Synopsis: In their new collaboration, Celia Genishi and Anne Haas Dyson celebrate the genius of young children as they learn language and literacy in the diverse contexts that surround them. Despite burgeoning sociocultural diversity, many early childhood classrooms (pre-K to grade 2) offer a "one-size-fits-all" curriculum, too often assessed by standardized tests. In contrast, the authors propose diversity as the new norm. They feature stories of children whose language learning is impossible to standardize, and they introduce teachers who do not follow scripts but observe, assess informally, respond to, and grow with their children. Among these children are rapid language learners and those who take their time to become speakers, readers, and writers at "child speed." All these learners, regardless of tempo, are often found within the language-rich contexts of play.

This book examines the ways in which mobile technologies may contribute to or disrupt literacy learning in children. Also explored is the impact mobile technologies may have on literacy definitions and practices; student, parent and teacher roles and interactions; power relations in education; and social and material interactions.

This book contains case studies relating the experience of bilingual children in various settings in New Zealand primary schools. The contexts include a Maori bilingual school, a Samoan bilingual unit, and mainstream classrooms which cater for immigrant and deaf children. Suggestions for educational policy, teacher development and research are made.

The importance of the early years in young children’s lives and the rigid inequality in literacy achievement are a stimulating backdrop to current research in young children’s language and literacy development. This book reports new data and empirical analyses that advance the theory of language and literacy, with researchers using different methodologies in conducting their study, with both a sound empirical underpinning and a captivating analytical rationalization of the results. The contributors to this volume used several methodological methods (e.g. quantitative, qualitative) to describe the complete concept of the study; the achievement of the study; and the study in an appropriate manner based on the study’s methodology. The contributions to this volume cover a wide range of topics, including dual language learners; Latino immigrant children; children who have hearing disabilities; parents’ and teachers’ beliefs about language development; early literacy skills of toddlers and preschool children; interventions; multimodalities in early literacies; writing; and family literacy. The studies were conducted in various early childhood settings such as child care, nursery school, Head Start, kindergarten, and primary grades, and the subjects in the studies represent the pluralism of the globe – a pluralism of language, backgrounds, ethnicity, abilities, and disabilities. This book was originally published as a special issue of Early Child Development and Care.

This book discusses literacy development in heritage language speakers and presents the results of four different quantitative studies that investigate the transfer of literacy skills in bi- and multilingual language development. The empirical studies focus on different populations of pupils, most of them located in various parts of Switzerland, and emphasise the potential residing in shared or transferred resources between their heritage languages and the languages spoken in the region to which their family has immigrated. The goal of all studies was to gain an understanding of the factors, both linguistic and non-linguistic in nature, that contribute to the development of language skills in both the heritage and school languages. Theoretical assumptions are put to the test via hypothesis testing and the generally shared assumptions on bilingual education are questioned based on the data. Furthermore, methodological problems in the investigation of linguistic interdependence are discussed. This book contributes to the scholarly investigation of potential beneficial effects in academic proficiency across languages in migrant children.

Learning to read is arguably the single most important educational challenge a child faces in the first years of schooling, setting a child up for future academic success and opportunities. However, it is estimated that one in six children experience literacy difficulties. This is the go-to book for psychologists, educationalists and other professionals wanting a deeper understanding of current thinking around dyslexia, reading comprehension difficulties, and related SpLDs. Drawing on six fictional case studies to illustrate her points, and using examples of good practice throughout, Valerie Muter unpacks the latest psychological theories and research on literacy disorders. She discusses the interconnections between underlying cognitive problems and learning and educational and behavioural issues, as well as the common co-occurrence of these conditions. This authoritative book also provides accessible guidance on making assessments and tailoring interventions within the home or school. Written by a lead thinker in the field, this is an essential evidence-based guide for those working with children with literacy difficulties and supporting them to achieve their full potential.