Powerful Children

In Possible Schools, Ann Lewin-Benham showed us that we can create schools that engage the minds of children and involve parents. In this book, she describes projects in a school that successfully adapted the Reggio Approach with Head Start–eligible children. She explains how to use the Reggio Approach to address current major concerns in early education, including helping children become self-disciplined, making sure children are ready for 1st grade, assessing children’s progress, and laying a foundation for literacy. Presenting a multitude of examples of excellent preschool practice, this dynamic book:

• Introduces the concept of “significant work” that draws deeply on young children’s innate intelligences.
• Provides teachers with an opportunity to reflect on what they know and understand about young children.
• Illustrates how teachers can make changes in their classrooms to expand and improve learning.
• Describes robust activities from an urban preschool, including how each project relates to a particular teaching principle.
• Suggests more clearly defined standards and lays out policy implications for each.

Ann Lewin-Benham founded and for 20 years directed the Capital Children’s Museum in Washington, DC, where she also founded and directed the Model Early Learning Center, the only U.S. preschool accredited by Reggio educators. Her books include Possible Schools; Powerful Children; Infants and Toddlers at Work; Twelve Best Practices for Early Education; and What Learning Looks Like (with Reuven Feuerstein). For information about Ann’s teacher workshops visit her website: AnnLewin-Benham.com.

“Those interested in learning about documentation, assessment, projects, and group learning, in the Reggio mode, will receive an excellent introduction here.”
—From the Foreword by Howard Gardner, Harvard Graduate School of Education

“An invaluable resource with rich lessons for teachers, parents, and policymakers interested in effective early childhood education.”
—Marian Wright Edelman, President, Children's Defense Fund

“Ann Lewin-Benham has given us a wonderful account of the famous Reggio Emilia schools: a book that is inspiring, theoretically suggestive, and practical all at the same time. More than ever we need to rethink what kind of schooling works, and Powerful Children is a great contribution to that discourse.”
—Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Claremont Graduate University

“Ann Lewin-Benham’s lifelong work reveals the mystery and magic of being a mindful, reflective practitioner. These context-rich scenarios weave together theory and practice into a profoundly inspiring teaching-learning tapestry. Powerful Children is a must-read for early childhood educators, who so deeply touch the lives of the children in their care."
—Linda Tsantis, Johns Hopkins University