Deconstructing Early Childhood Education: Social Justice and Revolution

by Gaile Sloan Cannella

From a critical perspective, some early childhood educators have proposed that the knowledge base used to ground the field actually serves to support the status quo, reinforces prejudices and stereotypes, and ignores the real lives of children. The purpose of this book is to deconstruct early childhood education, identifying and evaluating the themes and forms of discourse that have dominated the field, leading to the construction of specific theories and forms of practice that privilege particular groups of children and adults and oppress others. An alternative avenue for early childhood education is posited that focuses on social justice and human agency.

224 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1997

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned that childhood is a recent invention (of the past 100 years). Before that these younger human beings were able to become a contributing member of the family as soon as they were able to work. I also learned that we should honor all childhood experiences from all over the world and that there is not just one way to experience childhood. Instead of thinking that adults always know best, we should find out what younger human beings have to say about the world and help them become self-actualized instead of controlling and measuring every thing they do.