Unearthing Why

Stories of thinking and learning with children

Unearthing Why – Stories of Thinking and Learning with Children is a collection of stories offering a distinct and hopeful outlook for the future of education. Each chapter invites you to consider the complexity and beauty of children’s capacity to learn, think and be together. Jill McLachlan’s and Clare Britt’s retelling of their experiences learning alongside children in prior-to-school and primary school based contexts will gently, but compellingly, invite you to join them in considering the deep purposes of education — questioning the ‘whys’, just below the surface, that inform ‘what’ and ‘how’ you teach.

“I have read a lot of books about inquiry and child-focussed approaches, but rarely have I read one that captures the true essence of what it really means to be an inquirer ‘as we teach’ as this book does. The writing is beautiful and the wisdom and experience the authors bring to the text shines on each page. There is so much here for us to contemplate and discuss. I imagine groups of teachers reading and responding in vigorous and profound dialogue. And this is what a good book for teachers should do — it should not only activate our intellect, but our emotions along with it. This is a book for the head and heart. A recommended read indeed.”

Kath Murdoch, Author of the best selling book The Power of Inquiry

What a treat to have such a rich contribution to the ongoing international conversation about co-researching, teaching, and learning with children. Challenging the notion that curriculum “comes first”, and children follow dutifully, the authors foreground children as active, purposeful protagonists in their own learning.

Honorary Associate Professor Alma Fleet
Macquarie University (Sydney, NSW)

This book has great potential to contribute to and extend the conversations around the inspirations from the educational project of Reggio Emilia. This is a welcome contribution, and one that will no doubt be relevant to contexts outside the Australian one.

Dr Stefania Giamminuti
Lecturer, Early Childhood Education, Curtin University (Perth, WA)