This exciting book considers the nature of young children''s lives and how this can, and should, inform early childhood education in practical ways. It examines:

• What is it like for young children to learn in the 21st century?
• How can we link this to new and innovative ways of providing relevant and engaging learning contexts for young children?
• What it means to be multiliterate in the 21st century

These experiences have important implications for formal learning environments and the nature of the curriculum, including bold new approaches to teaching and learning which offer opportunities for children to investigate in new ways. This book provides examples of the ways in which early childhood teachers have extended opportunities for new types of learning for children by creating contexts in which they are able to explore and represent their ideas and thinking in multimodal formats using new technologies.

This book represents a research-based discussion for rethinking learning in the 21st century and includes various case studies and scenarios to enable students and practising teachers to try out new ideas. Finally, it considers new ways of thinking about children''s learning by creating a multiliteracies portrait, pedagogies and pathways profile that enables teachers to build on their strengths to plan for effective learning outcomes.

Rethinking Learning in Early Childhood Education is key reading for students on Early Years courses or Primary Education pre-service teacher education programmes.