The Power of Fantasy in Early Learning

Book excerpt: The Power of Fantasy in Early Learning is a truly unique book, based around the case study of a class of children, their teacher and a stuffed bear suit. Jenny Tyrrell illustrates the possibilities that an inanimate object can offer the teaching and learning situation. Drawing on her extensive experiences, she shows how the bear became an integral part of the school. Theory and practice are combined to explore teaching issues in the early years including the influence of the bear on the whole school, imaginative development, motivation to read and write and the influence of learning goals in a child's school life in the early years. This is a truly original work which will give heart to teachers everywhere and provide plenty of fresh insight into the debate on the nature of learning.