Building on her enormously popular book, Bringing Reggio Emilia Home, Louise Cadwell helps American educators understand what it means to use ideas from the Reggio Approach in their classrooms. In new and dynamic ways, Cadwell once again takes readers inside the day-to-day practice of a group of early childhood educators. This time she describes the growth and evolution of the work in the St. Louis Reggio Collaborative over the past 10 years.

In an age of intense economic competition and continual change, the ability to learn is a key factor in survival and prosperity. This book examines the changing interaction of the world economy, Britain’s prospects for prosperity, the connections between different kinds of work and the learning that support them. Focusing on specific areas where changed attitudes and ways of working are long overdue, the authors show the need for a better balance between formal provision in schools, colleges and within employment, and less tangible informal learning at home and in the workplace. These, in turn, open up issues of the curriculum (especially in the formative later years in schools and colleges), guidance for education and work and the qualifications structure.

First Published in 2003. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Kimmy's family is having chicken as the evening's main course. As Kimmy eats, she pauses. "How do they make chicken bones?" she asks as she casually inspects the piece she is holding. "They're part of chickens," her mom says, matter-of-factly. "We don't make them." Kimmy's expression suddenly turns to one of horror. "You mean this used to be a real chicken, like on Old Macdonald's Farm?" she wails, dropping the piece she is holding. "I'm never gonna eat chicken again!" Here an innocent question about something that baffles this six-year-old leads her in a direction she had not imagined possible. Her mom's response provides anomalous information that shocks her; it challenges her existing view of what bones (and perhaps even chicken) really are. In the end, she constructs a new (evidently disturbing) connection. The chickens we eat are indeed the chickens that roam about on farms (or used to). From this moment forward, the meaning of "chicken dinner" will never be the same for Kimmy. Using dozens of stories of real kids like Kimmy, Jean Anne Clyde and Mark Condon bring to life fundamental concepts about learners,learning, and teaching. They believe that when teachers want a fresh perspective on the kind of learning that is possible in classrooms, they must first examine how children really learn--not in the controlled context of school, but in out-of-school settings, where kids like Kimmy have learned successfully since birth. By inviting you to help analyze these stories, Get Real will help you become a sophisticated "kidwatcher," able to recognize, appreciate, and capitalize on natural learning strategies. You can create rich curricular experiences that encourage kids to refine and expand their natural learning strategies in the classroom. Get Real examines the everyday contexts that support children's learning so you can make those qualities a part of your own classroom; offers an extensive discussion of tools such as multiple literacies; provides illustrations of children's work and the significant artifacts from their world that prompted their learning experiences; helps you appreciate the multitude of resources for learning and teaching that exist outside of school; moves learning from the real world to theory to practice with a collection of specific strategies for you to follow; includes a self-assessment that links theory to practice to help you identify your strengths and target areas for growth. Whether you are an inservice or preservice teacher, Get Real will help you recognize and build on kids' natural learning strategies to create a learner-centered classroom that maximizes success for all children.

In an age of intense economic competition and continual change, the ability to learn is a key factor in survival and prosperity. This book examines the changing interaction of the world economy, BritainOCOs prospects for prosperity, the connections between different kinds of work and the learning that support them."

Place-based education is on the rise. Tired of “teaching to the test,” educators are looking for authentic ways to connect their curriculum to real life. The place-based approach brings students into their communities to learn necessary content and skills by working to meet the needs of local agencies and organizations. Students are more engaged because they know they are doing real work, teachers are reinvigorated by creating exciting learning opportunities, and the school takes on a more active role in the community. At the heart of this process is the place itself: the land, the history, and the culture. Bringing School to Life: Place-Based Education across the Curriculum by Sarah Anderson offers insights into how to build a program across the K-8 grades. Anderson addresses key elements such as mapping, local history, citizen science, integrated curricula, and more. Additionally, Anderson suggests strategies for building community partnerships and implementation for primary grades. This book goes beyond theory to give concrete examples and advice in how to make place-based education a real educational option in any school.

This volume gathers stories about how various art and creative forms of expression are used to enable voices from the margins, that is, of underrepresented individuals and communities, to take shape and form. Voice is not enough; stories and truths must be heard, must be listened to. And so the stories gathered here also speak to how creative processes enable conditions for listening and the development of empathy for other perspectives, which is essential for democracy. The chapters, including some that describe international projects, illustrate a variety of art-making practices such as poetry, visual art, film, theatre, music, and dance, and how they can support individuals and groups at the edges of mainstream society to tell their story and speak their truths, often the first steps to valuing one’s identity and organizing for change. Some of the authors are community-based artists who share stories thus bringing these creative endeavors into the wider conversation about the power of arts-making to open up spaces for dialogue across differences. Art practices outlined in this book can expand our visions by encouraging critical thinking and broadening our worldview. At this time on the earth when we face many serious challenges, the arts can stimulate hope, openness, and individual and collective imaginations for preferred futures. Inspiration comes from people who, at the edges of their community, communicate their experience.