Lifelong Kindergarten

Author: Mitchel Resnick
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 0262536137
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 203

Book Description
How lessons from kindergarten can help everyone develop the creative thinking skills needed to thrive in today's society. In kindergartens these days, children spend more time with math worksheets and phonics flashcards than building blocks and finger paint. Kindergarten is becoming more like the rest of school. In Lifelong Kindergarten, learning expert Mitchel Resnick argues for exactly the opposite: the rest of school (even the rest of life) should be more like kindergarten. To thrive in today's fast-changing world, people of all ages must learn to think and act creatively—and the best way to do that is by focusing more on imagining, creating, playing, sharing, and reflecting, just as children do in traditional kindergartens. Drawing on experiences from more than thirty years at MIT's Media Lab, Resnick discusses new technologies and strategies for engaging young people in creative learning experiences. He tells stories of how children are programming their own games, stories, and inventions (for example, a diary security system, created by a twelve-year-old girl), and collaborating through remixing, crowdsourcing, and large-scale group projects (such as a Halloween-themed game called Night at Dreary Castle, produced by more than twenty kids scattered around the world). By providing young people with opportunities to work on projects, based on their passions, in collaboration with peers, in a playful spirit, we can help them prepare for a world where creative thinking is more important than ever before.

Inventing Kindergarten

Author: Norman Brosterman
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
ISBN: 9780810990708
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
Inventing Kindergarten reconstructs the origins of the most successful system ever devised for teaching young children about art, design, mathematics, and natural history.

Turtles, Termites, and Traffic Jams

Author: Mitchel Resnick
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 9780262680936
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 190

Book Description
How does a bird flock keep its movements so graceful and synchronized? Most people assume that the bird in front leads and the others follow. In fact, bird flocks don't have leaders: they are organized without an organizer, coordinated without a coordinator. And a surprising number of other systems, from termite colonies to traffic jams to economic systems, work the same decentralized way. Turtles, Termites, and Traffic Jams describes innovative new computational tools that can qhelp people (even young children) explore the workings of such systems—and help them move beyond the centralized mindset.

Creative Schools

Author: Sir Ken Robinson, PhD
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0698142845
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 323

Book Description
A revolutionary reappraisal of how to educate our children and young people by Ken Robinson, the New York Times bestselling author of The Element and Finding Your Element. Ken Robinson is one of the world’s most influential voices in education, and his 2006 TED Talk on the subject is the most viewed in the organization’s history. Now, the internationally recognized leader on creativity and human potential focuses on one of the most critical issues of our time: how to transform the nation’s troubled educational system. At a time when standardized testing businesses are raking in huge profits, when many schools are struggling, and students and educators everywhere are suffering under the strain, Robinson points the way forward. He argues for an end to our outmoded industrial educational system and proposes a highly personalized, organic approach that draws on today’s unprecedented technological and professional resources to engage all students, develop their love of learning, and enable them to face the real challenges of the twenty-first century. Filled with anecdotes, observations and recommendations from professionals on the front line of transformative education, case histories, and groundbreaking research—and written with Robinson’s trademark wit and engaging style—Creative Schools will inspire teachers, parents, and policy makers alike to rethink the real nature and purpose of education.

Kindergarten

Author: Julie Diamond
Publisher: The New Press
ISBN: 1595586946
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 254

Book Description
“[Diamond] has captured the world of the class—at times chaotic, always busy, usually inspired”— Essential reading for parents and teachers alike (Los Angeles Times). Hailed by renowned educator Deborah Meier as “a rare and special pleasure to read,” Kindergarten explores a year in the life of a kindergarten classroom through the eyes of the gifted veteran teacher and author Julie Diamond. In this lyrical, beautifully written first-person account, Diamond explains the logic behind the routines and rituals children need to thrive. As she guides us through all aspects of classroom life—the organization, curriculum, and relationships that create a unique class environment—we begin to understand what kindergarten can and should be: a culture that builds children’s desire to understand the world and lays the foundation for lifelong learning. Kindergarten makes a compelling case for an expansive definition of teaching and learning, one that supports academic achievement without sacrificing students’ curiosity, creativity, or development of social values. Diamond’s celebration of the possibilities of classroom life is a welcome antidote to today’s test-driven climate. Written for parents and teachers alike, Kindergarten offers a rare glimpse into what’s really going on behind the apparent chaos of a busy kindergarten classroom, sharing much-needed insights into how our children can have the best possible early school experiences. “As a classroom insider, Diamond pulls back the curtain and allows parents and others a view of how an effective classroom actually works.” —Library Journal “An extraordinary resource for parents and teachers at all stages. It is honest and masterful, engrossing and unique. And it is utterly real.” —Ruth Sidney Charney, author of Teaching Children to Care

Jumping Into Kindergarten

Author: Julia Cook
Publisher: National Center for Youth Issues
ISBN: 195394504X
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 33

Book Description
Kindergarten represents a big jump into the unknown that, while exciting, can also cause nervous anticipation for everyone involved. The good news is that it doesn't have to be scary! Today's complex, technology-driven world is changing rapidly. As it does, what our children need to know when they enter kindergarten is changing as well, requiring a new and improved set of school-readiness skills called "QI Skills" (pronounced key) that will give them the foundation and confidence to succeed. In this fun and engaging story, bestselling authors Julia Cook and Laura A. Jana bring to life for children, parents and educators the important connection that exists between everyday behaviors and the development of valuable, 21st century life-skills during early childhood. This book includes creative, practical tips to help readers implement these skills at home and in the classroom. Follow Roo as he figures out how to use and apply his amazing QI Skills: ME, WE, WHY, WILL, WIGGLE, WOBBLE and WHAT IF! I love to move around and explore, so my favorite skill is WIGGLE I can jump into things, and reach for the stars, and bend and stretch and jiggle! With a backpack full of "super cool" skills and a head full of questions, Roo is excited to jump into kindergarten, and your children will be too!

6 + 1 Traits of Writing

Author: Ruth Culham
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
ISBN: 9780439280389
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 308

Book Description
Everything you need to teach and assess student writing with this powerful model.

Kindergarten Reading

Author: Highlights Learning
Publisher: Highlights Press
ISBN: 1684372860
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 51

Book Description
Tracing and writing activities combine with puzzles to make learning fun while helping kindergarteners build letter recognition and develop lifelong learning confidence. Word recognition is an important step toward reading readiness, and Highlights (TM) infuses Fun with a Purpose® into this essential learning activity. With vibrant art and engaging prompts, Reading exposes kindergarteners to early reading concepts through alphabet, rhyming, and tracing practice with the fun of puzzles and other activities.

Out of Our Minds

Author: Ken Robinson
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 085708741X
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 313

Book Description
Creativity is critical. Out of Our Minds explores creativity: its value in business, its ubiquity in children, its perceived absence in many adults and the phenomenon through which it disappears — and offers a groundbreaking approach for getting it back. Author Sir Ken Robinson is an internationally recognised authority on creativity, and his TED talk on the subject is the most watched video in TED’s history. In this book, Sir Ken argues that organisations everywhere are struggling to fix a problem that originates in schools and universities. Organisations everywhere are competing in a world that changes in the blink of an eye – they need people who are flexible enough to adapt, and creative enough to find novel solutions to problems old and new. Out of Our Minds describes how schools, businesses and communities can work together to bring creativity out of the closet and realise its inherent value at every stage of life. This new third edition has been updated to reflect changing technologies and demographics, with updated case studies and coverage of recent changes to education. While education and training are the keys to the future, the key can also be turned the other way; locking people away from their own creativity. Only by actively fostering creativity can businesses unlock those doors and achieve their true potential. This book will help you to: Understand the importance of actively promoting creativity and innovation. Discover why creativity stagnates somewhere between childhood and adulthood. Learn how to re-awaken dormant creativity to help your business achieve more. Explore ways in which we can work together to keep creativity alive for everyone. Modern business absolutely demands creativity of thought and action. We're all creative as children — so where does it go? When do we lose it? Out of Our Minds has the answers, and clear solutions for getting it back.

Tools of the Mind

Author: Elena Bodrova
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1040005438
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 283

Book Description
Now in its third edition, this classic text remains the seminal resource for in-depth information about major concepts and principles of the cultural-historical theory developed by Lev Vygotsky, his students, and colleagues, as well as three generations of neo-Vygotskian scholars in Russia and the West. Featuring two new chapters on brain development and scaffolding in the zone of proximal development, as well as additional content on technology, dual language learners, and students with disabilities, this new edition provides the latest research evidence supporting the basics of the cultural-historical approach alongside Vygotskian-based practical implications. With concrete explanations and strategies on how to scaffold young children’s learning and development, this book is essential reading for students of early childhood theory and development.