Teaching 4 to 8 Year Olds: Literacy, Math, Multiculturism, and Classroom Community

In this exciting book, education professionals will tune in to how 4- to 8-year-olds think and learn—and get sound research-based information and developmentally appropriate teaching practices in four crucial areas:

• Literacy—including promoting enthusiasm for reading, developing phonological awareness, and improving reading comprehension
• Mathematics—including creating data displays, looking for patterns, drawing on everyday experiences, and working math into classroom conversations
• Multiculturalism—including accepting differences, discouraging stereotypes, and developing an awareness of diverse cultures and family structures
• Classroom community—including making friends, resolving conflicts, and strengthening student–teacher relationships

For each topic, a theory chapter brings current research together in everyday language and shows readers how the concepts work through lively examples. Then, a corresponding practice chapter translates the research for each topic into real-world tips and strategies. Readers get brief, to-the-point advice on issues like teaching English-language learners, assessing skills, enhancing school readiness, and giving all children a voice in the classroom.

Enriched with best practices from high-quality classrooms and insight from teachers, this book gives education professionals practical solutions to common challenges.

This book is part of a series edited by Donald B. Bailey, Jr., Ph.D., and developed in conjunction with the National Center for Early Development and Learning (NCEDL). Visit NCEDL's website for information on the center's research, upcoming meetings, and free online publications.

Carollee Howes, Ph.D., is the director of the Center for Improving Child Care Quality, Department of Education, and a professor of the Applied Developmental Psychology doctorate program at the University of California, Los Angeles. Dr. Howes is an internationally recognized developmental psychologist focusing on children's social and emotional development. She has served as a principal investigator on a number of seminal studies in early child care and preschool education, including the National Child Care Staffing Study; the Family and Relative Care Study; the Cost, Quality, and Outcomes Study; and the National Study of Child Care in Low Income Families.

Dr. Howes has been active in public policy for children and families in California as well as across the United States. Her research focuses on children's experiences in child care, their concurrent and long-term outcomes from child care experiences, and child care quality and efforts to improve child care quality. Dr. Howes is the editor of Teaching 4- to 8-Year-Olds: Literacy, Math, Multiculturalism, and Classroom Community (Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co., 2003) and the coeditor of The Promise of Pre-K (Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co., 2009) and Foundations for Teaching Excellence: Connecting Early Childhood Quality Rating, Professional Development, and Competency Systems in States (Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co., 2011).

Donald B. Bailey, Jr., Ph.D., is Distinguished Fellow at RTI International. He is internationally known as an expert on young children with disabilities. For 27 years, he was on the faculty of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he was a W.R. Kenan, Jr. Distinguished Professor and, for 14 years, director of the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute. Dr. Bailey has addressed a variety of issues in his research and publications related to early intervention of children with disabilities and their families, with a particular focus on family support, inclusion, early identification, and fragile X syndrome. He has an extensive record of publications, with more than 200 peer-reviewed articles, chapters, and books on a wide variety of topics related to early education, early intervention, disability, and family support.

M. Susan Burns, Ph.D., is Professor Emerita at George Mason University. She is educated in the disciplines of Education and Psychology and received her Ph.D. from George Peabody College, Vanderbilt University. Her entire career has focused on literacy/cognition and early childhood education (birth through grade 3) of children and families, especially those from culturally diverse backgrounds and low-income backgrounds, and professional development for teachers and others serving these children and families. Her expertise in promoting mental health for young children and their families and the role of play-based education as a foundation for intellectual and literacy development is integrated throughout her professional activities. Major publications include Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children and Eager to Learn: Educating Our Preschoolers, reports of the National Academy of Sciences, and Knowledge to Support the Teaching of Reading, report of the National Academy of Education. Dr. Burns’ publication listings (over 75), includes books, chapters, and journal articles.

Linda Espinosa, Ph.D., has had experience as a preschool teacher, child care center director, elementary school principal, central office administrator, State program director, and corporate Vice President of Education. Her practical experience and research interests focus on the design and evaluation of optimal learning environments for young children who are at risk for school failure. Dr. Espinosa has worked extensively with low-income Hispanic/Latino children and families throughout the state of California. She completed her B.A. at the University of Washington, her Ed.M. at Harvard University and her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology at the University of Chicago.