Significant psychological and theoretical insights feature in this book, which is a revision of an earlier edition, writtenby an accomplished scholar and academic. The study astutely applies a perspective that draws on a deep analysis of early childhood learning and development.
The integration of theory and practice displays an informed knowledge, offering a modern-day interpretation based intermittently on examples from Aistear, the Irish curriculum framework for early years children. Hayes, however, starkly omits reference to the distant past, with most references excluding published sources before the year 2000.
Hardly any focus is given to theorists from the progressive tradition, giving only scant acknowledgement of the works of Montessori, Piaget or Dewey. Strikingly there is no mention of Friedrich Froebel despite the repetitive and critical signalling by Hayes of children’s exploration and thinking in playful contexts.
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