Contemporary Challenges in Teaching Young Children provides both veteran and aspiring early childhood educators with the information and tools they need to build on their understanding of developmentally appropriate practice.

Teachers face many challenges, including family configuration, social and political stressors related to accountability requirements, funding shortages, and the resulting need to teach with fewer resources. This innovative book focuses exclusively on problem-solving at the classroom level and fosters creative methods of ensuring best practices are in place for all children, including those with limited experience in formal social settings and a lack of self-regulatory behaviors. Drawing on current research and their own wealth of experience, expert contributors cover topics from the critical importance of social-emotional learning to culturally responsive teaching to using technology to empower teachers and learners.

Written in accessible, non-technical language, this book addresses complex factors affecting child development, guiding readers through the best strategies for tackling real problems in their practice.

About the Author

Gayle Mindes is Professor Emerita and recipient of the Via Sapientiae Award at DePaul University, Chicago, USA.

Reviews

"This comprehensive volume provides essential guidance to help teachers meet the many challenges they face in supporting the learning and development of every child in our highly diverse society. Offering a unique point of view, chapters address all the essential topics in child development and curriculum from the perspective of actual teachers and administrators who must apply the knowledge and surmount these challenges every day. They make current research accessible for diverse audiences, and provide particularly valuable new information on trauma-informed teaching, multilingual learners, immigrant and migrant children, and children with diverse abilities."- Sue Bredekamp, Early Childhood Education Specialist and former Director of Accreditation and Professional Development at the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), USA

"I frequently hear teachers expressing the desire to better serve the diverse needs of their children. With its focus on the specific role of the teacher in meeting those needs, this book provides a rich resource with concrete guidance for effective teacher problem solving." - Whit Hayslip, David and Lucile Packard Foundation, USA

"Mindes gathered varied experts in their field to bring together a book addressing the contemporary challenges facing teachers of young children. Given the growth of early childhood education programs across our country and the need for teachers to adapt and attend to the needs of all children, this book is a timely resource focusing on teacher problem-solving and building resiliency in young children. The chapters are arranged around two foundational aspects of teaching young children: thinking about children, and curriculum and strategies. Mindes has assembled a useful collection of voices to apply research into practice, joining the discourse about the complexity of teaching to improve the lives of children and families. This book is an Important contribution to stimulate dialogue merging teachers' understanding and building on the assets of young children and families while providing practical strategies in curricular domains addressing the whole child in developmentally appropriate ways. Mindes and her colleagues place the emphasis where it should be, on strengthening teachers' problem-solving skills and practice. The book will be a useful addition in teacher preparation programs as well as for professional learning communities (PLC) for teachers." - Holly Seplocha, Professor, William Paterson University

"What a wonderful resource! This book is a timely and much-needed road map to the increasingly complex world of early childhood education. The authors provide an excellent overview of the challenges and opportunities facing early childhood educators-- and offer many practical suggestions for rising to the challenge!" - Travis Wright, Assistant Professor, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Book Information
ISBN 9781138312265
Author Gayle Mindes
Format Paperback
Page Count 248
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 399g