"Improving Mathematics in the Early Years and Key Stage 1" reviews the best available evidence to offer five recommendations for developing the maths skills of 3-7-year olds. Recommendations include integrating maths into different activities throughout the day -- for example, at registration and snack time -- to familiarise children…

Now in its second edition, "Nature and Young Children" promotes the holistic development of children by connecting them with nature. It offers advice and guidance on how to set up indoor and outdoor nature play spaces as well as encouraging environmentally responsible attitudes, values and behaviour in your early childhood setting. Covering topics…

Defines environmentalism both as a concept and an activity. As a concept, it encompasses not only environmental conservation but also social, economic, and political issues. As an activity, it focuses on a coordinated, networking, holistic issue approach to environmental problems. Implications of environmentalism (based on the definitions…

Traces the development of ecological thought and ideas and offers a new human ecological perspective for educators. Stresses the need for meta-disciplinary views and proposes greater exploration of the subjective, aesthetic, historical, and psychological implications of ecology. (ML)

This document discusses Learning Enhancement Teams (LETs). Working together, social studies teachers from grades K-12, science teachers, vocational education teachers, curriculum specialists, instructional support services personnel, media specialists, contracted services representatives, administrators, and community resource people design…

Discusses the advantages of an interdisciplinary curriculum, especially in elementary school. Implementing interdisciplinary curriculum units helps children acquire targeted concepts and skills of various disciplines more effectively. Existing curriculum, current events, and student concerns are the places to find interdisciplinary unit ideas. (SM)

Explores the need for a philosophical foundation for environmental education. Considers two overriding ingredients: the need to avoid indoctrination and to concentrate on development of attitudes and acquisition of knowledge; and the need to offer positive, optimistic, and realistic views on environmental topics. (Author/BC)

Understanding U.S. culture is difficult, because the information explosion creates an increase in the number and complexity of various cultural relationships. American Studies is a valuable and unique discipline because it directly addresses this problem, the basic purposes of education, and the relationships that shape students' culture. This…

Preserving and enhancing the quality of the human environment requires holistic approaches to problems. Educators should encourage multi-disciplinary thought in the classroom. One area that has great potential for strengthening the integrative aspects of education is geography. (RM)

This book offers ideas to help teachers balance their literacy curriculum. It includes a flexible lesson plan format, literacy-based ideas, authors' birthday calendars, a special events calendar, a comprehensive theme-based book list, a teacher's view of assessment, charts and reproducibles, and pocket-pouch folders for storing loose papers and…

Four elementary teachers describe how they support an interdisciplinary curriculum using integrated units. One builds tall towers of spaghetti. Another touches on all subjects using baseball card games. The third turns the playground into an archeological dig. The last sails the ocean along with the Pilgrims. (SM)

Children learn best when given opportunities to connect facts and figures with real-world situations. The article describes two class projects that demonstrate authentic, holistic learning. One project involves planting a classroom garden, and the other explores the desert of the Southwest. (SM)

Questions the traditional assumption that primary age children are not capable of historical understanding. Study discovers a wide range of responses that validates some of Parsons' Theory of Aesthetic Development and calls other aspects into question. Concludes with a suggestion for more study. (MJP)

This paper proposes a seminar designed to provide educators with a conceptual basis for holistic education. The implementation of holistic methods depends on the ability of classroom teachers to make use of the literature on the topic. This course begins by studying the works of physicists who have taken a holistic approach to science and whose…

Claims that science takes a reductionist approach that has led to a fragmented view of the world. Argues that such a worldview lies at the heart of ecological crises. Calls for a new holistic approach to science. (TW)