Child Development and Education in the Twenty-First Century

198 Pages·2019·2.06 MB·English

by  Priti Joshi, Subir Shukla

Priti Joshi · Subir Shukla
Child
Development
and Education in
the Twenty-First
Century
Child Development and Education
in the Twenty-F irst Century
Priti Joshi • Subir Shukla
Child Development
and Education
in the Twenty-First Century
Priti Joshi Subir Shukla
Lady Irwin College Group Ignus
University of Delhi New Delhi, India
New Delhi, India
ISBN 978-981-13-9257-3 ISBN 978-981-13-9258-0 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-9258-0
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2019
This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of
the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation,
broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information
storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology
now known or hereafter developed.
The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication
does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant
protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.
The publisher, the authors, and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book
are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the
editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors
or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims
in published maps and institutional affiliations.
This Springer imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
The registered company address is: 152 Beach Road, #21-01/04 Gateway East, Singapore 189721,
Singapore
Preface
Across the world, we are witnessing momentous change – in ways of life, in how
our economy and polity function and in how culture is evolving. More children are
now in school than ever before. Yet there is also greater concern about children than
there has ever been. In this rapidly evolving century, how can families everywhere
nurture them best? With technology and a globalizing economy now invading every
home and life, how may children grow up holding an equitable place and cultural
identity in a society marked by hierarchy, diversity and their accompanying divides?
In a world where it is increasingly difficult to predict the next few years, including
the professions children may have to choose from (or create), how can education be
adapted to the needs of the future? And with the Earth under threat from the destruc-
tive consequences of human action, how can children evolve a local yet global per-
spective that would help them play an effective role in preserving the planet?
Questions such as these are troubling for anyone who gives thought to children’s
present situation and possible future. Childhood is, of course, a delightful phase of
life, with much to explore, learn and engage with. Adults, too, shower love and
affection on children, enjoying the daily changes they see in them. In many ways,
this is one of the best periods in history to be young and growing up, with far
improved survival and health indicators than even a few decades ago. The changes
taking place in the twenty-first century have also made it possible for children to be
able to do a great deal more and go much further than earlier generations.
Despite the remarkable progress and achievements made, though, we cannot
help but worry about an uncertain economic future, a society under stress and a
planet in danger. Large sections of our populations still remain vulnerable due to
poverty, social disparities, lack of access to health and educational services, and
looming ecological disaster. Children growing up in adversity are at risk of suc-
cumbing to their circumstances and failing to attain their optimal development
despite the unprecedented opportunities that our century offers them.
How then do we ensure the development of each child and the realization of her
potential such that society and humanity itself may develop? Using insights from
child development and its interface with education, we address some of the most
urgent questions our century compels us to face. In doing this, we take into
v
vi Preface
consideration our socio-cultural heritage, which provides the ground against which
change is taking place. This continuity with the earlier centuries supports us in
negotiating the present one, though it poses challenges too. We therefore offer a
concise introduction to selected areas relevant to understanding children’s develop-
ment, in particular in contexts like India, and their implications for nurturing and
educating children over the stages of their life from birth to adolescence.
This book is meant for university students, young people and teachers and fami-
lies concerned about issues related to education and the development of children
and those working on improving education or other services for children.
Priti expresses gratitude to her teachers, who introduced her to the world of child
development. The support of Lady Irwin College, University of Delhi, in granting
her study leave to work on this book is gratefully acknowledged. Finally, it is the
faith her parents, Jaya and Bipin, reposed in her, that gave her the resilience to
persevere.
Subir thanks all the children and teachers he has had the privilege to work with
over the years.
New Delhi, India Priti Joshi
New Delhi, India Subir Shukla
Contents
Part I P erspectives and Themes over Time and Contexts
1 Child Development and Education in the Twenty-First
Century: An Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.1 What the Twenty-First Century Compels Us to Consider . . . . . . . . . 3
1.2 Different Perspectives on Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
1.3 Understanding Child Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
1.4 An Evolving Perspective on Child Development and Education . . . 11
1.5 To What Extent Has Education Changed in the Twenty- First
Century? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
1.6 Education from the Child’s Point of View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
1.7 In the Interest of Children’s Development and Education
in the Twenty-F irst Century . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
2 Children and Education: Reflecting Back and Looking Forward . . . . 21
2.1 Taking History into Account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
2.2 A Brief Historical Survey of Perspectives on Education . . . . . . . . . 22
2.3 Conclusion: Some Themes and a Few Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Part II C hildren’s Development, Learning and Education
3 Development in Early Childhood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
3.1 Understanding Child Development in Context . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
3.2 Adversities and Vulnerabilities in the Early Years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
3.3 Who Is the Child/Learner? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
3.4 Practice Appropriate to the Context of Early Development . . . . . . . 46
3.5 Relating with the Diverse Contexts of Learning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
3.6 The Significance of Close Relationships at Home
and Beyond . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
vii
viii Contents
3.7 Play in Children’s Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
3.8 Toys and Young Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
3.9 Conclusion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
4 Learning in Early Childhood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
4.1 Learning and Socio-Cultural Contexts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
4.2 Infants and Toddlers (Birth–3 years) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
4.3 The Pre-school Years (3–6 years) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
4.4 Early School Years (6–8 years) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
4.5 Built Environment and Its Use to Promote Learning . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
4.6 Conclusion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
5 Middle Childhood and Adolescence: Development and Learning . . . . 83
5.1 Age Boundaries of Childhood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
5.2 Middle Childhood and Adolescence: Engagement
with Learning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
5.3 Economic Development and Childhood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
5.4 The Learning Environment and Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
5.5 Enabling Learning in School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
5.6 What Is Worth Learning? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
5.7 When Does Technology Add Value in Education? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
5.8 Conclusion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
6 Child Development and Education in the Context of Family . . . . . . . . 107
6.1 Family: Form and Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
6.2 Education of the Child – Important for Families from
an Early Age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
6.3 Transition and Readiness – Adapting the School to the Child . . . . . 111
6.4 Social Inequalities, Educational Choice and Parental
Involvement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
6.5 Social Class and Educational Outcomes for Children . . . . . . . . . . . 114
6.6 Parenting Practices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
6.7 Parents and Teachers Are a Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
6.8 Conclusion: The Importance of Thoughtful Relationships . . . . . . . . 119
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Part III Literacy Practices in Childhood
7 Literacy and Reading in Childhood and Beyond . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
7.1 Reading for Enjoyment: Connecting with Words, Self,
Community and the World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
7.2 Supporting Reading: Connecting Symbols with Experience
to Create Meaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
7.3 Helping Children to Read at Different Stages of Development . . . . 131
Contents ix
7.4 Ensuring Time for Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
7.5 Relating Through Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
7.6 Addressing ‘Disadvantage’ to Create and Sustain
Young Readers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
7.7 Age-Appropriate Reading Material. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
7.8 Conclusion: Developing a Culture of Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
8 Children’s Development in the Digital Age. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
8.1 Challenges and Opportunities in the Digital Age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
8.2 Digital Engagement Across Different Age Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
8.3 Some Guiding Principles for Use of Technology and Media . . . . . . 157
8.4 What Parents Need to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
8.5 Relationships, Identity and New Technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
8.6 Digital Literacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
8.7 Conclusion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Part IV Looking Ahead
9 Education in a Changing World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
9.1 Revisiting Children’s Development and Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
9.2 Where Would We Like to Be? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
9.3 Implications for Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
9.4 Working Towards Equity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
9.5 How to Get There – Adapting Our System to Address
Children’s Needs in the Twenty-First Century . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
9.6 Conclusion: A Holistic Approach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
About the Authors
Priti  Joshi is Associate Professor, Department of Human Development and
Childhood Studies, Lady Irwin College, University of Delhi. She has worked with
children and families in different contexts. Her interests include children’s literature
and education in the early years, with a focus on equity and inclusion.
Subir Shukla is with Group Ignus and works on improving the quality of education
systems in India and other countries, focusing on the needs of marginalized chil-
dren. He also writes and publishes for children.
xi