Pedagogy is understood as embedded in the relationship between teaching and learning. In a globalising world with cross-cultural educational reforms, how the teaching-learning relationship is understood, recognised and developed is important. Reforms to the Saudi Early Years curriculum are based on the American High/Scope Model and Developmentally…

The purpose of this position statement is to promote excellence in early childhood education by providing a framework for best practice. Grounded both in the research on child development and learning and in the knowledge base regarding educational effectiveness, the framework outlines practice that promotes young children's optimal learning and…

Reviews five books: (1) "Early Childhood Curriculum" (Catron and Allen); (2) "International Handbook of Early Childhood Education" (Woodill and others); (3) "Teaching Children to Care: Management in the Responsive Classroom" (Charney); (4) "Explorations with Young Children" (Mitchell and David); and (5) "Everybody Has a Body" (Rockwell and…

The AIDS epidemic presents a complex of issues that require global answers, involving entire societies. The only sustainable solution is to include all sectors of society in a multidisciplinary collaboration, within which the formal education system plays a key role in delivering a comprehensive response to the disease at the national level.…

Illustrates developmentally appropriate physics activities for young children. Addresses ways that teachers can use the environment to teach physics and answers the questions: What is the value of physics for young children? What are criteria for developmentally appropriate physics activities? How does one integrate physics into a project or unit…

Proposes replacing the term child-centered with child-sensitive to indicate more accurately the major role of teachers in determining the curriculum and activities offered to young children. In contrast to the laissez-faire, child-indulgent approach of many child-centered programs, a child sensitive approach would encourage teachers to capitalize…

Suggests that the articles in the book cover many of the aspects of discussion in the early years education debate. Notes that the articles are well-written, well-researched, and successfully link theoretical issues with practical implementation. Discusses some criticism related to the epistemological and conceptual framework presented. (AA)

A developmentally appropriate creative writing program for kindergarten children that included peer interaction and teacher-student discussion was studied to ascertain whether program participants would attain significantly higher oral language scores than did nonparticipants. The writing program was implemented in one of two half-day kindergarten…

Examines developmentally appropriate versus inappropriate practices in terms of curriculum studies. Discusses problems with the justification of child-centered practices based on developmental theory; philosophical, historical, and political dimensions of a curriculum based on appropriate practices; and an alternative model based on early…

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…

The High/Scope Curriculum is a developmentally based approach to early childhood education. This curriculum's "Extensions" newsletter, in which the articles in this collection first appeared, informs curriculum users about new development, relating to the High/Scope "open framework" curriculum. This collection divides the…

This collection of 18 essays and interviews documents the unique approach to early childhood education taken by schools in the Reggio Emilia region of Northern Italy for the last 30 years. The book is divided into four major parts. Part I includes an introduction by Carolyn Edwards and others, and the essay, "What Can We Learn From Reggio…

A developmentally appropriate early child classroom is described as one offering children organized activity choices, opportunities to explore content areas, and a time structure encouraging learning from one another and from adults in one-to-one and small group contexts. In addition, teachers would employ assessment practices related directly to…

Noting the challenges presented for kindergarten teachers by current demands for accountability based on standardized measures that ignore diversity, this book presents ideas for implementing a developmentally-appropriate kindergarten curriculum within the constraints of American public schools. Following introductory remarks, the book is…

This early childhood curriculum study focused on the practical understandings that teachers held about their classroom experiences, as a way of gaining access to the dynamics of curriculum implementation and innovation. Two problems were addressed: (1) the lack of knowledge about the dynamics of curriculum implementation in settings where early…