Beginning to teach in a primary school means establishing a whole new set of relationships - with your class of course, but also with the other adults who work in the school. These include teachers and teaching assistants, support staff of various kinds from the visiting educational psychologist to the essential school secretary and parents, both as helpers in the school and as the major influences on their children's lives outside school. This book is designed to give students and newly qualified teachers a taste of what they can expect and to help them to get the most out of these relationships both for themselves and for their children. Throughout, it draws upon the experiences of new teachers, often in their own words, but it also uses the voices of other `primary school people' to show students the view from the other side. Throughout, the text is supported by points for discussion, questionnaires and check lists to help new teachers to define and analyse their own situation.

Over the past few years bilingualism has come to be seen not as a hinderance to assimiliation but as an asset which, properly nurtured, will benefit children's linguistic awareness, cultural sensitivity and cognitive functioning. Bilingualism in the Primary Classroom gives primary teachers a window on the experience of the bilingual children in their care and by doing so helps them to make the most of what the children and their parents have to offer as well as giving them a good start in the National Curriculum. Many of the contributors to the book are themselves bilingual and are thus able to understand the children's experience from within, but they are also particularly careful to show monolingual teachers how they too can make use of children's mother tongue experience. The book is based throughout on rich case study material of individual children at various stages on the bilingual spectrum.

The nature of childhood, the consideration of whether a certain age denotes innocence or not, and the desire to teach good citizenship to our children are all issues commonly discussed by today's media. This book brings together a variety of perspectives on the study of childhood: how this has been treated historically and how such a concept is developing as we move into the next century.The book is divided into five main sections:* part one sets the scene and provides the reader with an overview of attitudes towards childhood.* part two surveys the contribution of literature from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries* part three examines educational issues such as childrens' play, language acquisition and spiritual development * part four looks at the representation of children in film, television and other mass media * part five offers further help for study and researchThis book draws on a number of academic disciplines including education, literature, theology, language studies and history. It will be of particular use to those on Childhood studies courses and all those studying for a teacher qualification. Teachers of children aged between 4-12 years old will find its contribution to their continuing professional development extremely helpful. (view table of contents)