Student disengagement can be a major impediment to effective student learning. When parents and educators cannot provide adequate reasoning to explain the value of what is taught at home and in school, students can lose their motivation to learn and be engaged in classroom activities. In this article, the authors explain the importance of teacher…

The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is the most widely ratified human rights treaty in history, yet the United States has failed to ratify it, despite the efforts of countless supporters. Opponents of ratification in the United States have been effective at preventing ratification by asserting that the CRC will damage family…

Counsels teachers to become aware of their students' family life. (Author/RH)

Twelve case study incidents with young children are presented with the responses illicited from workshop participants in order to illustrate that for a humane teacher there are not right answers but many possible alternatives. (MS)

Describes a dialogue-journal writing technique that requires a nonevaluative response from the teacher and is based on students' firsthand experiences. Several examples are provided. (RH)

Indicates pressures for early reading activities faced by kindergarten teachers, illustrates the effects of these persons on children, and describes a reading program that includes reading aloud, storytelling, poetry, wordless books, and science, blocks, woodworking, food and art activities. (Author/RH)

Briefly describes three kinds of teachers and discusses teaching as an art which involves recognizing at least three kinds of children's interests, helping children learn in the realms of both fact and aesthetic feelings, and responding to both educational process and product. (BR)

Provides suggestions to help teachers become (1) more aware of ways they verbally interact with students, (2) more objective in listening when they talk with students, (3) more aware of the debilitating consequences on pupils of long-term directing and judgmental responses, and (4) more aware of interactions that promote pupil autonomy and…

Describes ways young children disclose to their teachers that they have been sexually abused. Provides guidance for teachers on appropriate ways to respond in order to decrease children's trauma, including: remaining calm and reassuring, speaking on the child's level, not using words the child has not already used, and obtaining only the…

Argues that violence occurs each day in front of teachers, and examines how teachers explicitly and implicitly sanction verbal and nonverbal aggressive behavior in the schools. Asserts that educators must take the lead in finding constructive ways to respond to children and help them respond to one another. (SD)

Discusses a teaching technique used in a child development course to increase education majors' awareness of personal feelings toward children and childhood. Following a brief summary of several related reports and an outline of six historical viewpoints on children, the technique and its results are explained. (DST)

Discusses techniques for managing toddler circles. Notes that flexible transitions reduce frustration, suggests the importance of flexible and reasonable expectations, and considers the value of instruction grounded in child experience. Recommends materials that can be safely manipulated by toddlers and emphasizes that activity transitions must be…

Examines the use of behavioral strategies in inclusive early childhood education settings, focusing on positive reinforcement. Notes that developmentally appropriate practice does not preclude the use of reinforcement as incentives. Describes different types of reinforcers and answers frequently asked questions about reinforcement strategies.…

Recommends to teachers practical and theoretical strategies, based on everyday classroom interactions, for dealing with the troubled child and for treating children as individuals. Suggests a closer professional relationship between teachers and supervisors, administrators, and academicians for appreciating teachers' roles and managing stress and…

Presents conflicting views of New Zealand's schooling from teachers' perspectives and examines some of the reforms and reflections of New Zealand's educators. Discusses some of the implications for U.S. schooling. (BB)