The quality of student-teacher interactions is shaped by both the capacity of the teacher to cultivate trusting relationships with students and his or her ability to establish a safe, supportive classroom environment. This proves especially important for individuals teaching in multicultural and urban education settings. In recent literature,…

We present a conceptualization and a 2 year program of autonomy-supportive I-Thou dialogue among teachers and students that is based on self-determination theory (Deci and Ryan in "Psychol Inq" 11(4):227-268, 2000) and Buber's (1960) philosophy. The program was applied in 18 seventh grade classes (420 students). Findings showed: (a) increases in…

The concept and the activities of nurturing are vital to the teacher education classroom. It is essential that student teachers have the ability to understand their own students' connection to learning and thus to the need those students have for a particular and indispensable form of sustenance. Nurturing unites identity and subject matter…

In this article the author tells the story of her experiences with a high school U.S. literature class composed of English language learners (ELLs). The students were from a variety of nations and cultures, spoke several different languages, and had a wide range of English proficiency levels. During their time together, the author and students…

"Understanding the HighScope Approach" is a much needed source of information for those wishing to extend and consolidate their understanding of the HighScope Approach. It will enable the reader to analyse the essential elements of the HighScope Approach to early childhood and its relationship to quality early years practice. Exploring…

One kindergarten teacher engaged children in conversations about environmental print and thus made literacy learning more meaningful and personally connected to the children's outside school experiences. Activities included an environmental print show-and-tell, and small-group and whole-class word-logo matching activities. It was concluded that…

This article discusses an early childhood program administrator's reflections on her visit to the preschools of Reggio Emilia, Italy. The following six themes are discussed: (1) teachers' respect for each child; (2) teachers' emphasis on relationships; (3) the importance of art as the medium chosen to represent children's thinking; (4) the…

In this special section on creativity and learning, several articles discuss practices of schools in Reggio Emilia, Italy. Topics include the role of reciprocity between child and adult in creative learning; the importance of play for adults; and ideas directors can use to help teachers translate creativity into classroom practice. (AC)

Describes the early childhood system in Reggio Emilia, Italy, in which educators (1) ensure that children live in "a community of well-being"; (2) create a supportive environment; (3) respect individual rhythms; (4) maintain work areas for the visual arts; (5) respond flexibly to children; and (6) foster peer support. (AC)

Presents an annotated dialogue between two teachers concerning a teacher's observations of children's play. Discusses teachers' practice of representing children's play for the children and the results of this practice. (BB)

This paper is about a teaching program that was developed at a school in Alice Springs, a small town in Australia that has influenced teaching programs for Aboriginal children in that country. At Traeger Park school, the Aboriginal children speak English, although the speech of many children is characterized as Aboriginal English dialect. The…

A program in British Columbia places at-risk high school students with one teacher for the remainder of their high school years. The integrated curriculum, constructed to be relevant to their lives, combined with the emphasis on respect, compassion, trustworthiness, and tolerance have enabled almost 100 students to graduate from the program. (TD)

Discusses and illustrates the ways in which early childhood teachers can teach preschoolers about peace. Teachers can implement two simple rules: "Don't hurt anyone," and "Use words to settle problems." Explains how these rules would be implemented in particular preschool situations. (BB)

Urban and metropolitan college students often experience a traditionally organized curriculum as a series of disconnected course requirements. Portland State University (Oregon) has found that integrating attention to community-building as a central element of the core curriculum strengthened student and faculty affiliations and improved…

Presenting classroom experiences and a process to help writing teachers see their own hard-to-reach students with new eyes, this book tells the story of a 6-year action research project committed to building classroom environments where cultural differences are affirmed and high achievement is fostered among all students. The book notes that the…