The Children You Teach ― Using a Developmental Framework in the Classroom

The Children You Teach is a book of stories about students and teachers. But it is also a book about children's development. Each chapter tells the true story of a child or teacher facing a dilemma. Weaving in research from psychological science, Susan Engel shows how to look at children through a developmental lens, which can change what happens in the classroom, and transform the craft of teaching.

Drawing on her many years as a developmental scientist and classroom teacher, Susan applies theories and studies from developmental psychology to the lives of real children. She summarizes the research and data to help teachers understand the way children think, and then shows how teachers can use that knowledge in the classroom.

No plan book or curriculum guide can replace the power and usefulness of thinking about children from a developmental perspective. You can take concrete steps to make child development integral to your daily work with children. Learn to think differently about the children you teach and let your insights guide you as you help them grow.

Susan Engel is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology and Founding Director of the Program in Teaching at Williams College. She currently serves as the Williams College Gaudino Scholar, a position that creates and promotes opportunities for students to stretch beyond what they are familiar with. She has taught all ages from three year olds through college. Her research interests include the development of curiosity, children's narratives, play, and more generally, teaching and learning. Her current research looks at the development of children's ideas. Her scholarly work has appeared in journals such as Cognitive Development, Harvard Educational Review, and the American Education Research Journal. She is the author of seven previous books: The Stories Children Tell: Making Sense of the Narratives of Childhood, Context is Everything: The Nature of Memory, Real Kids: Making Sense in Everyday Life, Red Flags or Red Herrings: Predicting Who Your Child Will Become, The Hungry Mind: The Origins of Curiosity in Childhood, The End of the Rainbow: How Educating for Happiness (Not Money) Would Transform Our Schools, and most recently, A School of Our Own: The Story of the First Student-Run High School, and a New Vision for American Education which she co-wrote with her son Sam. Her writing on education has appeared in The New York Times, The Nation, The Atlantic Monthly, Salon, The Huffington Post, and The Boston Globe. Susan is one of the founders of an experimental school in New York State, where she served as educational advisor for eighteen years. She lives in New Marlborough, Massachusetts with her husband Tom Levin. They have three sons, Jake, Will, and Sam.