Early Learning and Development: Cultural-historical Concepts in Play

Early Learning and Development provides a unique synthesis of cultural-historical theory from Vygotsky, Elkonin and Leontiev in the twentieth century to the ground-breaking research of scholars such as Siraj-Blatchford, Kratsova and Hedegaard today. It demonstrates how development and learning are culturally embedded and institutionally defined, and it reflects specifically upon the implications for the early childhood profession. Divided into parts, with succinct chapters that build upon knowledge progressively, the everyday lives of children at home, in the community, at pre-school and at school are discussed in the context of child development and pedagogy. The book explicitly problematises the foundations of early childhood education, inviting postgraduates, researchers and academics to drill down into specific areas of international discourse, and extending upper-level undergraduates beyond the fundamental underpinnings of their learning. Ultimately Early Learning and Development offers new models of 'conceptual play' practice and theory within a globally resonant, cultural-historical framework.

Marilyn Fleer MEd, MA (Science and Technology), PhD (Philosophy/Education) holds the Fountain Chair of Early Childhood Education at Monash University, Australia, and is the President of the International Society of Cultural Activity Research (ISCAR). Her research interests focus on early years learning and development, with special attention to pedagogy, culture, science and technology. More recently she has investigated child development in the contexts of home and school.