Total Learning Developmental Curriculum for the Young Child

INTRODUCTION Total Learningis a practical book based on 40 years of teaching young children, their families, and student teachers as well as on the author's experiences with the preprimary schools in Reggio Emilia. The text advocates basing curriculum on the emerging interests of the children within a practical, flexible, thoughtful teacher-made plan. It explains how to identify goals and objectives, incorporate them into curriculum that meets individual needs, and how to assess the results in a developmentally appropriate way. Because it focuses on the children, it is divided according to the emotional, social, creative, physical, and cognitive selves and explains how such topics as emergent literacy, cross-cultural understandings and sound health practices can be incorporated to enhance those selves. The text advocates curriculum that is age-appropriate, nourished by play, and intended to encourage children to become independent, creative, thoughtful people. INVITING FEATURES OF THE TEXTBOOK New to This Edition The author, who is the editor ofFirst Steps Toward Teaching the Reggio Wayand who has an additional book about Reggio in preparation, includes extensive explanations of the Reggio Emilia Approach together with many practical suggestions for integrating aspects of that philosophy into the curriculum. New material is included on the implications .of recent research on the brain for educating young children. Chapter Highlights is a new feature that includes titles such as, "The Death of the Chief" "Why Do Some Children Dislike Group Time So Much?" "What's Wrong with Time Out?" and "You're Black All Over?" An entire new chapter on emergent literacy, "Taking the First Steps on the Road to Reading," has been added. A new section on emerging mathematical skills is incorporated in Chapter 18, Mid-level Mental Abilities. Because of current concerns, the chapter on assessment, "Getting to Know Children by Keeping Track of What They're Learning," has been expanded and clarified. References for Further Reading now include a special, often off-beat, interesting book under the heading "Pick of the Litter." A series of videotapes originally made forTotal Learning'scompanion book,The Whole Child,funded by the Annenberg CPB Project, coordinates well withTotal Learningand is available in both Spanish and English. Continuing Features Total Learningincludes a strong emphasis on multicultural, nonsexist, inclusive education. It emphasizes teaching thewholechild--not just the child from the neck up. It explains Piaget's and Vygotsky's theories and their implications for early childhood education. It demonstrates how theemergentand theconventionalapproaches to teaching the cognitive self can work together for the benefit of the children. The annotated references, a popular feature, includes hundreds of new references for further reading for both beginning and advanced students. Food for Thought and Group Discussion questions and Content-Related and Integrative questions are provided to help students review.Hendrick, Joanne is the author of 'Total Learning Developmental Curriculum for the Young Child', published 2002 under ISBN 9780130420701 and ISBN 0130420700.