What Do Preschoolers Really Need from Grownups? Ask Erika Christakis

Common Core / Erika Christakis / Kindergarten / Play / Preschool / Reviews / Social constructivism / Social-emotional Development / Standards and Assessment / Whole Child / Writing 2 Comments

Suddenly, everyone’s weighing in on what young children need. From CEOs of tech startups to the titans of philanthropcapitalism, from economists to journalists and political pundits, early development and education have become a free-for-all, the province of those whose expertise lies elsewhere. Enter, Erika Christakis, author of The Importance of …

Learning Together: Vygotsky and the Framers of American Democracy

Child Development / Education Reform / Educational Equity / Preschool / Reggio Emilia / Reviews / Social constructivism / Writing One Comment

How can you resist a book that links Vygotsky’s theory of social constructivism with the Framers’ vision for American democracy?  I couldn’t. When I first looked at Learning Together: The Law, Politics, Economics, Pedagogy, and Neuroscience of Early Childhood Education, I nearly ran in the other direction. I’m married to …