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Books For Early Childhood Teachers – Is alive to the belief that teaching young children involves values and vision. This anthology collects inspiring stories about teaching social justice with young children. Included here is excellent writing from childcare teachers, first-grade public school teachers, scholars, and parents.
Early childhood is when we develop our basic dispositions—the habits of thought that shape the way we live. This book shows how educators can foster empathy, an ecological consciousness, curiosity, cooperation and activism in young children. It invites readers to rethink early childhood education, reminding them that it is inseparable from social justice and ecological education.
Books For Early Childhood Teachers
“If you are an educator who supports the whole-child early childhood education principle, then R
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Is for you. The diverse articles give insightful, practical, and moving voice to teachers’ experiences with children and families and make diversity, equity, inclusion, and environmental sustainability integral to a quality early childhood education program.”
“She weaves together wonderful essentials for turning kindergarten teachers into a leading force for progressive thinking and teaching. With the range of teacher stories
Provokes critical thinking and imaginative practices in the classroom. There is nothing else like this book to empower early educators for the work ahead.”
“Ann Pelo and the contributing authors deeply emphasize the complexity of social justice issues in early childhood education settings, offering an overview of critical content, dispositions, and actions to support authentic, equitable educational experiences for all children, families and teachers. This book can open a dialogue between ECE professionals and parents, leading to an understanding of the vital connection between anti-bias, culturally and linguistically appropriate curriculum and practices, and children’s social/emotional, intellectual, and spiritual development. With this foundation, our children will not only be able to cope, but also shape their lives and their future society in powerful ways.”
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“This book is a real page turner. I just couldn’t put it down! It’s a treasure trove of short, interesting pieces by famous and not-so-famous authors, all writing from their hearts and experiences. The subject is so important – equality and social justice – and the writing brings it all down to earth. Everyone should read this book!”
“This volume is a beacon of progressive teaching practices in early childhood. I was continually struck by the intimate understanding of young children that shone through the teachers’ descriptions of how they engage young children and their families in inclusive practices, critical thinking and social activism to address prejudice and inequalities and strengthen connections with the natural world and Critical considerations of consumerism. When I started reading this book, I couldn’t put it down!”
Places the understanding of ‘what’s mine’, ‘what’s yours’ and ‘what’s ours’ at the heart of childhood value development and therefore emphasizes the importance of teaching for social justice and cultural sensitivity during first years of life. The book discusses culturally sensitive anti-prejudice teaching and the importance of play. It is also full of ideas for engaging parents and communities in child development, teaching ideas, and suggestions for how teachers can become child advocates. It is an invaluable, useful addition to the early childhood education literature.”
Part Four: Cultivate a sense of place—that you belong to a particular piece of land and sky—and a connection to the earth and its creatures. — 121
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There is a small town in Italy with an international reputation for its preschool programs. The teaching and learning that happens in their schools is certainly exciting — but more exciting is the story of how the community came together to create a preschool education system. The city of Reggio Emilia, like much of Italy, was devastated by World War II. as the war ended, the townspeople were furiously determined to create a new culture, one in which the fascism that had gripped Italy in the decades leading up to the war would find no footing. The citizens of Reggio Emilia were clear about how to begin this culture-building project: they would create schools for young children.
Parents occupied an abandoned building near the town square, demanding that the city government make that building available to them for their first school, while teachers and children set up school every day on the courthouse steps where city officials would surely they were meeting them. . Parents and teachers did not decide to create private schools available to the few. They wanted public schools, open to all families in the community, organized around the values of critical thinking and joyful cooperation. One of the founders of the schools, Loris Malaguzzi, explained the vision of the community as follows: “We are part of an ongoing story of men and women, ideally intact, who realize that history can change and that it changes starting with the future of children” (1)
This story resonates for us today. It reminds us that early childhood education is a political act and necessarily involves values and vision. Early childhood is the time in our lives when we develop our basic dispositions – the habits of thought that shape the way we live. Our job as preschool educators is to cultivate dispositions in young children toward empathy, ecological consciousness, engaged inquiry, and cooperation. These dispositions emphasize fair and equal communities. they are at the heart of activism and in the hearts of activists. Early childhood educators must believe, along with the founders of the schools in Reggio Emilia, Italy, that history can be changed and that our work is to contribute to that change. This is the premise of this book: quality early childhood education is inseparable from teaching social justice and ecological education. It is important to rethink early childhood education, and it is important to ensure that quality early education—programs for children from the first months to the elementary grades—is offered to all children.
They prioritize anti-bias, culturally sensitive teaching and learning. Teachers draw attention to the ways in which people are different and the ways in which people are the same, honoring individual and group identity. They purposefully introduce issues of justice and injustice and guide children to think critically and take action. Teachers learn about children’s family and cultural identities and integrate these identities into everyday classroom life, while recognizing the ways in which their own cultural identities shape their teaching.
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They are organized around play and plenty of time to explore. Teachers create time and provide open-ended material for children’s imaginative, self-directed play. They talk to families, other teachers and community members about the value of play in children’s healthy development and learning.
They use curriculum approaches that are responsive to children’s developmental and intellectual pursuits. Teachers pay attention to children’s play and conversations, noting the developmental themes, persuasive questions, understandings, and misunderstandings expressed in their play. They use what they observe to develop curricula that challenge children to think deeply and explore collaboratively.
They cultivate a sense of place—belonging to a particular piece of land and sky—and a connection to the land and its creatures. Teachers get kids outdoors and bring the natural world into the classroom, inviting kids to engage their senses and minds as they come to know and care about—and care for—the place where they spend their days.
They emphasize children’s social-emotional and dispositional learning. Teachers seek to cultivate in children the disposition to pay attention to their own feelings and the needs of others. They emphasize the importance of collaboration and offer children guidance and practice in understanding multiple perspectives. Teachers create opportunities for children to think critically and engage intellectually with ideas and with each other — and take action based on their critical thinking.
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They learn from the children’s families and are by their side. Teachers recognize that they have much to learn about children from their families, about children’s particular ways of living in the world, about their family rituals and rhythms, and about their cultural identities. As they learn from families about their strengths and challenges, they can then offer themselves as allies to families, in ways specific to individual families, and in the arena of broader community activism and justice efforts.
They advocate for children, families and early childhood workers. Teachers recognize the wider social conditions that affect the lives of children, families and teachers. They are taking action—speaking to their community, writing letters to the media and lawmakers, participating in protests. They know their activism is an extension of their teaching, contributing to social justice efforts and modeling for children what it is to live in the world as a change maker.
This is early childhood education at its best: teachers, children, and families opening up to each other and to the earth in ways that invite joyful play, collaborative inquiry, thoughtful observation, and deep caring that leads to action. These ways of being are a foundation for children’s life in the community. They promote social and emotional well-being that is
