ABSTRACT
There is an increasing tendency throughout the developed world for planners to believe that the earlier young children start formal learning, the better the results will be. From what you have read in Chapter 1 of this book you will know that the way in which young children learn is different from the way in which older children or adults learn. You will remember the work of Lillian Katz and David Elkind and their findings that children introduced to formal learning at too young an age may actually suffer longterm damage to their desire to be independent, to solve problems, to think for themselves and to carry on being curious.
