APPROACHES TO EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION, 5TH EDN

Early child education is at a crossroads today. Public awareness of the importance of educating young children has grown in recent years, applying greater pressure on educators to provide high-quality early childhood programs. Should the field move in the direction of an emphasis on academic learning and achievement or on development and care? How can we meet the needs of so many diverse learners? Many approaches to instruction and learning are presented in this book. Teachers who hope to become leaders in the field have to keep up with the new directions in research and applications. This comprehensive and unique text has been extensively revised in this edition to give strong coverage of the current trends and issues in the field of early childhood education. With contributions by 32 experts in the field, it addresses new developments in curricula, assessment strategies and teaching methods. The aim of the text is to enhance the reader’s knowledge and skill set of early child education in order to meet the new needs and challenges that face the teaching profession. NEW! Includes three new chapters (Chapters 7, 8 and 10) on early prevention initiatives, early development and education programs in public school and Tools of the Mind: Vygotskyian Approach to Early Childhood Education -grounded in theory, these chapters reflect the most current trends in early child education and give clear examples of how different practices can be applied when working with young children.