so on. As the first English-language collection of large-scale reviews of early childhood education policies in Asia Pacific, this book will be of great value to early childhood educators, policymakers, researchers, and postgraduate students in the Region and beyond.
Thomas, U. (2017). Disposition and Early Childhood Education Preservice Teachers: A Social Justice Stance in Keengwe, J. (Editor). Handbook of research on promoting cross-cultural competence and social justice in teacher education. Hershey, PA: IGI Global Publishing
Without proper training on the intricacies of race and culture, pre-service and in-service teachers may unwittingly continue outdated and ineffective pedagogies. As the demographics of student bodies shift to include more diverse backgrounds, fluency in the discourse of social justice becomes necessary. The Handbook of Research on Promoting Cross-Cultural Competence and Social Justice in Teacher Education elucidates the benefits, challenges, and strategies necessary to prepare teachers to meet the needs of a diverse student body. Featuring the newest research and pedagogical tools written by diverse scholars in the field of teacher training, this expertly crafted handbook is ideal for teachers, administrators, students of education, and policymakers.
Cohen, L.E. & Waite-Stupiansky, S. (2017). Theories of Early Childhood Education: Developmental, Behaviorist, and Critical. New York: Routledge.
“This book should be the go-to reference for understanding critical theories of early childhood. Chapters are beautifully written, jargon-free, and wonderfully accessible to both undergraduate and
graduate students. I’ve been waiting for a book like this for years, and plan to use it in all my classes. A real achievement!” Susan B. Neuman, New York University, USA
Theories of Early Childhood Education provides a comprehensive introduction to the various theoretical perspectives influential in early childhood education, from developmental psychology to critical theories, Piaget to Freire. Expert chapter authors examine assumptions underpinning the use of theory in the early years and concisely explore the implications of these questions for policy and practice. Every chapter includes applications to practice that will assist students and professionals in seeing the relevance of the theoretical perspective for their teaching.
Brillante, P., & Nemeth, K. (2017) Universal design for learning in the early childhood classroom: Teaching children of all languages, cultures, and abilities, birth – 8 years. New York: Routledge
Universal Design for Learning in the Early Childhood Classroom focuses on proactively designing PreK through Grade 3 classroom environments, instruction, and assessments that are flexible enough to ensure that teachers can accommodate the needs of all the students in their classrooms. Typically developing students, gifted students, students who are impacted by poverty, children who speak multiple languages or have a home language that is different than the classroom language, and students with identified or potential developmental or learning disabilities are all covered within this highly practical, easy-to-use guide to UDL in the early years.
Brillante, P. (2017). The essentials: supporting children with disabilities in the classroom. Washington, DC: NAEYC
Understanding and implementing inclusion starts here. Educators looking for a simple, straightforward introduction to the core concepts of teaching and supporting children with disabilities alongside their peers will want to have this resource at their fingertips. Every year, the number of children with developmental delays or disabilities in early childhood programs and classrooms is increasing. What do you need to know to support them? This guide is filled with practical information that will help educators who work with children ages birth through 8 teach children with disabilities alongside their peers. Learn the essentials of what you need to know.
Pollman, M. J. (2017). The Young Artist as a Scientist: What Can Leonardo Teach Us? New York: Teachers College Press.
This is the first in-depth look at the important connections between the arts and science specifically for early childhood education (pre-K–3rd grade). Highlighting their many commonalities such as the processes involved in creative problem solving, the author draws on what we can learn from Leonardo da Vinci as the supreme artist-scientist. Every chapter begins with a vignette of Leonardo and relates his thinking to the development of children’s ideas in the arts and STEM (STEAM). This fresh look at the interdisciplinary connections of the arts and science offers early childhood teachers and administrators a spectrum of tools for connect¬ing the creative arts (art, movement, drama, and music) to the STEM movement, 21st-century skills, and developmen¬tally appropriate practice.
Book Features:
- Promotes a more vigorous, inclusive, and diverse early childhood curriculum needed for the 21st century.
- Helps teachers, parents, and administrators make connections between art and science.
- Examines the connection of the arts to the Next Generation Science Standards (2013) through the Crosscutting Interdisciplinary Concepts.
- Incorporates Reggio Emilia practices and includes examples from a Reggio preschool classroom.
Chen, J. J. (2016). Connecting right from the start: Fostering effective communication with dual language learners. Lewisville, NC: Gryphon House.
Connecting with dual language learners (DLLs) is a growing reality among early childhood educators, who need to learn practical, proven strategies to reach these students. Grounded in research and strengthened by the author’s personal experience as a student learning English, Connecting Right from the Start helps teachers understand the culturally and linguistically diverse children in their classroom, as well as those with disabilities.
Some of the skills teachers will learn:
- Ways to make DLLs feel more comfortable in the classroom
- The stages of second-language acquisition
- Ways to challenge DLLs without overwhelming them
- Ways to involve families in school activities
Parnell, W., & Iorio, JM. (Eds.). (2016, Jan). Disrupting research in early childhood: Imagining new possibilities. Special series Changing Images in Early Childhood. Routledge Taylor and Francis: NY.
Recent and increasing efforts to standardize young children’s academic performance have shifted the emphases of education toward normative practices and away from qualitative, substantive intentions. Connection to human experience, compassion for societal ailments, and the joys of learning are straining under the pressure of quantitative research, competition, and test scores, exemplified by federal funding competitions and policymaking.
Disrupting Early Childhood Education Research critically interrogates the traditional foundations of early childhood research practices to disrupt the status quo through imaginative, cutting-edge research in diverse U.S. and international contexts. Its chapters are driven by empirical data derived from unique research projects and a variety of contemporary methodologies that include phenomenological studies, auto-ethnographic writings, action-oriented studies, arts-based methodologies, and other innovative approaches. By giving voice to marginalized social science researchers who are active in learning, school, and early education sectors, this volume explores the meanings of actionable and everyday approaches based on the experiences of young children, their families, and educators.
Winterbottom, C. & Lake, V. (Eds.). (2016). Praxeological Learning: Service-Learning in Teacher Education. Hauppauge, NY: Nova Publishers.
With the most recent educational reform through the implementation of the Common Core Standards, Praxeological Learning: Service-Learning in Teacher Education can provide a fresh look at educational transformation through the lens of service-learning in teacher preparation. As Butin (2003) referenced over a decade ago, “service-learning rejects the banking model of education, where the transferences of information from knowledgeable teachers to passive students is conducted in 45-min increments. It subverts the notion of classroom as graveyard – rows and rows of silent bodies – for an active pedagogy committed to connecting theory and practice, schools and community, the cognitive and the ethical.”
The pedagogy of service-learning has significant implications for teacher education. Its transformative aspects have far reaching potential to address teacher candidate dispositions and provide deeper understanding of social justice. Knowledge of the pedagogy and how to implement it in candidates’ future classrooms and in the community could modify education to a more powerful experience of democracy in action and enhance the civic mission of schools. The current and ongoing research found within this textbook is meant to continue supporting the notion of educational reform.
Couse, L. J. & Recchia, S. L. (Eds.). (2016). The Handbook of Early Childhood Teacher Education. New York: Routledge.
This handbook synthesizes both contemporary research and best practices in early childhood teacher education, a unique segment of teacher education defined by its focus on child development, the role of the family, and support for all learners. The first volume of its kind, the Handbook of Early Childhood Teacher Education provides comprehensive coverage on key topics in the field, including the history of early childhood teacher education programs, models for preparing early childhood educators, pedagogical approaches to supporting diverse learners, and contemporary influences on this quickly expanding area of study.
Appropriate for early childhood teacher educators as well as both pre- and in-service teachers working with children from birth through 8, this handbook articulates the unique features of early childhood teacher education, highlighting the strengths and limitations of current practice as based in empirical research. It concludes by charting future directions for research with an aim to improve the preparation of early childhood educators.
Iorio, J.M., & Parnell, W. (Eds.). (2015, Feb). Rethinking readiness in early childhood education: Implications for policy and practice. Palgrave Macmillan: NY.
This book challenges traditional conceptions of readiness in early childhood education by sharing concrete examples of practice, policy and histories that rethink readiness. This book seeks to reimagine possible new educational worlds for young children.
“In assembling a dazzling array of international authors engaged in rethinking readiness in early childhood education, Iorio and Parnell stimulate readers to re-imagine readiness that includes all its complexities, ambiguities, and paradoxical nature. The chapters encourage critical review of long-held assumptions and encourage new ways of reconceptualizing from a strong theoretical base. Viewing readiness from the perspectives of teachers, children, and parents, each chapter gives us new insight into this important educational policy issue.” – Nicola Yelland, Professor and Director of Research in the College of Education, Victoria University, Australia
J. Amos Hatch (2015). Reclaiming the teaching profession: Transforming the dialogue on public education. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
“In this timely book, Hatch exposes the massive effort to dismantle public education, while reminding readers of its purpose. This powerful book serves as an invitation to action—on behalf of a brighter future for teachers, schools, and children—on behalf of a better tomorrow for our society. Reclaiming the Teaching Profession: Transforming the Dialogue on Public Education will be an inspiration to all who care about the transformative potential and power of education.” – Mariana Souto-Manning, Professor of Early Childhood Education, Teachers College, Columbia University.
Reclaiming the Teaching Profession gives educators and their allies a clear overview of the massive effort to dismantle public education in the United States, which includes a direct attack on teachers. The book details, and provides a systematic critique of, the shaky assumptions at the foundation of the market-based reform initiatives that dominate the contemporary education scene. It names and exposes the motives and methods of the powerful philanthropists, politicians, business moguls, and education entrepreneurs who are behind the reform movement. It provides counter narratives that public school advocates can use to talk back to those who would destroy the teaching profession and public education. It includes examples of successful acts of resistance and identifies resources for challenging reformers’ taken for granted primacy in the education debate. It concludes with strategies educators can use to “speak truth to power,” reclaim their professional status, and reshape the education landscape in ways that serve all of America’s children and preserve our democracy.
Derman-Sparks, L, LeeKeenan, D, & Nimmo, J. (2015). Leading anti-bias early childhood programs: A guide for change. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
“It is never too early to prepare children to deal effectively with issues of race, class, gender, family, and ability and equity. This book is a tool box for building early childhood programs that foster sentiments of justice and fairness in leaders, teachers, and young children, and help them to act on these values.” – Herbert Kohl, educator and best-selling author
“Leading Anti-Bias Early Childhood Programs recognizes the essential role early childhood administrators play in initiating and sustaining culturally relevant care and education. Program leaders steeped in the principles of anti-bias education are able to see diversity as an organizational asset and work intentionally and strategically to make the abstract notion of social justice come alive throughout the program. This book provides the tools program leaders need to make that happen.” – Paula Jorde Bloom, Michael W. Louis Endowed Chair, McCormick Center for Early Childhood Leadership, National Louis University
With a focus on the leader’s role in initiating and sustaining anti-bias education in programs for young children and their families, this book is both a stand-alone text and a perfect companion for Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves. It emphasizes that this work is not only about changing curriculum, but requires thoughtful, strategic, long-term planning that addresses all components of an early childhood program. With a powerful combination of conceptual frameworks, strategies, and practical tools, Louise Derman-Sparks, renowned expert on anti-bias education, together with experienced early childhood directors Debbie LeeKeenan and John Nimmo explain the structural and individual changes leaders must foster. Featuring the authors’ extensive experience in the field, supplemented with insights from other anti-bias educators, they build on and expand current thinking about best early childhood leadership practices.
Nemeth, K. (Ed.). (2014). Young dual language learners: A guide for prek-3 leaders, Philadelphia, Caslon.
Young Dual Language Learners 45 contributing experts provide clear and concise responses to questions that early childhood and elementary education leaders, administrators, and preschool directors ask about educating young children who are learning in two languages. This user-friendly guide helps all practitioners navigate the landscape of early childhood education in linguistically and culturally responsive ways. This book has chapters by other NAECTE members.
Blythe Hinitz (2013). The Hidden History of Early Childhood Education New York: Routledge.
The Hidden History of Early Childhood Education provides an understandable and manageable exploration of the history of early childhood education in the United States. Covering historical, philosophical, and sociological underpinnings that reach from the 1800s to today, contributors explore groups and topics that have traditionally been marginalized or ignored in early childhood education literature. Chapters include such topics as home- schooling, early childhood education in Japanese-American internment camps, James “Jimmy” Hymes, the Eisenhower legacy, Constance Kamii, and African-American leaders of the field. This engaging book examines a range of new primary sources to be shared with the field for the first time, including personal narratives, interviews, and letters. The Hidden Historyof Early Childhood Education is a valuable resource for every early childhood education scholar, student, and practitioner. – Blythe Farb Hinitz, Professor of Early Childhood and Elementary Education at the College of New Jersey.
Doris Pronin Fromberg (2012). The all-day kindergarten and pre-k curriculum: A dynamic-themes approach. New York: Routledge.
Hyson, M. & Tomlinson, H.B. (2014). The Early Years Matter: Education, Care, and the Well-Being of Children, Birth to 8. New York: Teachers College Press and Washington, DC: NAEYC.
The Early Years Matter introduces current and future teachers and others interested in early childhood education to the importance of the early years in children’s well-being and success. It summarizes the research on the value of high-quality services for young children, families, and society, showing why early education matters both today and into the future.
Each chapter begins with the story of one child whose experiences are typical of other children in the same age group or life circumstances, including children with disabilities, children living in poverty, children in developing countries, children with challenging behavior, and more. The book also features first-person narratives by early childhood professionals who offer insight into the complexity and joys of working with or on behalf of young children. Suggestions for further reading and concluding questions for reflection, dialogue, and action make The Early Years Matter a perfect resource for courses and professional development.
“Hyson and Tomlinson do not simply provide a straightforward and comprehensive view of early childhood education; they humanize it through the experiences of children, families, and early childhood professionals. They leave the reader with a clear understanding of the myriad of ways in which high-quality early childhood education programs matter in the early years, and they matter a lot.” — From the Foreword by Jacqueline Jones, President, Foundation for Child Development and former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Early Learning, U.S. Department of Education
“One small volume — a lot that matters!… The Early Years Matter is compelling reading for newcomers to the field, as well as for seasoned professionals.” – Marjorie Kostelnik, dean, College of Education and Human Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
“This book… provides clear, interesting, and succinct overviews of issues critical for those working in early childhood to understand, weaving in the most recent developments in research, policy, and practice in accessible ways. The book is engaging—both a pleasure to read and effective in welcoming readers to take part in work of great significance.” – Martha Zaslow, director, SRCD Office for Policy and Communications
Wasserman, L.H. and Zambo, D. (2013) (Eds.) Early Childhood and Neuroscience- Links to Development and Learning (Educating the Young Child 7). New York: Springer.
As neuroscientists learn more about brain development, chemistry, and structures their findings are exerting an influence on the education and care of young children. Teachers and caregivers are reading about brain development in magazines and watching television shows that explain how the brain learns. What was once a specialized field with technical jargon is being disseminated, yet some of this information is inaccurate. Neuroscience can be used to create false hopes (McCabe & Castel, 2008; Sylvan & Christodoulou, 2010; Weisberg, Keil, Rawson, & Gray, 2008). One such example of false hopes that Jorgenson (2003) wrote about, and can be found in the research conducted by McCabe and Castel (2008), states that educators should be aware “that much of the brain based information in the field of education is developed and promoted by educational consultants, few of whom have credentials in the field of neuroscience. However, educators have little guidance when judging the sources of the information available or the credentials of those making scientific claims.” The field of education needs to have correct information that educators can develop scientific skills for their area of expertise. They need to learn and understand relevant terminology, and be able to read research analytically in order to successfully navigate the field of brain based education (Wolfe, 2001). This volume Early Childhood and Neuroscience: Links to Development and Learning delves into current research and marries this collective research with ideas for the educator’s success.
This volume fits with Springer’s Educating the Young Child series and contributes to it by bringing together a group of distinguished authors writing on an array of inter-related educational topics and practices. Research, theory, and practice, are fused to provide proven and effective strategies educators can use to shape the cognitive emotional, social, and behavioral needs of all young children, including those with exceptionalities. Chapters in this volume focus on: the ethics of neuroscience, brain development, best practices including effective curricula, healthy environments, reliable information, and appropriate assessment strategies to use to ensure young minds are educated appropriately.
Lake, V. & Jones, I. (2012). Service Learning in the PreK–3 Classroom: The What, Why, and How-To Guide for Every Teacher. Minneapolis, MN. Freespirit Publishers, Inc.
Among early childhood education books, this one stands in a class by itself. It is the only comprehensive, research-based guide for implementing service learning across the preK and early elementary curriculum. Based on field trials with over 3,500 students and 215 educators, this pioneering resource is rich in both theory and practice, and it combines best practices in service with differentiated content-based learning to meet the academic and social needs of young children in meaningful ways. The guide’s numerous sample service learning lesson plans are based on field-tested preK and early elementary classroom projects and correlated to national standards.
Inside you’ll find:
- Dozens of ready-to-use templates for lesson planning, surveying, assessment, evaluation, permissions, and documentation
- Practical project design strategies for readers at all levels of service learning experience—from novice to advanced
- Supporting research from field experts: Piaget, Dewey, Vygotsky, Kohlberg, Gilligan, Noddings, and Lickona
- Content and lessons that reflect National Association for the Education of Young Children’s (NAEYC) developmentally appropriate practice (DAP); Service-Learning Standards for Quality Practice; Common Core State Standards in English language arts and mathematics; national standards in social studies, science, fine arts, technology, and health; and Head Start Child Development and Early Learning Framework
- Over 20 sample lesson plans that include differentiated instruction options and address child-friendly themes
Digital content includes customizable versions of the book’s forms, additional sample lesson plans, and a PowerPoint presentation for use in preservice and professional development.
Kathryn Castle, (2012). Early Childhood Teacher Research: From Questions to Results, New York: Routledge.
From back page of book:
“Castle has given the early childhood field a much needed resource on the practice and the value of teacher research. Her clear guidelines and engaging examples bring early childhood teacher research to life for new and continuing educators working with children from birth though age eight. Drawing on her deep knowledge of early childhood practice, Castle shows us how to do exemplary teacher research from start to finish, and tells us why it is so essential to high quality teaching and learning.”
— Susan L. Recchia, Associate Professor and Coordinator, Integrated Early Childhood Program, Teachers College, Columbia University
“Castle heralds the message that context is crucial in the realm of teacher research—and that early childhood education provides a compelling and significant landscape for doing this type of work. This richly grounded and comprehensive guide is a much needed contribution to the field. It will be welcomed by aspiring and seasoned teacher researchers alike.”
— Patricia A. Crawford, Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education, University of Pittsburgh
“In clear language, Castle leads students and educators through familiar but unique territory of practice in early childhood education into solidly based teacher research. By using a wide variety of authentic examples, she carefully scaffolds steps to assist even research-intimidated individuals to become researchers. This book has the potential to improve our field and educational practice in every early childhood setting.”
— Elaine Surbeck, Professor of Early Childhood and Teacher Education, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, Arizona State University
Isbell, R., & Evanshen, P. (2012). Real classroom makeovers: Practical ideas for early childhood classrooms. Silver Spring, MD: Gryphon House.
Learning environments are an important topic as more and more teachers try to make their classrooms into places that support and inspire learning. Using “before” and “after” pictures of real early childhood classrooms, Real Classroom Makeovers shows early childhood teachers step-by-step how small changes can transform their classrooms into wondrous environments for children to learn and grow. With a budget-conscious focus, the book provides visual examples of dramatic changes that are possible in real preschool, Pre-K, and kindergarten classrooms. Most of the makeovers focus on a specific classroom area or learning center. Much more than a collection of before-and-after pictures, this book introduces and describes the philosophy behind creative learning environments based on current early childhood education research. Written in simple, down-to-earth language, this book is accessible for all educators!
Evanshen, P., & Faulk, J. (2011). A room to learn: Rethinking classroom environments. New York, NY: Gryphon House.
Turn classrooms into inspiring learning environments! Based on the latest research about how children learn, this book helps elementary school teachers make their classrooms into creative spaces that facilitate teaching and learning. With “before” and “after” photos of real classrooms, teachers can examine each area and determine their own classroom’s need for improvement.
Adams, L., & Kirova, A. (Eds.). (2007). Global migration and education: Schools, children and families. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
This book addresses the issues faced by immigrant children and other newly arrived children, their parents, and educators through chapters for 14 countries. The common challenges and successes are identified in school settings that cope with these issues. Intended for researchers, students, school professionals, and educational policy makers in the fields of multicultural education, child psychology, international education, educational foundations and policy, and cross-cultural studies, this book is highly relevant as a text for courses in these areas.
Berson, I. R., & Berson, M. J. (Eds.). (2010). High-tech tots: Childhood in a digital world. A Volume in I. R. Berson & M. J. Berson (Series Eds.) Research in Global Child Advocacy. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.
This book is the fifth in the Research in Global Child Advocacy Series. The volume examines theoretical assumptions as well as the application of innovative strategies that optimize the interface between young children and ICT from a global perspective. Despite divergent perspectives, the chapter authors share a commitment to explore the immersion of ICT into the lives of young children and consider the educational value of these tools as well as the developmental appropriateness of technological affordances. (See also the following chapter within this text written by NAECTE members)
Wang, X. C., Berson, I. R., Jaruszewicz, C., Hartle, L., & Rosen, D. (2010). Children’s experiences with technology in multiple contexts: Re-conceptualizing the ecology of learning and development. In I. R. Berson & M. J. Berson (Eds.), High-tech tots: Childhood in a digital world. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.
Brenner, S. M., (2010). Promising practices for elementary teachers: Make no excuses. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Teachers have the power to change lives, particularly for struggling learners who have difficulty understanding how education broadens their future opportunities. This book offers educators a deeper awareness of the role they play in breaking the cycle of failure for students who are unsuccessful in school. Topics explored include building a sense of community, tapping student motivation, engaging in instructional conversations, including students who are learning English as a second language, using parent involvement for academic success, and differentiating instruction.
Decker, C., Decker, J., Freeman N. K., & Knopf, H. T. (2009). Planning and administering early childhood programs (9th ed.). Cincinnati, OH. Pearson/Merrill.
Nancy Freeman and Herman Knopf have extensibely revised this classic child care administration text. Its target audiences are students in child administration courses and individuals administering programs of early care and education.
Fields, M.V., Groth, L.A., & Spangler, K. L., (2008). Let’s begin reading right: A developmental approach to emergent literacy. Columbus, OH: Pearson, Merrill, Prentice Hall.
This textbook continues ot advocate for teaching literacy skills in the context of reading and writing, and doing so in ways that young children learn best, including play. Discussion of constructivist learning theory in relation to literacy is followed by an overview of the foundation experiences young children need for oral and written language acquisition. Those two foundation issues become the basis for all subsequent teaching examples and recommendations. In an attempt to dispel the pervasive misconception that isolated drill in skills is better than learning skills in a meaningful context, the development of reading and writing skills is described within authentic literacy events. Assessment within authentic literacy events is also described and recommended for validity and reliability of results. (6th edition).
Fields, M. V., Meritt, P., & Fields, D. (2014). Constructivist guidance and discipline: Preschool and primary education. Upper Saddle River NJ. Merrill/Pearson.
This textbook presents guidance and discipline concepts within a framework of child development, developmentally appropriate practices and constructivist learning theory. Only discipline approaches consistent will all three aspects of the framework are recommended. The major focs is on discovering and responding to the underlying causes of undersirable behaviors rather than merely teating the symptoms. Young children’s emotional, social, intellectual and physical development is explained as the basis for discovering the causes of behavior problems. (5th edition)
Jacobson, T. (2008). Don’t get so upset! Helping young children manage their feelings by understanding your own. Red Leaf PRess. Saint Paul: MN.
Emotions can have a domino effect in the classroom when teachers’ emotional states influence their interactions with students and later the children’s moods. Don’t Get So Upset! will show child care providers how to express themselves in appropriate ways so that children will learn to do the same. This book approaches the subject in a practical, personal, and self-helping manner that will ultimately assist you in supporting children’s emotional development.
Krough, S. & Morehouse, P. (2008). The early childhood curriculum: Inquiry learning through integration. New York: McGraw-Hill.
The purpose of this text is not only to echo the compelling research taht advocates child-centered teaching through the use of inquiry and integration, but to show how such an approach to early education can work, even as expectations have become increasingly perscriptive and regimented. This book is intended for future teachers at any level.
Nemeth, K. (2009). Many languagaes, one classroom: Teaching dual and English language learners. Beltsville, MD: Gryphon House.
“This book fills a seroius gap in our professional toolbox: How to design and implement curriculum for young children who are learning English as they continue to learn their home language.” – Linda M. Espinosa, Ph.D., Professor of Early Childhood Education at the University of Missouri-Columbia.
Newman, M., Sheridan, K., & Ogle, D. (2009). Visual Literacy Curriculum. In M. Newman, C. Spirou & D. Fouts (Eds.). Teaching with primary sources: Colected works. Volume 2 (pp.49-54). 1099 Federation of Independent Illinois Colleges and Universities.
Pollman, M. (2010). Blocks and beyond: Strengthening early math and science skills through spatial learning. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co., Inc.
Spatial development, which is linked with higher achievement in math, science, and other academic areas, should be part of every young child’s education. This innovative resource gives early childhood educators research-based insights and practical activities for promoting spatial development throughout the school day. Blocks and Beyond is useful as an inservice professional development resource, as well as a textbook for preservice teachers.
Thomas, U. (2010) Culture or Chaos in the Village: The Journey to Cultural Fluency. Blue Ridge Summit, PA: Rowman & Littlefield
This book seeks to provide a framework for examination of the factors that influence mediation of culture in the minds of teachers. The text moves in a manner that sets the tone for a courageous conversation. It is the intent of this book to facilitate a focused conversation, discussing the factors of race, class, and gender in conjunction with personal and professional belief systems of educators, pre-service and in-service.
Wang, X. C., Jaruszewicz, C., Rosen, D., Berson, I. R., Bailey, M., Hartle, L., Griebling, S., Buckleitner, W., Blagojevic, B., & Robinson, L. (2008). On Our Minds. Meaningful Technology Integration in Early Learning Environments. Young Children, 63(5), 48-57.
Also, members of the NAEYC Technology and Young Children Interest Forum, these NAECTE members were invited to write a short article that explains theories into contemporary, appropriate uses of technology with young children through a scenario of a young child and her family’s daily uses of technology. The context includes the prominent roles of adult guidance and the affordance of social opportunities for young children as they engage with interactive technologies.