"Poverty" is an uncomfortable word. Teachers are often unsure what to expect from kids from low-income households and what to do differently as a result. Well-known author and educator Eric Jensen points to seven differences that show up in school between low- and middle-income children. By understanding what they are and how to address…

Defining intelligence is a puzzle that has challenged educators and researchers for years. More recently, professionals are acknowledging that individuals possess many facets of intelligence and that learning is a complex combination of genetic factors, environmental influences, and life experiences that affect learning in unique ways (Salvia,…

The study proposes an analysis of the processes through which the material and symbolic features of the setting and the activities of the educators interact to determine the children's experience in an early educational centre. This analysis is of particular interest with regard to both educational practice and understanding developmental…

While the play of young children has been recognized as a facilitator and a manifestation of cognitive change from egocentric to de-centered interpretations of reality, play activities for the young, profoundly deaf child have been viewed as a frivolity with little educational merit. Empirical evidence suggests that the play of deaf children…

Moral development theory, based on the work of Kohlberg and others, offers an approach to growth and stage change which may be applied to the everyday schooling process. Although there are now four general ways in which theory of developmental change is currently being applied, this paper proposes an alternative application of the stage transition…

The guiding principles of developmentally appropriate early childhood education are examined, along with pertinent research, concrete examples, and implications for practice. Chapter 1 provides a brief introduction to recent trends in early childhood education. Chapter 2 considers the principle of matching early childhood education practices to…

Those who advocate for developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) do so based on the conviction that these classroom practices enhance children's development and facilitate learning. This ERIC Digest examines recent research on DAP and social-emotional and cognitive development, and describes what we have learned about DAP in early childhood…