“I welcome this timely compilation of articles by these insightful leaders in early learning. The focus on cognition in the context of the whole child and the development of concept knowledge and skills is just what we need to balance practices. I am eager to introduce this to our educators.” — Ellen Frede, Senior Vice President for Early Learning, Research, and Training, Acelero Learning

Carol Copple received her doctorate in human development from Cornell University and joined the faculty of Louisiana State University. As senior research psychologist at the Educational Testing Service, she directed a prekindergarten program for enhancing young children’s thinking skills and wrote Educating the Young Thinker: Classroom Strategies for Cognitive Growth with Irving Sigel and Ruth Saunders. At the National Association for the Education of Young Children from 1993 to 2010, Dr. Copple headed the publications program, authored numerous books, and played a leading role in developing the association’s position statements and education initiatives. She is now an early education consultant based in Nashville, Tennessee.

• About This Book
• Part I Cognitive Development from Birth through Age 8
• 1. Cognitive Development in the First Three Years of Life
• 2. Cognitive Development in the Preschool Years
• 3. Cognitive Development in the Kindergarten Year
• 4. Cognitive Development in the Primary Grades
• 5. Becoming Enthusiastic and Engaged
• Part II Approaches for Promoting Cognitive Development in the Early Childhood Classroom
• Section 1: Symbolic Thought in the Early Years
• 6. Chopsticks and Counting Chips: Do Play and Foundational Skills Need to Compete for the Teacher’s Attention in an Early Childhood Classroom?
• 7. Moving into Uncertainty: Sculpture with 3- to 5-Year-Olds
• 8. Building Foundations for Spatial Literacy in Early Childhood
• Section 2: Executive Function and the Development of Self-Regulation
• 9. Recognizing and Supporting the Development of Self-Regulation in Young Children
• 10. Thinking Out Loud: Development of Private Speech and the Implications for School Success and Self-Control
• 11. How Planning and Reflection Develop Young Children’s Thinking Skills
• 12. Developing Self-Regulation in Kindergarten: Can We Keep All the Crickets in the Basket?
• Section 3: Higher-Order, Complex Thinking
• 13. Let’s SQUiNK about It! A Metacognitive Approach to Exploring Text in a Second Grade Classroom
• 14. From High Chair to High School: Research-Based Principles for Teaching Complex Thinking
• 15. Science in Kindergarten