A child is studied from the age of four, at which time there was no clear distinction between writer and audience, up to the age of eight, at which time he wrote a story demonstrating conclusively that he could stand apart from an egocentric view of the world. (JN)

If the beginning spellers are allowed to experiment, their ability will begin to evolve and refine as did their patterns of spoken language. Stages of spelling development and their parallels in oral language development are described and tips on how to foster spelling development are given. (JN)

This special issue presents an overview and reprints of 23 articles from 25 years of "Theory Into Practice." It is divided into six general topics: Curriculum; Human Development, Language, and Communication; Instruction and Learning; Organization and Administration; Schooling and Society; and Teacher Education. (MT)

A case study of a six-year-old reveals that unfounded assumptions about language growth and development may debilitate rather than facilitate the process of language literacy. Recommendations are made for open-entry language activities where constraints are allowed to evolve in a risk free language environment. (JN)

Researchers from several disciplines have contributed to the realization that context or social situation varies in regard to a child's language acquisition. Children acquire both linguistic competence, the unconscious understanding of grammatical rules, and communicative competence, the understanding that language is used differently in different…

The educational implications of Piaget's concept of intelligence provide a framework for the application of theory to educational practice. The uniqueness of individual learning is compared to stage-based teaching. Social interaction is viewed as one of the major forces in cognitive development. (JN)