Sparking Learning in Young Children - by Chris Amirault (Paperback)

About the Book

Transform early childhood learning with expert guidance for inclusive and developmentally appropriate teaching in your classroom.

Book Synopsis

Sparking Learning in Young Children: Classroom Best Practices provides a streamlined yet comprehensive overview of everything you need to kickstart your preschool, transitional kindergarten, or pre-K classroom to help ensure the best possible teaching and learning environment. Dive into relevant topics, offering insights from contemporary research, expert-defined best practices, and real-world examples from the author's twenty-plus years of experience. Whether a seasoned teacher or a dedicated aide, this guide is your roadmap to creating a vibrant, inclusive, and developmentally appropriate early childhood learning experience. This concise yet comprehensive resource equips you with the essential tools to create an engaging learning environment by focusing on key areas such as child development, planning and reflection, room design and materials, family engagement, and more!

Review Quotes

"Chris Amirault has deep experience working with young children, their families, and preschool teachers and administrators. In this book he shares wisdom, insights, and knowledge based on 20+ years of practical experience blended with current research and recommended best practices. The author covers essential topics including foundational child development concepts; the importance of planning and reflection; thoughtful selection of materials and room design; the powerful cycles of curriculum, assessment, and instruction; and strategies for cultivating meaningful family engagement. Each chapter is punctuated with boxes that highlight core concepts and provide ample professional resources, and each chapter ends with reflection prompts. These features spark the continuing learning and development of preschool teachers and serve to support and encourage those new to the field and inspire seasoned colleagues."

--Diane Horm, Ph.D., George Kaiser Family Foundation?Endowed Chair, Director of the Early Childhood Education Institute, University of Oklahoma-Tulsa

"Reading this book feels akin to a cozy fireside chat, immersing myself in the author's captivating and relatable stories, delving into profound conversations, and contemplating the essence of best practices in early childhood education. It has not only broadened my perspective but also revitalized my enthusiasm for teaching. Clearly, this book offers an ultimate guide for a process of learning, unlearning, and re-learning through an equity lens to embrace diversity and honor the unique strengths and resilience each child and family nurture in various contexts."

--Kyong-Ah Kwon, Ph.D., Professor, Education & Early Childhood Education, University of Oklahoma

"Chris does a masterful job at weaving together complex developmental theories and research with practical, relevant strategies for everyday approaches to high quality early childhood education.?This book is equally relevant to students seeking their post-secondary degrees, center directors working to bring out the best in their team and classroom designs, and educators who need some inspiration in what can be demanding environments.?What I love the most is the humility and storytelling Chris uses throughout the book.? Any reader will be able to see themselves and their work in Sparking Learning in Young Children."

--Rhian Evans Allvin, Chief Executive Officer, Brynmor Early Education and Preschool, Lorton, Virginia

"This accessible text provides a perfect combination of research-based best practices, principle-based reflective practices, and the day-to-day realities of working in preschool classrooms. Through storytelling, the exploration of topics, the sharing of?resources, the reflective questions, and providing classroom-ready tools, this book proves to be engaging, informative, and necessary for any teacher getting started in early education."

--Robyn Lopez Melton, Director, The Research Institute, Western Oregon University

"This book is perfect for anyone working with young children. Dr. Amirault weaves together child development theory, research and best practices while reminding the reader to keep equity at the forefront. The author describes best practices, provides the resources, and guides you through how to implement them. There are many opportunities to reflect on best practices as reflection is the core of sparking learning for children as well as adults. It is evident that the author has intentionally spent time with children and teachers in real classrooms."

--Emisha Maytubby, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Family & Consumer Science, Langston University, Oklahoma

About the Author

Chris Amirault, Ph.D., served for two decades as the director of NAEYC-accredited Early Head Start, preschool, and state PK programs in RI and OK. He was president for several years of the Rhode Island Association for the Education of Young Children and has also served in many national leadership capacities, including as Chair of the Council for NAEYC Accreditation, a member of the NAEYC Affiliate Advisory Council, a founding facilitator of NAEYC's Diversity & Equity Interest Forum, and on the NAEYC working groups for developmentally appropriate practice and equity. He has taught undergraduate and graduate courses in early childhood education at Brown University, the Community College of Rhode Island, the University of Oklahoma, and elsewhere, and he served as Director of the Institute for Elementary and Secondary Education at Brown. Chris is the author of Sparking Learning in Young Children and coauthor of Finding Your Way Through Conflict, and he has published articles in several early childhood journals and presented many times at state and national early childhood conferences. He has a Ph.D. in cultural studies from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and lives in Salem, OR.