The Importance of Being Little

December 7, 2015
Christakis brings her experience working as a preschool teacher and with the Yale Child Study Center to this sophisticated, observation-based argument for viewing young children primarily as just that, and not as adults in training. Christakis wants to stem the loss of the “comprehensive childhood habitat” to narrow government standards, testing regimens, and behavioral diagnoses. She believes that by the time three- to six-year-old children first enter a daycare center or classroom, they are not “blank slates” but full-fledged individuals ready to learn “primarily from their relationships” rather than direct instruction. She urges parents and educators to let these natural learners thrive by paying attention to each child’s “zone of proximal development,” giving them power to express themselves, and valuing their inner lives while recognizing that they “lack an infrastructure upon which to express emotion.” Christakis also encourages caregivers and teachers to offer children stories worth hearing, conversations worth having, and rich contexts for play. Though these optimistic ideas for responsive learning environments are supported more through anecdotes and examples than hard data, Christakis’s rich experience and attentiveness to the details of child behavior and psychology give her approach the power of practical real-world experience. Agent: Bonnie Solow, Solow Literary.

December 15, 2015
An early childhood educator offers fresh advice on how parents and teachers should be interacting with preschool children to achieve better overall results. Christakis, who teaches at Yale University's Child Study Center, examines current early childhood education policies and practices and suggests what can and should be changed so preschoolers have the optimum learning experience. "I offer a straightforward roadmap for recognizing signs of powerful learning that can be hard to discern," she writes, "and I provide concrete recommendations for nurturing young children's learning impulses wherever we find them." Christakis looks at the current practice of teaching preschoolers long vocabulary lists without necessarily emphasizing a true understanding of the words being taught and the overuse of creating a "print-rich environment," in which the classroom is filled to excess with "labels, vocabulary lists, calendars, graphs, classroom rules, alphabet lists, number charts and inspirational platitudes" that often overwhelm young students just learning to read and write. The author studies the need for arts and crafts time in school, which allows students to express themselves when they've yet to master reading and writing. Playtime is another focus, and Christakis stresses the benefits of letting children play outdoors with natural (and free) objects as opposed to continuous screen time. She points out how teaching to achieve mandated skill levels isn't working since it breaks unified tasks into small, often disconnected pieces. Among other issues, she voices thoughts on the expectations educators have on the reading and writing levels of preschoolers without taking into consideration each child's individual development level. Christakis points out the flaws in many of the nation's preschool programs and offers concrete steps for change in the classroom and in education policies. A deep, provocative analysis of the current modes of teaching preschoolers and what should be changed to create a more effective learning environment for everyone.

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Starred review from January 1, 2016

Christakis (education, Child Study Ctr., Yale Univ.) delves into the current state of early childhood education and offers a vision for developmentally appropriate and supportive classrooms. Focusing on the early needs of children, the author breaks down the pedagogy, history, and policy of today's preschool and kindergarten environments to help reveal what works well and what's in desperate need of change. Addressing academic skills in children's emergent literacy as well as other important components of early childhood education, such as building relationships with adults and play, Christakis takes an in-depth look at the gamut of children's schooling requirements. Honestly addressing every aspect of a child's education, the author's intent here is not to show how to fix things but to start an exchange that encourages us to think differently about education in the early years. VERDICT For all parents, caregivers, and practitioners who are ready to challenge what they believe children need in school and who are open to begin the conversation about change.--Rachel Wadham, Brigham Young Univ. Libs., Provo, UT

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2016
Christakis doesn't just hypothesize about preschool education; she teaches it and backs it up with extensive, solid researchthen makes it accessible. The Harvard College, Johns Hopkins, and Annenberg School alum taught preschoolers at the University of Chicago Lab School and taught college students early childhood education at Yale University's Child Study Center. (If those qualifications aren't enough, she is also a parent of three.) In this book, Christakis includes many examples of the ways Americans fail to teach young children, but rather than leaving the reader depressed, she empowers readers by explaining how preschoolers learn and how adults can have a better understanding of them. She also teaches how to get out of their way enough to have a better relationship with them. Christakis says her book is geared toward parents, educators, and policymakers, but it could also be required reading for all forms of pediatric therapists and school-board members. Although the author's credentials are quite academic, her book is written for everyone.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)