This study builds upon the belief that a human being is a manifold between being who acts, feels, and thinks. No one account about human development, whether behavioral, psychodynamic, or cognitive, can fully explain human development. This book is written with the conviction that study, research, and actual work with children or youth should build upon that which is already known
Children are already learning at birth, and they develop and learn at a rapid pace in their early years. This provides a critical foundation for lifelong progress, and the adults who provide for the care and the education of young children bear a great responsibility for their health, development, and learning. Despite the fact that they share the same objective - to nurture young children and secure their future success - the various practitioners who contribute to the care and the education of children from birth through age 8 are not acknowledged as a workforce unified by the common knowledge and competencies needed to do their jobs well. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 explores the science of child development, particularly looking at implications for the professionals who work with children. This report examines the current capacities and practices of the workforce, the settings in which they work, the policies and infrastructure that set qualifications and provide professional learning, and the government agencies and other funders who support and oversee these systems. This book then makes recommendations to improve the quality of professional practice and the practice environment for care and education professionals. These detailed recommendations create a blueprint for action that builds on a unifying foundation of child development and early learning, shared knowledge and competencies for care and education professionals, and principles for effective professional learning. Young children thrive and learn best when they have secure, positive relationships with adults who are knowledgeable about how to support their development and learning and are responsive to their individual progress. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 offers guidance on system changes to improve the quality of professional practice, specific actions to improve professional learning systems and workforce development, and research to continue to build the knowledge base in ways that will directly advance and inform future actions. The recommendations of this book provide an opportunity to improve the quality of the care and the education that children receive, and ultimately improve outcomes for children.
Examines the theories of Socrates, Kant, Dewey, Piaget, and others to explore the implications of Socrates' question "what is a virtuous man, and what is a virtuous school and society which educates virtuous men."
Explaining the nature of theories in the field of child development (including why theories are useful and why there are multiple theories), Thomas' highly respected book covers the widest range of theories of any text currently available. Using the following criteria: "Has the theory been popular?," "Has the theory been influential?," and "Is the theory representative of a class or family of theories?," Thomas identifies the goals and describes the findings of more than two dozen theorists and inspects a s
This widely used practitioner resource and course text provides an engaging overview of developmental theory and research, with a focus on what practitioners need to know. The author explains how children's trajectories are shaped by transactions among early relationships, brain development, and the social environment. Developmental processes of infancy, toddlerhood, the preschool years, and middle childhood are described. The book shows how children in each age range typically behave, think, and relate to others, and what happens when development goes awry. It demonstrates effective ways to apply developmental knowledge to clinical assessment and intervention. Vivid case examples, observation exercises, and quick-reference tables facilitate learning.
