Theories of Childhood - 2nd Edition by Carol Garhart Mooney (Paperback)

About the Book

The classic guide for early childhood classrooms and professionals, now revised and updated.

Book Synopsis

Understand theories of childhood to make your days with children smoother, your job easier, and your program stronger.

This best-selling resource provides clear, straightforward introductions to the foundational theories of John Dewey, Maria Montessori, Erik Erikson, Jean Piaget, and Lev Vygotsky. Each chapter highlights a theorist's work and includes insight on how the theory impacts teaching young children today. Discussion questions and suggested readings are included to help you gain an understanding of what it means to apply each theory to your work with children.

Theories of Childhood, Second Edition:

Builds the bridge between theory and best practices in early childhood education
Supports your genuine enjoyment with children by helping you understand more about the ways they grow and learn
Includes new understandings of Vygotsky's work
Applies the five theories to the realities of the twenty-first century

Carol Garhart Mooney has been an early childhood educator for more than forty years. She is also the author of Theories of Attachment, Use Your Words, and Swinging Pendulums.

Review Quotes

"I was quite pleased to see the second edition of Theories of Childhood come across my desk. We have used the text for a number of years in our introductory child development course. It provides a strong theoretical foundation for our students through its simple, direct approach. This includes not only the clear presentation of developmental theories in an understandable way, but also implications for and examples of how a particular approach impacts our work with children and families. I have had great feedback from students over the years and from a variety of faculty who have used it!"

--Eileen Micke-Johnson
Department Chair, Early Childhood & Elementary Education
Rogue Community College, Medford, OR

"I chose to incorporate Theories of Childhood in my Early Childhood Theory and Practice class. I find that this book covers the main theorists in simple, easy-to-read ways, yet still detailed enough to introduce the students to each theorist. What helped me choose this particulate book was that it wasn't designed in a typical 'textbook' format. This book is paperback, small, and reasonably priced so that I can use more than one book with my students. I like the quotes included at the beginning of each section and that each theorist has a biography, and that each theory is detailed, current, and to the point. If I will read a book from cover to cover and enjoy it, I will use it with my students."

--Mrs. Elizabeth Engelhardt
Department of Teacher Education
University of Dayton, Dayton, Ohio

About the Author

Carol Garhart Mooney: Carol Garhart Mooney has written extensively on a wide variety of child development topics. In addition to Theories of Childhood, Second Edition, she is also the author of Theories of Attachment: An Introduction to Bowlby, Ainsworth, Gerber, Brazelton, Kennell, and Klaus, Swinging Pendulums: Cautionary Tales for Early Childhood Education, and Use Your Words: How Teacher Talk Helps Children Learn, all published by Redleaf Press. She holds a master's degree in early childhood education from the University of New Hampshire. She is a former preschool, kindergarten, and elementary school teacher and has served as a child care services manager for Belknap-Merrimack Head Start. For twenty-five years, she has been an instructor of early childhood education and sociology of the family for the University System of New Hampshire.