Rethinking Learning in Early Childhood Education

"I think a real strength of the book is the use of the case studies to ground the points made and to offer in-depth insights into practice."
Jackie Marsh, University of Sheffield, UK

This exciting book considers the nature of young children's lives and how this can, and should, inform early childhood education in practical ways. It examines:

• What is it like for young children to learn in the 21st century?
• How can we link this to new and innovative ways of providing relevant and engaging learning contexts for young children?
• What it means to be multiliterate in the 21st century

The book explores how learning and engagement with ideas can be extended through the use of new technologies, describing how information and communications technologies enable young people to extend the boundaries of their learning and social interactions.

These experiences have important implications for formal learning environments and the nature of the curriculum, including bold new approaches to teaching and learning which offer opportunities for children to investigate in new ways. This book provides examples of the ways in which early childhood teachers have extended opportunities for new types of learning for children by creating contexts in which they are able to explore and represent their ideas and thinking in multimodal formats using new technologies.

This book represents a research-based discussion for rethinking learning in the 21st century and includes various case studies and scenarios to enable students and practising teachers to try out new ideas. Finally, it considers new ways of thinking about children's learning by creating a multiliteracies portrait, pedagogies and pathways profile that enables teachers to build on their strengths to plan for effective learning outcomes.

Rethinking Learning in Early Childhood Education is key reading for students on Early Years courses or Primary Education pre-service teacher education programmes.

Nicola Yelland is Professor of Education in the School of Education at Victoria University in Melbourne, Australia.

Libby Lee is Senior Lecturer in Early Childhood Education at Murdoch University in Perth, Western Australia.

Maureen O'Rourke is Executive Director of EdPartnerships International and has taught in higher education, pre-school, primary, secondary and specialist schools.

Cathie Harrison is Senior Lecturer in Early Childhood Education at the Australian Catholic University in Sydney, Australia.