This research is a pioneering study in comparative education in the context of Cameroon in particular, and Africa in general, which highlights present-day school and classroom instances of language socialisation as instantiating Anglophone and Francophone education traditions in their representation of the British and French educational legacies from the colonial era. Its findings point to practices specific to each study site and to Anglophone and Francophone subsystems of education as they translate local, national and global education perspectives and parallel Anglophone and Francophone cultures writ large. The narrative, analysis and findings of this study are, therefore, of relevance to educational communities in other countries, as issues of language socialisation, ideology, identity, bilingualism/multilingualism and comparative education are raised from a language- and culture-learning angle. The findings of this work also present emerging patterns of communal practices resulting from the coexistence of both subsystems of education, while the empirical data presented expose an inadequacy between official bilingualism discourse and its implementation in schools which may have a significant impact on future orientation of this policy in schools in Cameroon. This book will be useful to scholars interested in the fields of language socialisation and comparative education in general, and in Africa and Cameroon in particular. It will also be of interest to language policymakers in the context of Cameroon, as data from schools indicate that official bilingualism practice does not echo policy discourse and problematises the construct of a Cameroonian identity as constitutive of Anglophone, Francophone and local cultures. The data report, however, shows that the paradigm shift in teachers’ perceptions about the value of languages apparently influenced pupils’ attitudes towards the various languages to which they were being socialised, both at home and in school, and particularly shaped their understanding of the necessity of learning the second official language.

This book is the result of a unique experience: a research mathematician teaching in an elementary school. It tells about a fascinating discovery made by the author — that elementary mathematics has a lot of depth and beauty, and that the secret to its teaching is in understanding its deep points.The first part of the book discusses the nature of mathematics and its beauty. The second part tells about the teaching principles the author distilled from his experience. The third part is an excursion through the arithmetic studied in elementary school, accompanied by personal stories, historical anecdotes and teaching suggestions. The appendix relates the fascinating story of modern day politics of mathematical education.The book was a bestseller in Israel, and has been translated into many languages. The extraordinary combination of mathematical and didactic insights makes it an essential guide for parents and teachers alike.

"This is a unique portrait of a group of working-class families whose 4 year old children start school on the cusp of the millenium in urban Britain. It is a brilliant analysis of ways in which parents, children and teachers strive to cross cultural and linguistic boundaries to come to a common understanding of 'school'. Beautifully written, it is essential reading for all involved in the education of young children." - Eve Gregory, Professor of Language and Culture in Education, Goldsmiths, University of London. "This book will challenge and support practitioners in their quest to improve early childhood practice. The use of theory is 'friendly' and the real-life examples of the experiences of young children and their parents really bring home to the reader the experience of inequality. Readers will rarely find a book which expresses the complexity of educational experience in such an accessible form. This is a valuable book for every level of early years training." - Iram Siraj-Blatchford, Professor of Early Childhood Education, Institute of Education, University of London. * How does the home experience of children from poor and ethnic minority communities influence their adaptation to school? * How does the traditional 'child-centred' and progressive pedagogy of early years classrooms meet the needs of children from culturally diverse backgrounds? Starting School seeks to address these key questions by tracing the learning experiences of individual children from a poor inner-urban neighbourhood - half of them from Bangladeshi families - as they acquire the knowledge appropriate to their home culture and then take this knowledge to their reception class. The book highlights the small differences in family life - in parenting practices, in perspectives on childhood, and in beliefs about work and play - which make a big difference to children's adaptations to school. In other words, it shows how children succeed and fail from their early days at school. It shows too how the 'good intentions' of good teachers can sometimes allow children from certain backgrounds to become disaffected, and learn to fail; and it suggests ways of working with children from working class and multicultural families which may help both children and parents to gain a better understanding of school learning in the UK.

Children are already learning at birth, and they develop and learn at a rapid pace in their early years. This provides a critical foundation for lifelong progress, and the adults who provide for the care and the education of young children bear a great responsibility for their health, development, and learning. Despite the fact that they share the same objective - to nurture young children and secure their future success - the various practitioners who contribute to the care and the education of children from birth through age 8 are not acknowledged as a workforce unified by the common knowledge and competencies needed to do their jobs well. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 explores the science of child development, particularly looking at implications for the professionals who work with children. This report examines the current capacities and practices of the workforce, the settings in which they work, the policies and infrastructure that set qualifications and provide professional learning, and the government agencies and other funders who support and oversee these systems. This book then makes recommendations to improve the quality of professional practice and the practice environment for care and education professionals. These detailed recommendations create a blueprint for action that builds on a unifying foundation of child development and early learning, shared knowledge and competencies for care and education professionals, and principles for effective professional learning. Young children thrive and learn best when they have secure, positive relationships with adults who are knowledgeable about how to support their development and learning and are responsive to their individual progress. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 offers guidance on system changes to improve the quality of professional practice, specific actions to improve professional learning systems and workforce development, and research to continue to build the knowledge base in ways that will directly advance and inform future actions. The recommendations of this book provide an opportunity to improve the quality of the care and the education that children receive, and ultimately improve outcomes for children.

This second edition of a teacher favorite features a fresh, easy-to-use layout including color coding by grade level, more support for student engagement in academics, greater emphasis on the effective use of teacher language, and a dedicated chapter on the all-important first day of school.

First released in the Spring of 1999, How People Learn has been expanded to show how the theories and insights from the original book can translate into actions and practice, now making a real connection between classroom activities and learning behavior. This edition includes far-reaching suggestions for research that could increase the impact that classroom teaching has on actual learning. Like the original edition, this book offers exciting new research about the mind and the brain that provides answers to a number of compelling questions. When do infants begin to learn? How do experts learn and how is this different from non-experts? What can teachers and schools do-with curricula, classroom settings, and teaching methodsâ€"to help children learn most effectively? New evidence from many branches of science has significantly added to our understanding of what it means to know, from the neural processes that occur during learning to the influence of culture on what people see and absorb. How People Learn examines these findings and their implications for what we teach, how we teach it, and how we assess what our children learn. The book uses exemplary teaching to illustrate how approaches based on what we now know result in in-depth learning. This new knowledge calls into question concepts and practices firmly entrenched in our current education system. Topics include: How learning actually changes the physical structure of the brain. How existing knowledge affects what people notice and how they learn. What the thought processes of experts tell us about how to teach. The amazing learning potential of infants. The relationship of classroom learning and everyday settings of community and workplace. Learning needs and opportunities for teachers. A realistic look at the role of technology in education.

Bilinguale Unterrichtsformen sind in einem mehrsprachigen Europa derzeit stark angesagt, sowohl in der Grund- als auch der Sekundarschule. Diese Einführung gibt einen guten Überblick über aktuelle Forschungsergebnisse, Konzepte, Fragen und Praktiken des bilingualen Unterrichts in der Primarstufe. Das Buch wendet sich gleichermaßen an Lehrkräfte, Referendare und Studierende und informiert über Chancen und Grenzen, die bei der Einführung bilingualer Unterrichtsprogramme wie CLIL, Immersion oder bilinguale Module berücksichtigt werden müssen. Jedes Kapitel enthält eine Kurzzusammenfassung, vor- und nachbereitende Fragen zum Text sowie Literaturempfehlungen zu den einzelnen Bereichen.