In recent years the issue of boys and literacy, namely that they are worse at it compared to girls, has become a key area of interest to all those concerned with the education of our children. This book highlights the key factors causing this divide and discusses the implementation of new strategies to overcome it, which have been the result of extensive qualitative research made by the author. Trisha Maynard reports case study findings of a primary school whose staff wanted to explore and...

In the UK and elsewhere, the training of teachers is increasingly seen as a matter of partnership between schools and institutions of higher education. There is thus an urgent need within the profession to define more carefully what the role of teachers acting as mentors should be. Clearly some aspects of professional knowledge can only be acquired from practical experience in school, and this book draws on extensive research on students' school-based learning to isolate and analyse those ...

Providing high quality play experiences is an essential part of good early years education, but this can pose a challenge for practitioners who face pressure from a more didactic primary curriculum, and from parents worried that their children will fail to acquire essential skills and knowledge.By helping the reader to develop their understanding of the complex relationships between play and learning, this book examines current theoretical perspectives on play, alongside examples o...

Positive Alternatives to School Exclusion looks at what schools can do to build more harmonious communities and engage students - particularly those at risk of exclusion - more productively in all areas of school life. It describes the Positive Alternatives to School Exclusion Project, a multi-phase, collaborative initiative based at the School of Education, University of Cambridge.Drawing on the perspectives of staff and pupils, the authors provide detailed case studies of...

Reflective practice has moved from the margins to the mainstream of professional education. However, in this process, its radical potential has been subsumed by individualistic, rather than situated, understandings of practice. Presenting critical perspectives that challenge the current paradigm, this book aims to move beyond reflective practice. It proposes new conceptualisations and offers fresh approaches relevant across professions. Contributors include both academics and practitioners...

This sourcebook offers a unique summary into all that was important in primary education during the 1990s. It provides almost fifty key readings on the field which are grouped around six major topics:* learners* teachers* classrooms* curriculum* assessment* school and education policy.Over half of the readings focus on real life cases - such as pupils, teachers, classrooms or schools - as a means of conveying some of the interpersonal subt...

This work, designed to be used as a basic textbook for student teachers taking B.Ed and PGCE initial training courses: provides an accessible but rigorous treatment of early childhood education, integrating ideas and practice; acts as a springboard for students' further study; arose out of the concerns and needs expressed by students themselves; and has been written from a well-known centre for early childhood studies. Practitioner examples are included throughout, together with selected r...

Gerald Grace here explores the concept of role conflict and the current theorizing about the problems of the teacher’s role. He investigates four potential problem areas – role diffuseness, role vulnerability, role commitment versus career orientation, and value conflict – in a sample of one hundred and fifty secondary school teachers in a Midland town. The analysis shows how a teacher’s commitment to a particular set of values exposes him or her to conflict in an achievement-oriented and ...

An unrivalled introduction to the pioneers of educational theory that you won't be able to get through your studies without. This must-have book includes profiles on Vygotsky, Steiner, Montessori and Froebel, as well as 24 other theorists.

For women experiencing domestic violence, narrative therapy can be a powerful tool to help them gain self-confidence and a sense of identity, resist violence, and make the transition from abuse to safety.Drawing on the narratives of women who have experienced domestic violence, this book explores how women employ strategies of resistance, and how strengthening their sense of identity can contribute to this resistance. It demonstrates how narrative therapy can be used as an effectiv...

This book summarises the ideas of educational theorists and psychologists of the last 60 years, from Elinor Goldschmied to Tina Bruce. It also looks at the important contemporary issues in early years education, from whether boys and girls learn differently to the role of the community in the early years setting.

The author, working from the Family Institute in Cardiff, has been treating adult survivors of child sexual and physical abuse for several years, and she has clearly and frankly described her work in this book. She begins be describing the context for working with her clients; then describes the way she has welded systemic thinking and a feminist perspective into a theoretical model she uses to understand the problem and to guide her own work with the survivors. The descriptions of the the...