Embracing Challenges in Early Childhood Education is a key resource for early childhood educators, especially those inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach or other inquiry-based, social-constructivist models. It answers the important question teachers face when they come up against challenges in their work with children: "What do I do now?" Not a how-to guide for implementing the Reggio Emilia philosophy, nor simply an inspirational read, this book encourages reflection, innovation, and responsive teaching while offering practical insights, thoughtful frameworks, and real-world guidance to help educators navigate inevitable challenges in ways that honor their creativity and intelligence along with that of the children in their care. This book is essential reading for early childhood educators, pedagogical consultants, and school leaders and is also a valuable theoretical resource for Reggio-inspired study groups committed to enhancing their educational practices.

About the Author

Pam Oken-Wright, M.Ed., is a pedagogical consultant and author who worked with young children as a teacher-researcher for 37 years.

Reviews

Embracing Challenges resets our view of conflict as a constructive dialectic process founded on sound teaching principles and flexible methods. Oken-Wright's transcribed conversations perfectly exemplify her message, and the chapter summaries invite the reader to think critically.

George E. Forman, Ph.D.
Emeritus Professor, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

In this book, Pam is our pedagogical companion. She encourages and supports our learning about what it means to stand alongside children and, together, explore the foundational question, "How does life work?" Pam offers generous and clear guidance about how to cultivate the cognitive and emotional flexibility that allows teachers and children to embrace "good conflict," sticking with each other and with their shared undertakings even when-especially when!-they encounter uncertainty, divergent perspectives, and disequilibrium. This book is a necessary text for our times.

Ann Pelo
Co-author of From Teaching to Thinking: A Pedagogy for Reimagining Our Work

Pam invites us to explore some of the most feared and avoided terrain in the education landscape, acting as a trusted companion on what turns out to be an exciting and meaningful journey. She provides a wide variety of practical tools, and shares stories that inspire us to appreciate the beauty in the complexity and uncertainty of working with young children. This book encourages us to do the difficult and brave work of embracing conflict, allowing us to strengthen the agency we need to become the teachers we aspire to be.

Susan Harris MacKay
The Center and Studio for Playful Inquiry

Book Information
ISBN 9781041038276
Author Pam Oken-Wright
Format Paperback
Page Count 210
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd