Educational pioneers believed that the early childhood curriculum was inappropriate for most of the children. It needed to be modified to meet each child's maturing needs, abilities, and interests. The pioneers advocated that education should be more hands-on and assist children to function successfully in society. They recommended the initiation…

Considered the need for involving teachers in the long range benefits of developing musicality in children. (Author/RK)

Schools exist to prepare non-adults and adults for various functions in the community. The five aims discussed here are: (a) duties of a citizen, (b) professional work, (c) participation in social life, (d) private life, (e) organization of leisure. (JB)

Giving children the opportunity to be creative requires allowing children to find and solve problems and communicate ideas in novel and appropriate ways. This paper presents 12 basic principles for teachers to follow when presenting art activities with children. These principles include: the process of creating a picture or project is more…

Using the book "Fostering Intellectual Development in Young Children" by Kenneth D. Wann and the book's impact on education as a point of departure, this paper presents a way of looking at the early childhood curriculum that goes beyond the book but is in keeping with its concerns for the education of young children. The book was a…

Suggests that educators must address: (1) What should be learned? (2) When should it be learned? (3) How would it best be learned? and (4) How can we tell how well we have answered the first three? Addresses the first three questions by offering principles of practice for early childhood educators, ranging from curriculum to learning disposition…

The three papers included in this symposium discuss the relevance of Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development to the early childhood practitioner. First, an overview of Piaget's theory is presented. This focusses on the particular aspects of the theory most relevant to practitioners in early childhood education. Second, curriculum…

This book is a collection of papers on curriculum development in early childhood education. In Chapter 1, Bruner examines what is known about the effects of poverty on child development in Western culture, considers whether modern developmental theories aid in understanding the impact of culture (and specifically) poverty on children's growth, and…

From the academic--or instructivist--perspective, the young child is seen as dependent on adults' instruction in the academic knowledge and skills necessary for a good start for later academic achievement. This perspective is in direct contrast to the active and interactive curriculum assumed by proponents of the constructivist approach. This…

Reports the results of the Parent Child Development Center experiment begun in 1970 by the United States Office of Economic Opportunity. The goal of the project was to promote the development of children from low-income families, primarily by helping parents become more effective child-rearing agents. (Author/RH)

Presents theoretical background for building an early childhood curriculum based on the Educare approach. Five principles are explained. They emphasize that learning drives development and that social interaction, interpersonal relationships, mutual understanding, and culture are unique in developmental processes. Concludes that teachers can have…

Highlighting some of the newer understandings about the nature of giftedness, the goals of educating gifted children, problems of identification and motivation, and development of giftedness during the preschool years, chapters are devoted to the development of creative readers and to the teaching of research concepts and skills. The final chapter…

This handbook provides teachers with suggestions for planning, implementing and evaluating programs for kindergarten children. Chapter I briefly outlines child development principles and program characteristics for the kindergarten. Chapter II discusses how teachers can create an environment for learning through scheduling, organizing the teaching…

Argues that the arts provide a powerful means with which to promote future-oriented learning because they involve nonverbal, symbolic ways of knowing, thinking and communicating. Suggests that the arts in the emergent curriculum promote central education skills of discovery, pursuit, self-awareness, personal communication, social interaction,…

Programs that represent major curriculum development efforts in early childhood education are described as to goals and objectives, content and materials, classroom activities, parent involvement, professional and paraprofessional training, administrative requirements and costs, program development and evaluation, and program history and present…