Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8

Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 PDF

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2015-07-23

Total Pages: 587

ISBN-13: 0309324882

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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.

A River Ran Wild

A River Ran Wild PDF

Author: Lynne Cherry

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Published: 2002

Total Pages: 44

ISBN-13: 9780152163723

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From the author of the beloved classic "The Great Kapok Tree," "A River Ran Wild "tells a story of restoration and renewal. Learn how the modern-day descendants of the Nashua Indians and European settlers were able to combat pollution and restore the beauty of the Nashua River in Massachusetts.

A Land We Can Share

A Land We Can Share PDF

Author: Paula Kluth

Publisher: Brookes Publishing Company

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 252

ISBN-13:

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The how and why of teaching literacy skills to children with autism

Teaching Children who Find Reading Difficult

Teaching Children who Find Reading Difficult PDF

Author: Timothy V. Rasinski

Publisher: Prentice Hall

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780132337182

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With a strong focus on reading intervention, the Fourth edition of this treasured resource offers prospective and practicing teachers best practices for developing and strengthening the literacy skills of children who find reading difficult. In Teaching Children Who Find Reading Difficult, celebrated authors Tim Rasinski and Nancy Padak join literacy expert Gay Fawcett to present teachers with a research-based instructional approach to teaching struggling readers. Drawing on IDEA's Responsiveness to Intervention (RTI) model, the authors group user-friendly strategies around key reading instruction areas: phonemic awareness, decoding, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension--to show teachers how to organize intervention for diverse classroom settings, including classrooms with English learners and students with disabilities. Teachers will learn how to combine and adapt strategies that meet individual student needs within their reading and writing curriculum and transform students into strong, independent readers.

Funds of Knowledge

Funds of Knowledge PDF

Author: Norma Gonzalez

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2006-04-21

Total Pages: 332

ISBN-13: 1135614059

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The concept of "funds of knowledge" is based on a simple premise: people are competent and have knowledge, and their life experiences have given them that knowledge. The claim in this book is that first-hand research experiences with families allow one to document this competence and knowledge, and that such engagement provides many possibilities for positive pedagogical actions. Drawing from both Vygotskian and neo-sociocultural perspectives in designing a methodology that views the everyday practices of language and action as constructing knowledge, the funds of knowledge approach facilitates a systematic and powerful way to represent communities in terms of the resources they possess and how to harness them for classroom teaching. This book accomplishes three objectives: It gives readers the basic methodology and techniques followed in the contributors' funds of knowledge research; it extends the boundaries of what these researchers have done; and it explores the applications to classroom practice that can result from teachers knowing the communities in which they work. In a time when national educational discourses focus on system reform and wholesale replicability across school sites, this book offers a counter-perspective stating that instruction must be linked to students' lives, and that details of effective pedagogy should be linked to local histories and community contexts. This approach should not be confused with parent participation programs, although that is often a fortuitous consequence of the work described. It is also not an attempt to teach parents "how to do school" although that could certainly be an outcome if the parents so desired. Instead, the funds of knowledge approach attempts to accomplish something that may be even more challenging: to alter the perceptions of working-class or poor communities by viewing their households primarily in terms of their strengths and resources, their defining pedagogical characteristics. Funds of Knowledge: Theorizing Practices in Households, Communities, and Classrooms is a critically important volume for all teachers and teachers-to-be, and for researchers and graduate students of language, culture, and education.

Teaching Kids to Read For Dummies

Teaching Kids to Read For Dummies PDF

Author: Tracey Wood

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2011-04-27

Total Pages: 373

ISBN-13: 1118068939

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You’re thinking of teaching a child to read. What a great idea! Now all you need is exactly the right blueprint. This easy-to-follow book is written with two people in mind; you, and the child you’re thinking of teaching. Mother and children’s reading specialist Tracey Wood gives you all the down-to-earth, honest information you need to give a child a happy, solid start with reading. Teaching Kids to Read For Dummies is for parents of young children who want to give their kids a head start by teaching them to read before they enter school or to supplement their children’s school instruction, as well as teachers and caregivers of young children. Filled with hands-on activities that progress a child from sounds to words to sentences to books, this friendly guide shows you how to: Prepare a child to read Sharpen his listening skills Correct her errors graciously Choose the right books Have kids read out loud Find help if you need it Whether the child you want to teach is two or twelve; fast paced or steady; an absolute beginner or someone who’s begun but could use a little help, this empathetic book shows you how to adapt the simple, fun activities to your child’s individual needs. You’ll see how to make activities age appropriate, how to add more challenge or support, and how to make gender allowances if that’s relevant. Plus, you’ll discover how to: Lay the foundation for good reading skills Tell the difference between a reading delay and a reading problem Help your child build words from letters and sounds, advance to short and long vowel words, and conquer syllables and silent letters Select entertaining workbooks, recycle them, and make up your own reading activities Get your child ready for sentences Keep your child reading — with others or on his own Complete with lists of word families, phonics rules, and reading resources, Teaching Kids to Read For Dummies will help you make learning fun for your child as he or she develops this critical skill!