Search results for ""Author Martin Hughes""

The importance of learning mathematics is constantly stressed by educationalists and employers alike. Yet survey after survey shows that large numbers of children leave school lacking both competence and interest in mathematics. What is going wrong and what should be done about it? In Children and Number Martin Hughes proposes a new perspective on children's early attempts to understand mathematics. He describes the surprisingly substantial knowledge about number which children acquire naturally before they start school, and contrasts this with the difficulties presented by the formal written symbolism of mathematics in the classroom. He argues that children need to build links between their informal and their formal understanding of number, and shows what happens when these links are not made. Children and Number describes many novel ways in which young children can be helped to learn about number. The author shows that the written symbols children often invent for themselves are more meaningful to them than the symbols that they are taught. He presents simple number games for introducing children to mathematical symbols in ways they can appreciate and understand. Dr. Hughes also describes how the computer language LOGO can be adapted for young children, and shows the dramatic effect that LOGO can have on their mathematical understanding.

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The frozen wastes of the Southern Ocean; the tropical rainforests of South America, the scorching grasslands of Africa, the dizzy heights of the snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas: Martin Hughes-Games has been to every continent on earth filming natural history programmes. A Wild Life is Martin's personal account of his astonishing adventures around the world, both as a presenter for the BBC and a producer of nature documentaries. We all know Martin as a member of Springwatch and Autumnwatch team, but before his presenting days he spent many years behind the camera producing up-close-and-personal wildlife documentaries on location often in perilous conditions. During a career spanning more than three decades, he has captured the extraordinary life and diversity of the animal kingdom on film - from bloodthirsty bats and man-eating tigers, to huge elephant seals and tiny but ever so painful centipedes.Warmly told with humour and an inimitable style, and packed with insightful facts from the natural world - how fast is the fastest creature on earth, the peregrine falcon? How high can a bird, the bar headed goose on migration, really fly? - A Wild Life has to be one of the natural history books of the year.

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This fascinating account of an unusual research project challenges many assumptions about how young children learn and how best to teach them. In particular it turns upside-down the commonly held belief that professionals know better than parents how to educate and bring up children; and it throws doubt on the theory that working-class children underachieve at school because of a language deficit at home. The second edition of this bestselling text includes a new introduction by Judy Dunn. Fascinating account of an unusual research project challenges many assumptions about how young children. Turns upside-down the commonly held belief that professionals know better than parents how to educate and bring up children. Throws doubt on the theory that working-class children underachieve at school because of a language deficit at home. The authors' evidence is the children's own conversations which are quoted extensively and are delightful. The second edition of this bestselling text includes an introduction by Judy Dunn.

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Understanding Children reflects on the development of children's minds - their abilities to understand language and to communicate; to explain events to the world; to read, write and draw; to deal with computers; to think perceive and to gain awareness. It is inspired by the work of Margaret Donaldson whose insights have changed our appreciation of the abilities of young children.

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It is now widely acknowledged that the most vulnerable and at risk children are children whom the current systems of education, care and health (especially mental health) are failing. The problem of dealing with 'at risk' children is also a problem of definition as one service provider s definition might often reflect an entirely different social reality from another's. Bringing years of collaborative expertise across many disciplines to the problem, the authors of How to Reach 'Hard to Reach' Children demonstrate how it is possible for all children to meet the following criteria of staying safe, enjoying and achieving, being healthy, making a positive contribution, and economic well-being.

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The role of parents in their children's education is an issue of critical importance. Many of the changes currently underway in British schools have been justified on the grounds that they provide "what parents want". But what do parents really want? And how have they reacted to the changes already introduced in the UK, such as increased parental choice, the National Curriculum, and standardized assessment? Parents and Their Children's Schools is the first book to tackle this important issue in depth and will be important reading for all those involved in education. It presents the findings of a unique research study which looked directly at these questions. The study followed 150 children through Key Stage One (5-7 years) of the National Curriculum, culminating in the first standardized assessments of 7 year olds ever to take place in the UK. The book presents the views of their parents and teachers, obtained through regular in-depth interviews at crucial stages during this period. As such, it provides important insights into the changes currently underway in schools and their effects on parents. In a broader context, it makes a major contribution to our understanding of the fundamental relationship between parents and schools.

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