This text is concerned with contemporary attitudes and approaches to the teaching of literacy, children's literature and other non-book texts and media. Based on research from the UK, the USA and Europe it makes a contribution to theory and practice.

Originally published in 1995. This book reviews the current situation concerning the teaching of 'English' in schools, examining particularly the notion of 'literacy'. The authors offer practical suggestions to primary and secondary teachers, proposing ways in which the teaching of children's literature (and that of adolescence and youth) may be addressed across Key Stages and at A-level. They relate theory to practise, and offer a critique of government proposals.

This is a companion volume to the editors’ Insights into Teachers’ Thinking and Practice (Falmer Press, 1999) and seeks to carry the discussion on further illustrating that there is a continuing intensity of thought, activity and debate on how to conceptualise research on teacher thinking, and thus generate knowledge for further understanding and action. The ethical questions on undertaking research on the inner lives of teachers remain unresolved.The international team present cha...

Bringing together a collection of chapters from international experts in the field of early childhood education, Rethinking Play and Pedagogy in Early Childhood Education seeks to explore how play in the Early Years is valued as a means of learning. The book discusses how play is presented, transformed by institutional and pedagogical discourses and ultimately experienced by children. Adopting cultural, conceptual and contextual approaches to play and pedagogy across its chapters,...

Case Study Research in Practice explores the theory and practice of case study research. Helen Simons draws on her extensive experience of teaching and conducting case study to provide a comprehensive and practical account of how to design, conduct and communicate case study research. It addresses questions often raised by students and common misconceptions about case research. In four sections the book covers- Rationale, concept and design of case study research- Methods, ...

This text successfully bridges the gap between theory and methods in social research, bringing understanding of the dynamics of social relations.

The perspectives of children, teachers and professional writers are often absent in the pedagogy of writing. Highly Commended for the UKLA Academic Book Award 2013, Writing Voices: Creating Communities of Writers responds to such silent voices and offers a text which not only stretches across primary and secondary practice, but also gives expression to these voices, making a new and significant contribution to understanding what it means to be a writer.Drawing upon recent ...

Is language sexist? Do women and men speak different languages?Gender, Language and Discourse uniquely examines the contribution that psychological research - in particular, discursive psychology - has made to answering these questions. Until now, books on gender and language have tended to be from the sociolinguistic perspective and have focused on one of two issues - sexism in language or gender differences in speech. This book considers both issues and develops the idea ...

This book provides pre-service and practising teachers with an integrated approach to language and literacy learning in early childhood. Written by leading academics in the field, it explores how children learn to talk, play using language, become literate and make meaning - from birth through to the pre-school years. Emphasising the importance of imagination and the arts in language learning, this book addresses a wide range of contemporary issues, highlights the impact of diverse socioec...

Explaining theory and research in an accessible but thorough manner, Gender and Social Psychology critically evaluates the contribution that psychology has made to the study of gender, examining key issues such a family roles and parenting, inequalities in education, jobs and pay, and the effects of media representation of the sexes.

Focusing on how teachers can improve the ways in which they plan their lessons, this book demonstrates how careful planning allows the further development of learning approaches. The author presents a clear understanding of how these approaches can be used by the teacher to assess themselves and their students’ learning through:careful consideration of how certain approaches to learning can improve a student’s grasp of reading, writing, speaking and listening

What stories can we tell of ourselves and others and why should they be of interest to others?Exploring Learning, Identity and Power through Life History and Narrative Research responds to these questions with examples from diverse educational and social contexts. The book brings together a collection of writing by different authors who use a narrative/life history approach to explore the experiences of a wide range of people, including teachers, nurses, young people and a...