Flourishing in the First Five Years

Flourishing in the First Five Years: Connecting Mind, Brain, and Education Research to the Development of Young Children will take you on a fascinating journey of discovery about what you can do to experience the thrill of helping all young children realize more of their unique potential. Packed with practical strategies and inspiring research about how learning changes the brain this book will empower you with ideas you can apply right away that can positively change children's lives forever.

Donna Wilson, PhD, is an educational and school psychologist whose work in cognitive education focuses on areas including cognition in the classroom, metacognition, attention, memory, motivation, and approaches and strategies to improve teaching and learning for students of all ages. Donna is an adjunct professor and lead developer of graduate programs with a major in Brain-Based Teaching with the Abraham S. Fischler School of Education at Nova Southeastern University and Head of Academic Affairs for the Center for Innovative Education and Prevention. Her passion is for empowering educators with the resources they need to help all learners reach more of their unique potential.
Marcus Conyers is an author and international speaker on innovating, learning, leading, and developing 21st century competencies. His global perspective has been honed by his work in 30 countries and in statewide initiatives with the Florida Department of Education. He has led a National Association of Elementary School Principals summer conference and was keynote speaker for a conference of the South African Principals' Association. Marcus serves as Director of Communications for the Center for Innovative Education and Prevention, a not-for-profit organization with the mission of "empowering potential across the life span." He is passionate about ensuring that all children experience opportunities to flourish in the first five years and beyond.

Preface
Introduction
Chapter 1 Plasticity and Potential: What Early Childhood Educators Can Learn from Educational Neuroscience
Chapter 2 Ten Key Facts About How the Brain Develops
Chapter 3 Nurturing the Brain and Body: Nutrition and Movement
Chapter 4 Cultivating Optimism: How Positive Emotions Support Learning
Chapter 5 Playing with Language: The Power of Conversation and Reading Aloud
Chapter 6 Thinking, Creativity, and Problem Solving
Chapter 7 Addressing Risks to Healthy Development
Conclusion
Glossary
References