The place of kindergarteners in academia has grown more important in recent years. Increased emphasis on learning at the kindergarten level, however, should not blind educators to the developmental levels of four- and five-year-olds, who may learn most effectively by playing creatively and exploring new language skills. (PGD)

A cognitive theory of readiness is offered as a possible explanation of the learning problems of learning or reading disabled secondary students. A discussion of the implications of the theory for secondary content area reading is included along with a model for implementation of the readiness components. For related information see EC 132…

Examines research on the importance of understanding children's biological timetables for mind and brain development, and forces that can threaten this neurodevelopmental timetable during critical periods. Discusses the brain's adaptability, and focuses on the importance of knowledge derived from the study of special populations for understanding…

Unproven beliefs about the process of reading and its instruction and about the effects of maturation and social structure on learning have obscured the question of what children know about how to read. An alternate conceptualization proposes that to learn to read children must obtain experience in three reading contexts: the use of print and its…

Studies confirm the educational advantages and cost-effectiveness of high-quality early childhood programs and have made more persuasive the argument for developing such programs. The most important determinants of such programs are: group size, qualifications and training of staff, stability of care, and adult-child ratio. (MD)

Details Piaget's four stages in the cognitive development of children--the sensorimotor period, pre-operational stage, concrete operational stage, and formal operational stage--and discusses their implications for the planning and design of programs for instructional television, and possible effects on mental development and the cognitive…

Young children think and learn differently, yet early childhood education is now subject to new pressures. Many believe that early exposure to technology accelerates mental development and improves sensory and mental capacity. There is no factual support for this idea. Children who grow up with technology are not necessarily more proficient with…

Examines the theoretical basis of suggestions that children's brain size and intelligence grow in periodic spurts and plateaus and that schooling should be planned accordingly. A "mock debate" presents excerpts from researchers holding conflicting viewpoints on this issue. (TE)

While many contemporary developmental theorists have avoided taking a stand on the controversial relationship between learning and development, this paper is based on the belief that the notion of "bandwidth of competence," or L. S. Vygotsky's "zone of proximal development," provides a useful framework for considering this…

Brain research has illuminated several areas of the learning process: (1) learning as association; (2) learning as reinforcement; (3) learning as perception; (4) learning as imitation; (5) learning as organization; (6) learning as individual style; and (7) learning as brain activity. The classic conditioning model developed by Pavlov advanced…

Presents a rationale for teaching parenting to children, and through an analysis of Piaget's developmental stages, suggests that such instruction might appropriately begin at age seven when the child enters the concrete operations stage. Outlines implementation strategies, learning objectives, and sample instructional activities for a six-week…

Explains how the Suzuki Method introduces young Japanese children to learning situations in structured ways that develop their control of learning behavior earlier than is typical in the West. (HOD)

While the notion of starting education early with children has gained momentum in the public's mind, our public policies and investments still do not reflect society's increasing knowledge of how the human brain grows and how very early experiences beginning at birth affect a child's future. Arguing that if policymakers fail to include the needs…

Research indicates that the brain grows in spurts occurring every two years or so and alternating with plateau periods in which the gains due to growth are consolidated. While the number of brain cells no longer increases after the age of about 18 months, substantial increases in the complexity of neural networks occur generally between the ages…

This paper examines the educational philosophy underlying Waldorf Education, focusing on Rudolf Steiner's concept of "vital" or etheric energy and comparing Piaget's and Steiner's stages of cognition. The paper begins with a discussion of school readiness and the trend toward lowering the school entry age, and maintains that this trend…