ABSTRACT
Who would not be intrigued by Isabella’s thinking? The puzzling mind of a young child comes through loud and clear in her question, as she tries to understand an everyday (literally!) event. It makes a fitting opening for a book which is about young children as active, persistent thinkers driven by a desire to make sense and meaning in their lives, to connect what they know and understand to what they do not yet understand. In this first chapter some fundamental, underpinning ideas about thinking are considered, posed as questions which set a context for the book as a whole. What do we mean when we talk about ‘thinking’ and ‘understanding’? What activities might we describe as thinking, and is it different from learning? Do children and adults think in different ways? What parts are played by the environment and our genetic inheritance in developing our thinking and understanding? What is the role of memory? In considering these questions links are also made to many other parts of the book emphasizing a model of thinking as an activity which connects every part of young children’s experience.
