The Coombes Approach by
Over the last 40 years the Coombes School in Berkshire, UK, has developed an international reputation for its innovative approach to Nursery and Infant teaching. In this book Sue Humphries, the founder of the school, and Sue Rowe, the former headteacher, explore the principles behind the school and how others can learn from its approach. In particular, the book focuses on the innovative use of the school' s environment as a unique 'outdoor classroom' and the development of a sustainable and safe environment in which pupils can play and learn. The Coombes Approach covers a comprehensive range of topics from curriculum design, pastoral care and the wider policy and community contexts in which the school has operated. Supported by an online resource bank of pictures of the school environment and pupils' activities, this is an essential read for school leaders seeking to learn from the successes of the Coombes School's unique approach to teaching.
Developmental Education for Young Children by
Developmental Education is an approach to education in school that aims at promoting children's cultural development and their abilities to participate autonomously and well-informed in the cultural practices of their community. From the point of view of Cultural-historical Activity theory (CHAT), a play-based curriculum has been developed over the past decades for primary school, which presents activity contexts for pupils in the classroom that create learning and teaching opportunities for helping pupils with appropriating cultural knowledge, skills, and moral understandings in meaningful ways. The approach is implemented in numerous Dutch primary schools classrooms with the explicit intention to support the learning of both pupils and teachers. The book focuses especially on education of young children (4 - 8 years old) in primary school and presents the underpinning concepts of this approach, and chapters on examples of good practices in a variety of subject matter areas, such as literacy (vocabulary acquisition, reading, writing), mathematics, and arts. Successful implementation of Developmental Education in the classroom strongly depends on dynamic assessment and continuous observations of young pupils' development. Strategies for implementation of both the teaching practices and assessment strategies are discussed in detail in the book.
Handbook of Early Childhood Education by
Comprehensive and authoritative, this forward-thinking book reviews the breadth of current knowledge about early education and identifies important priorities for practice and policy. Robert C. Pianta and his associates bring together foremost experts to examine what works in promoting all children's school readiness and social-emotional development in preschool and the primary grades. Exemplary programs, instructional practices, and professional development initiatives-and the systems needed to put them into place-are described. The volume presents cutting-edge findings on the family and social context of early education and explores ways to strengthen collaboration between professionals and parents.
Handbook of Research on the Education of Young Children by 
Learning Across the Early Childhood Curriculum by 
Power Play by 
Six Steps to Inclusive Preschool Curriculum by 
