Author Description

The child-centered principles of early years education - which emphasize play and holistic learning - are being challenged by the implementation of a subject-based National Curriculum. The contributors to this book, all early years educationalists, explore this challenge and offer some ways of meeting it practically and productively. Issues covered include: pedagogical issues, such as the status of cross-curricular, topic-based teaching; teachers' attitudes to subject knowledge; assessment issues, including "baseline assessment" at age 5; special education needs in the early years; and parental attitudes to the National Curriculum and its content at key Stage 1.