1st Edition

Educating Young Children: A Lifetime Journey into a Froebelian Approach The Selected Works of Tina Bruce

By Tina Bruce Copyright 2020

    In the World Library of Educationalists international experts compile career-long collections of what they judge to be their most significant pieces – excerpts from books, key articles, salient research findings, major theoretical and practical contributions – so the world can read them in a single, manageable volume. Readers will be able to follow the themes and strands and see how their work contributes to the development of the field.

    Educating Young Children: A Lifetime Journey into a Froebelian Approach draws together Professor Tina Bruce CBE’s most prominent writings from her accomplished 40-year international career in education centred on the Froebelian tradition.

    Chosen to illustrate the changes that have occurred in Professor Bruce’s thinking and practices over the last four decades, carefully selected readings address key Froebelian themes such as literacy, play, inclusion and creativity. Short introductions are provided for each chapter and excerpt, helping readers to understand the significance of what is presented and explaining how this relates to other chapters in the book.

    Including chapters from Tina Bruce’s best-selling books and articles, as well as leading journals, this collection offers a unique commentary on some of the most important issues in Early Childhood Education over the last four decades; it will be engaging and inspiring reading for anyone interested in the development and state of early years education in the UK and internationally.

    Acknowledgements

    Chapter 1 - Gathering Thoughts

    Chapter 2 - Teachers who inspired me 

    Chapter 3 - What am I? Montessori? Steiner? Eclectic? - Is it important? 

    Chapter 4 - Which comes first? A philosophical framework, theory and research evidence? What do teachers and other practitioners need to bring out their best work? 

    Chapter 5 - Working with principles which are interpreted and embedded in articulated practice 

    Chapter 6 - The importance of parent partnership and the development of moral values and self-discipline 

    Chapter 7 - Play – A very complex thing 

    Chapter 8 - Finding how to position myself in relation to play 

    Chapter 9 - Inclusion: commonalities, differences…fragmentation or wholeness? 

    Chapter 10 - Cultivating creativity 

    Chapter 11 - Remaining a generalist rather than becoming a specialist within one area of early childhood education 

    Chapter 12 - Changing political climates 

    Chapter 13 - How best to train teachers of young children

    Chapter 14 - Remaining a Froebelian but still exploring why and wondering…will I always be one?

    Index

    Biography

    Tina Bruce CBE is Honorary Professor of Early Childhood Education at the University of Roehampton, UK. She was Co-founding Director of the Centre for Early Childhood Studies at the Froebel College, Trustee of the Froebel Trust and Chair of the Archive Committee, as well as Co-ordinator for the Ministerial Advisory Committee on Early Childhood Education. Tina is a Vice President of Early Education and is on the Executive Committee of the International Froebel Society and a patron of the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE).