Enhance your professional development and partner with children and families to improve learning experiences in a range of early childhood settings and programs.Learn how to integrate the Learning Stories approach and teacher inquiry groups to promote authentic assessment to inform instruction, and foster collegial team building and collaboration. The writing of Learning Stories integrated within the professional development process of teacher inquiry, documentatio...

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 nea...

This book examines children’s play in public city parks and playgrounds as they pursue their agendas for joy, healing, discovery, and democratic engagement.It offers an understanding of relevant theory and approaches for strengthening public city parks and playgrounds as spaces for children’s healthy development and civic engagement. The book features an introduction, six diary interludes between chapters, and six chapters that examine critical dimensions of children’s play in publ...

Designed to help students and educators make critical theory-to-practice connections, this essential volume provides a deep yet accessible approach to infant and toddler language and literacy education. Centered around four foundational topics—language, interaction, and play; language and culture; multilingualism; and early literacy—each section starts with a chapter breaking down the research and theory, followed by two practice chapters, from both leadership and teacher perspectives, tha...

A comprehensive theory-to-practice guidebook, Supporting Literacies for Children of Color argues for a new strength-based view of teaching to support the literacy talents and abilities of preschool-aged children of Color.The early childhood field is at a critical juncture in preschool literacy education as educators confront an ever-changing array of curricular approaches and assessment measures while still trying to meet the social, cultural, language, and literacy needs ...

Now in a fully updated second edition, Nature Education and Young Children remains a thoughtful, sophisticated teacher resource that blends theory and practice on nature education, children's inquiry-based learning, and reflective teaching.Reorganized to enhance its intuitive flow, this edition features a Foreword by David Sobel and three wholly new chapters examining nature and literacy in kindergarten, outdoor play and children’s agency in a forest school, and the power ...

Documentation and Inquiry in the Early Childhood Classroom explores teacher inquiry, reflection, and research and the documentation of these processes within a variety of school sites and models. Compiling underrepresented inquiry stories from practicing teachers and administrators in early childhood (0–5) classrooms in the San Francisco Bay Area, this book highlights the power of the community in supporting professional development for early childhood educators and the education ...

As top-down educational reform policies at local and national levels increasingly isolate teachers from their own professional and instructional agency, and stultify children’s passion for learning, new techniques are needed for understanding and transforming educational practices. Narrative Inquiry in Early Childhood and Elementary School: Learning to Teach, Teaching Well facilitates meaningful change in early years education by providing early childhood and elementary school tea...

Co-published with the Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI), Educational Change in International Early Childhood Contexts: Crossing Borders of Reflection examines the role of teacher reflection in a variety of educational contexts worldwide. Using a case study approach that integrates research, theory, policy, and practice, international contributors show how, in some settings, local traditions and values are honored while, in others, international educational i...

In his latest book, Daniel Meier highlights the critical importance of integrating content and mechanics for successful and engaged writing at the K–4 level. Featuring the teaching philosophies and strategies of seven exemplary teachers, and a discussion of relevant research and theory, Meierprovides a fresh, practical, and much-needed perspective on making writing meaningful and effective in the current standards-based era. Written by an experienced...

This book introduces a variety of inclusive strategies for teaching language and literacy in kindergarten through 2nd grade. Readers are invited into classrooms where racially, culturally, and linguistically diverse children’s experiences, unique strengths, and expertise are supported and valued. Chapters focus on oral language, reading, and writing development and include diverse possibilities for culturally relevant and inclusive teaching. Featured teaching strategies foster academic suc...

Culturally Responsive Teaching and Reflection in Higher Education explores how postsecondary educators can develop their own cultural awareness and provide inclusive learning environments for all students. Discussing best practices from the Cultural Literacy Curriculum Institute at Lesley University, faculty and administrators who are committed to culturally responsive teaching reflect on how to create an inclusive environment and how educators can cultivate the skills, attitudes,...