How Animals Help Students Learn


Book Description

How Animals Help Students Learn summarizes what we know about the impact of animals in education and synthesizes the thinking of prominent leaders in research and practice. It’s a much-needed resource for mental-health and education professionals interested in incorporating animals in school-based environments, one that evaluates the efficacy of existing programs and helps move the field toward evidence-based practice. Experts from around the world provide concrete examples of how animals have been successfully incorporated into classroom settings to achieve the highest level of benefit while also ensuring the health and welfare of the students and animals involved.




How Animals Help Students Learn


Book Description

How Animals Help Students Learn summarizes what we know about the impact of animals in education and synthesizes the thinking of prominent leaders in research and practice. It’s a much-needed resource for mental-health and education professionals interested in incorporating animals in school-based environments, one that evaluates the efficacy of existing programs and helps move the field toward evidence-based practice. Experts from around the world provide concrete examples of how animals have been successfully incorporated into classroom settings to achieve the highest level of benefit while also ensuring the health and welfare of the students and animals involved.




Animals and Science Education


Book Description

This book discusses how we can inspire today’s youth to engage in challenging and productive discussions around the past, present and future role of animals in science education. Animals play a large role in the sciences and science education and yet they remain one of the least visible topics in the educational literature. This book is intended to cultivate research topics, conversations, and dispositions for the ethical use of animals in science and education. This book explores the vital role of animals with/in science education, specimens, protected species, and other associated issues with regards to the role of animals in science. Topics explored include ethical, curriculum and pedagogical dimensions, involving invertebrates, engineering solutions that contribute to ecosystems, the experiences of animals under our care, aesthetic and contemplative practices alongside science, school-based ethical dialogue, nature study for promoting inquiry and sustainability, the challenge of whether animals need to be used for science whatsoever, reconceptualizing museum specimens, cultivating socioscientific issues and epistemic practice, cultural integrity and citizen science, the care and nurturance of gender-balanced curriculum choices for science education, and theoretical conversations around cultivating critical thinking skills and ethical dispositions. The diverse authors in this book take on the logic of domination and symbolic violence embodied within the scientific enterprise that has systematically subjugated animals and nature, and emboldened the anthropocentric and exploitative expressions for the future role of animals. At a time when animals are getting excluded from classrooms (too dangerous! too many allergies! too dirty!), this book is an important counterpoint. Interacting with animals helps students develop empathy, learn to care for living things, engage with content. We need more animals in the science curriculum, not less. David Sobel, Senior Faculty, Education Department, Antioch University New England




The Animals in My Brain


Book Description

A new tool for kids and parents/teachers to support them in talking about and dealing with fight, flight or freeze responses. These automatic responses often come with complex emotions and actions. Now we have a way to put the power into the children's own hands for kids to effectively regulate their behaviour.... When Pam gets annoyed by her little sister, she throws her colouring book at her. Pam's mom steps in to help her understand how the brain works to direct behaviour. Mom uses animals to explain the complex brain processes in a way that young learners can understand. Pam is empowered by understanding her behaviour and learning the importance of taking a break when she is feeling upset before doing something she might regret. "Children and adults will love this delightfully illustrated book that so wonderfully explains the workings of the brain to school aged children... " Dr. Jane Nelsen, Author and co-author of the Positive Discipline book series. "This book is revolutionary as it provides a simple, relatable, and powerful methodology to teach our kids about brain science... " Ricky Shetty, Founder of DaddyBlogger




Go, Dog. Go!


Book Description

A beloved Bright and Early Board Book by P. D. Eastman, now in a larger size! A sturdy board book edition of P. D. Eastman's Go, Dog. Go!, now available in a bigger size perfect for babies and toddlers! This abridged version of the classic Beginner Book features red dogs, blue dogs, big dogs, little dogs—all kinds of wonderful dogs—riding bicycles, scooters, skis, and roller skates and driving all sorts of vehicles on their way to a big dog party held on top of a tree! A perfect gift for baby showers, birthdays, and happy occasions of all kinds, it will leave dog lovers howling with delight!




Connecting Animals and Children in Early Childhood


Book Description

Understand the value of connecting animals and children From family pets and wild animals to toys, stuffed animals, and media images, animals are a central part of every child’s landscape. This book examines the reasons why children should interact and connect with real animals, and it identifies the rich learning that results. You’ll find heaps of foundational support and practical ideas to create authentic experiences that bring children and all kinds of species of animals together—including many adaptations if live animals are not permitted in your setting. Connecting Animals and Children in Early Childhood Examines the basic qualities that make animals so appealing to children Explains how animals impact children’s cognitive, social-emotional, and inter- and intrapersonal development and growth Includes an overview of the many ways animals are present in children’s lives Introduces authentic experiences with animals that are supportive of children’s understanding and learning, and respectful to both animals and people Provides real-life examples of how to bring animals into your classroom with suggestions for planning, ideas for finding the right pet, and resources for making experiences meaningful, relevant, and joyful for children Patty Born Selly is executive director of the National Center for STEM Elementary Education at St. Catherine University in St. Paul, Minnesota. As the founder of Small Wonders, an educational consulting company offering services to schools, faith-based communities, and other organizations, Patty has developed hundreds of classes to help programs incorporate nature, science, and green education.




A World of Animals


Book Description

Animal lovers will enjoy learning to draw their favorite creatures from around the globe, step by easy step, in A World of Animals.




An Open Book: What and How Young Children Learn From Picture and Story Books


Book Description

Looking at and listening to picture and story books is a ubiquitous activity, frequently enjoyed by many young children and their parents. Well before children can read for themselves they are able to learn from books. Looking at and listening to books increases children’s general knowledge, understanding about the world and promotes language acquisition. This collection of papers demonstrates the breadth of information pre-reading children learn from books and increases our understanding of the social and cognitive mechanisms that support this learning. Our hope is that this Research Topic/eBook will be useful for researchers as well as educational practitioners and parents who are interested in optimizing children’s learning.




Learning Animals


Book Description

We are surrounded by thousands of animals, alive and dead. They are an intimate and ever-present part of our human lives. As a society, we privilege veterinarians as experts on these animals: they are our educators and teachers in what they say, what they do, and the decisions that they make. Yet, within the field of education, there is little research on the curriculum, pedagogy, and experiences of veterinary school and students. What do veterinarians learn in veterinary school? How do their experiences during those four years shape their perceptions of animals? How do the structures, curriculum, and pedagogy of veterinary college create and influence these experiences? Learning Animals opens up this conversation through an exploration of the complicated, fascinating and often painful stories of a cohort of veterinary students as they make their four-year journey from matriculation through graduation. The book examines how the experiences of veterinary students shape how humans relate to animals, from public policy and decision-making about the environment and animals slaughtered for food, to the most personal decisions about euthanizing companion animals. The first full-length, critical, qualitative study of the perspectives of our primary teachers about animals, this will be a thought-provoking read for those in the fields of both educational research and veterinary education.




My Alphabet Animals


Book Description

Have fun helping your child learn the letters and sounds of the alphabet, with My Alphabet Animals. This fun and adorable children's book will teach all 26 letters of the English alphabet, including the sounds that each letter makes. With carefully chosen animals to represent the primary consonant and vowel sounds, you'll be giving your child a head start for preschool or kindergarten or helping older students finally master the alphabet or help with phonics as they move forward with learning how to read. The 26 animals represented in the book are the Alligator, Bear, Cat, Dog, Elephant, Fox, Gorilla, Hippo, Iguana, Jellyfish, Kangaroo, Lion, Moose, Nightingale, Ostrich, Pig, Quail, Rabbit, Skunk, Turtle, Umbrellabird, Vulture, Walrus, X-ray fish, Yak, and Zebra. Each of these animals use the primary sound of the letter your child is learning. The text is clear and easy for your child to read and we have included a bit of fun by hiding a small portion of the next animal on the page, which will keep them engaged and guessing for the next letter. By placing the upper and lowercase letters on each animal, you will be assisting and aiding your child's memory as they work through the book. Modern research has shown that when images are used as memory aids, they greatly assist the student in retaining and remembering what they have learned. By simply reading this small book to your child before school or at bedtime, you'll be helping them to master both their ABC's and their vowel and consonant sounds. Your small children will love this short book and especially all the colorful and simple animal illustrations. They will enjoy guessing which animal comes next, which will teach them the order of the alphabet as well.