Early Childhood Education

Te Whariki : He whariki matauranga mo nga mokopuna o Aotearoa : Early childhood curriculum by Ministry of Education.

Human development: Family, place, culture by Wendy Drewery; Lise Bird Claiborne

Techniques for teaching young children: Choices for theory and practice by Glenda MacNaughton & Gillian Williams An introductory early childhood text specialising in skills and techniques. Offers a blend of theory and practice by describing and demonstrating teaching techniques used in early childhood education, ranging from the simple to the complex.

Programming & planning in early childhood settings by Leonie Arthur et al. Programming & Planning in Early Childhood Settings explores a range of approaches to curriculum and to documenting children's learning in early childhood settings. This valuable resource for early childhood education students and practitioners provides a broad view of the concepts and issues in early childhood curriculum.

Being an Early Childhood Educator by Felicity McArdle; Megan Gibson; Lyn Zollo Making the transition from student teacher to professional can be challenging. From field experience placements, or "pracs," to the early years in the classroom, this text provides a comprehensive and practical guide to help every early childhood student develop their professional expertise and confidence.The authors prompt students to bring together theories learned at university with ways of working with real children in real settings, framed by the principles of recognizing equity and diversity. There is clear guidance on how to be successful, including understanding the many roles teachers are expected to take on, and the important relationships they need to build. Lesson planning, understanding curriculum documents, and fail-safe strategies for teaching in a wide range of situations, and with children from wide-ranging backgrounds, are all covered in depth. Suggestions for tutorial activities and further reading accompany each chapter, prompting students to engage in critical reflection and self-evaluation, while the "On track on prac" feature will help student teachers monitor and review their progress. Readers are also provided with insights from "real world" teachers. This is an essential text for all students undertaking practicums and preparing for the first years of their professional careers.

Understanding children and childhood : a New Zealand perspective by Anne Smith Smith takes a measured and balanced approach as she draws on traditional theories of development, children’s rights, childhood studies, socio-cultural theory and on post-modern thinking. The text has a structure that is very clearly outlined and easy to follow. Part one contains chapters concerned with theorising childhood; part two focuses on infancy and early childhood education; part three explores three domains of learning (sociability, language and thinking) and assessment; part four explores diversity of childhood with reference to gender and disabilities, and part five examines children’s experiences within their families and whanau.

Learning Theories for Early Years Practice by Sean MacBlain Understanding and applying learning theories is crucial to the transition from study or training, to practice in a real-world setting. This new textbook will prepare the reader by demonstrating how key learning theories pan out in practice, with the aid of photographs, examples and clear explanations. Divided into three main sections, Early Influences, Modern Influences, and Challenges for Theorists in a Changing World, this author identifies the key theorists in early childhood, past and present, before linking them to the main issues and developments that face early years practitioners today. An explanation of each key theorist is guided by a clear structure, including: links to other theorists strengths and weaknesses of the theory the theory in practice Packed full of case studies, activities, points for discussion, extended and recommended reading, this is a fantastic resource for students and teachers who want to build a strong foundation in learning theories, to enable them to support the young children in their care as effectively as possible.