Threads of Thinking: Young Children Learning and the Role of Early Education - Softcover

Nutbrown, Cathy

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1853962171 ISBN 13: 9781853962172

Publisher: Paul Chapman Educational Publishing

Synopsis

Threads of Thinking is a book for teachers in nursery and early education, and for other professional educators who wish to support and develop children’s thinking. The author presents evidence of continuity and progression in young children’s thinking and shows, with detailed observations, that young children are able and active learners. She considers aspects of children’s patterns of learning and thinking - or schemas - and demonstrates clearly how children learn in an active, dynamic and creative way.

Numerous examples of young children ‘in action’ are used, which illustrate their learning in the areas of literacy, mathematics and science. Implications for the roles and responsibilities of educators, work with parents, and curriculum development are discussed.

About this title

About the Author:

Professor Cathy Nutbrown is Head of the School of Education at the University of Sheffield, where she teaches and researches in the field of early childhood education.

Cathy began her career as a teacher of young children and has since worked in a range of settings and roles with children, parents, teachers, and other early childhood educators. Cathy is committed to finding ways of working ‘with respect’ with young children, and sees the concept of quality in the context of what it means to develop curriculum and pedagogy in the early years with the ambition of working in a climate of ‘respectful education’.

She established the University of Sheffield MA in Early Childhood Education in 1998 and a Doctoral Programme in Early Childhood Education in 2008. In 2010 she contributed to the Tickell Review of the Early Years Foundation In June 2012 she reported on her year-long independent review for government on early years and childcare qualifications (The Nutbrown Review). She is Editor-in-Chief of the SAGE Journal of Early Childhood Research and author of over fifty publications on aspects of early childhood education.

Review:

`There are some excellent sections on scientific and mathematical learning in Part Three. Many practical ideas are provided for developing these concepts in young children. There are also excellent sections on literacy that again provide valuable insight into developing these concepts.... There are valuable ideas and suggestions in the book, and I feel that teachers of young children in nurseries or early years settings would be quite interested in the contents′ - Education Review

`The focus of Threads of Thinking is on children′s patterns of learning and thinking, particularly schemas. However, the book as a whole is much more than that and provides material for reflection by anyone working with and for young children. Many of the examples discussed are ones considered in the First Edition, but the changes Cathy Nutbrown has made throughout the book bring it right up to date, including some speculation on the ideas of a "Foundation Stage" in England. There is much here that is valuable for reading alone, but also a lot that could be shared by groups of people, including those already working in the field as well as those in training′ - International Journal of Early Years Education

`The book is well organized and covers key areas which include children′s developing understanding of mathematical and scientific ideas, early literacy, what is involved in the provision of a respectful and challenging curriculum, assessment.... This book makes an important contribution to the continuing debate with regard to the kind of training required by those involved in early childhood education′ - Educational Research

About this edition

• Publisher: Paul Chapman Educational Publishing
• ISBN 10: 1853962171
• ISBN 13: 9781853962172
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 176