Understanding childhood

Understanding childhood

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  • Author: Mary Jane Kehily
  • Publisher: Policy Press
  • ISBN: 1447305809
  • Category : Social Science
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 336

Nationally and globally, childhood has become a crucial topic of sociopolitical debates and policy initiatives. Understanding Childhood offers a fresh look at how childhood has changed in recent years. It reveals how children's needs and experiences have achieved a new visibility in wider social and political discourse. Despite the privileges afforded to children in the West, the typical childhood experience there is no longer seen as an ideal model for other parts of the globe. Recent reports and policy concerns suggest that growing up in the West may be marked by the commercialization of childhood, which can lead to unhappiness, poor health, loss of innocence, and a general lack of well-being. The contributors here introduce readers to the cross-disciplinary field of childhood studies and offer an exciting and unique exploration of childhood as a concept, in the process engaging with a range of contemporary issues that shape our ideas of childhood both as an ideal and as a lived experience. Exploring childhood from a variety of research perspectives and traditions, Understanding Childhood also serves as a powerful introduction to careers in childhood service.


Understanding Children and Childhood

Understanding Children and Childhood

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  • Author: Anne B. Smith
  • Publisher: Bridget Williams Books
  • ISBN: 1927131766
  • Category : Education
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 416

Emphasising the voices and rights of children, international expert Anne Smith examines the latest thinking on children’s learning and development. Contemporary theories and research about children and childhood are explained, using observations from children’s everyday experiences and debates about policy. A sociocultural perspective presents development as driven by a child’s learning, supported by opportunities for reciprocal social interaction across diverse cultural contexts.


Understanding Behaviour and Development in Early Childhood

Understanding Behaviour and Development in Early Childhood

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  • Author: Maria Robinson
  • Publisher: Routledge
  • ISBN: 1136908870
  • Category : Education
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 136

In this accessible and thought-provoking text, the author examines the behaviour of babies and young children in a developmental context, and takes into account the shifts and changes over time as young children grow and mature. Understanding Behaviour and Development in Early Childhood reveals, for example, how behaviour perceived as ‘difficult’ in a young child may be the manifestation of a response to emotional, sensory and cognitive experiences. Throughout the book, readers will find a strong emphasis on emotional well-being and the need to place our understanding of behaviour within a developmental time frame. Based on wide ranging professional experience the topics examined and discussed in this insightful book include: what we understand by ‘behaviour’ how the brain and senses work and mature during early childhood behaviour as a reflection of the child’s internal state what emotions are and how we learn what feelings mean to us as individuals how emotions affect our ability to learn how we develop a sense of self. The book provides suggestions for how adults may think about and respond to changes in children’s behaviour, and how we may support children in learning how to manage their own behaviour as they grow older and encounter wider and more complex situations. Understanding the meaning of behaviour is a constant challenge for anyone working with children. This developmental approach promotes a helpful reflective stance for practitioners and students working in early childhood education and care.


Understanding Childhood Obesity

Understanding Childhood Obesity

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  • Author: J. Clinton Smith
  • Publisher: Univ. Press of Mississippi
  • ISBN: 9781578061334
  • Category : Behavior therapy for children
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 182

A clear explanation of causes, diagnosis, and treatment of childhood obesity


Understanding Gender and Early Childhood

Understanding Gender and Early Childhood

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  • Author: Jo Josephidou
  • Publisher: Routledge
  • ISBN: 0429639023
  • Category : Education
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 119

Understanding Gender and Early Childhood is a comprehensive and accessible introduction into the main issues around gender and what these mean for our youngest children. Drawing on key theories and research, and illustrating each topic with case studies, reflective questions and a summary of key points, students are encouraged to question why it is more relevant than ever to consider gender issues and to reflect critically on their own practice and on the practice of others. The three parts examine gender in relation to the children, the workforce and wider society, concluding with inclusive suggestions for the future of the early years classroom. Topics covered include: how gender impacts on children’s play, learning and achievement, the gender imbalance in the early years workforce and the impact of this on children, the gendered ways in which people engage with children, gender issues in children’s health. This book is an essential read for those studying on Early Years and Early Childhood courses, along with practitioners and anyone else who wants to develop their understanding of the most pressing issues relating to gender and early childhood practice.


Understanding Early Childhood Mental Health

Understanding Early Childhood Mental Health

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  • Author: Susan Janko Summers
  • Publisher: Brookes Publishing Company
  • ISBN: 9781598570755
  • Category : Education
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 0

An easily accessible guidebook that presents effective strategies to integrate mental health services in early childhood programs and work in partnership with families to enhance young children's mental health.


Understanding Childhood Obesity

Understanding Childhood Obesity

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  • Author: J. Clinton Smith
  • Publisher: Univ. Press of Mississippi
  • ISBN: 1496801776
  • Category : Health & Fitness
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 182

Almost fourteen percent of American children over age six and twelve percent of adolescents are obese, more than double the rate of thirty years ago. Although there are countless diet and weight loss books on the market, few of them explain in jargon-free terms the basic factors, the body processes that can lead to childhood obesity, and the research currently underway to combat this growing health risk. In Understanding Childhood Obesity, Dr. J. Clinton Smith has created a comprehensive guide covering nearly every field of obesity research. He explores causes and methods of control, the body's physical and chemical make-up, prevention strategies, new treatments and behavior modifications, and future research possibilities. Smith closely examines the genetic and environmental factors that can lead to childhood obesity. For parents, he answers the all-important question of whether an obese child needs help, and he outlines traditional diet and exercise treatments as well as aggressive medical and surgical techniques. He also introduces readers to the “continuous care and problem-solving model” that has proved valuable in pediatric treatment clinics. Featured are: An explanation of how obesity is identified by using a child's height and weight. A frank discussion of the health consequences of obesity. A review of how the body breaks down food for energy and how and why the body stores energy. An examination of the powerful environmental factors affecting childhood weight gain. A thorough gathering of the treatments and research, and a view of exciting new discoveries in genetics and body chemistry.


Self-Understanding in Childhood and Adolescence

Self-Understanding in Childhood and Adolescence

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  • Author: William Damon
  • Publisher: CUP Archive
  • ISBN: 9780521424998
  • Category : Psychology
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 228

Reports data from several cross-sectional and longitudinal studies of children's and adolescent's self conceptions and presents new methods for interviewing children about themselves and for analyzing their responses for developmental level and schematic orientation. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR


Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8

Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8

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  • Author: National Research Council
  • Publisher: National Academies Press
  • ISBN: 0309324882
  • Category : Social Science
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 706

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.


Parenting Matters

Parenting Matters

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  • Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
  • Publisher: National Academies Press
  • ISBN: 0309388570
  • Category : Social Science
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 525

Decades of research have demonstrated that the parent-child dyad and the environment of the familyâ€"which includes all primary caregiversâ€"are at the foundation of children's well- being and healthy development. From birth, children are learning and rely on parents and the other caregivers in their lives to protect and care for them. The impact of parents may never be greater than during the earliest years of life, when a child's brain is rapidly developing and when nearly all of her or his experiences are created and shaped by parents and the family environment. Parents help children build and refine their knowledge and skills, charting a trajectory for their health and well-being during childhood and beyond. The experience of parenting also impacts parents themselves. For instance, parenting can enrich and give focus to parents' lives; generate stress or calm; and create any number of emotions, including feelings of happiness, sadness, fulfillment, and anger. Parenting of young children today takes place in the context of significant ongoing developments. These include: a rapidly growing body of science on early childhood, increases in funding for programs and services for families, changing demographics of the U.S. population, and greater diversity of family structure. Additionally, parenting is increasingly being shaped by technology and increased access to information about parenting. Parenting Matters identifies parenting knowledge, attitudes, and practices associated with positive developmental outcomes in children ages 0-8; universal/preventive and targeted strategies used in a variety of settings that have been effective with parents of young children and that support the identified knowledge, attitudes, and practices; and barriers to and facilitators for parents' use of practices that lead to healthy child outcomes as well as their participation in effective programs and services. This report makes recommendations directed at an array of stakeholders, for promoting the wide-scale adoption of effective programs and services for parents and on areas that warrant further research to inform policy and practice. It is meant to serve as a roadmap for the future of parenting policy, research, and practice in the United States.