Description

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Teachers often see repetitive behaviors in toddler and preschool classrooms, such as building and knocking down block towers or dumping out toys. When children do these actions over and over it can be irritating to teachers and parents, but viewing these actions through the lens of schema theory, developed by Jean Piaget, can help understand what's really going on in children's brains when they display these repetitive behaviors.

Children's Lively Minds is filled with stories about real children exploring schema, followed by reflection and questions about what children might be learning. Schema theory is happening in your work with young children whether you know it or not. Understanding it and putting intention behind it, can help families and teachers ease frustration with young children's repetitive behavior and allow adults to better support brain development.

About the Author

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Deb Curtis has spent the past 40 years working with children and teachers in early childhood programs. She is the coauthor of The Visionary Director, Training Teachers, The Art of Awareness, Designs for Living and Learning, Reflecting Children's Lives, Learning Together with Young Children, Reflecting in Communities of Practice, and Really Seeing Children. Nadia Jaboneta is a program coordinator and classroom teacher at Pacific Primary preschool in San Francisco, California. She has 20 years of experience in the Early Childhood Education field teaching young children, training teachers, consulting and facilitating workshops. She is proud to have immigrant parents from Lima, Peru. It is because of their hard work, resilience, and support that she is who she is today. Nadia attended San Francisco State University for both her Bachelor's and Master's degree. There she had the opportunity to learn about teacher research and the importance of capturing children's voices and to reflect on her own practice. She was named a Promising Emerging Leader by Exchange in 2015 and is the coauthor of Children's Lively Minds: Schema Theory Made Visible with Deb Curtis.