Developmental psychologist Margaret Donaldson shows that much of the intellectual framework on which we base our teaching is misleading. We both underestimate the astonishing rational powers of young children and ignore the major stumbling block that children face when starting school.
Given a setting and a language that makes sense to them in human terms, very young children can perform tasks often thought to be beyond them. The preschool child learns everything in a human situation. Only in school is he asked to acquire skills-reading, writing, arithmetic-isolated from a real-life context. This transition is difficult.
The author suggests a range of strategies that parents and schools can adopt to help children. She argues that reading is even more important than we have thought it to be, since learning to read ca actually speed children through the crucial transition.
This book is an essential source of guidance for parents and all who contribute to a child's education.
- ISBN10 0393951014
- ISBN13 9780393951011
- Publish Date 1 April 1979 (first published 27 April 1978)
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country US
- Imprint WW Norton & Co
- Format Paperback
- Pages 176
- Language English