"Elementary and Middle School Mathematics" illustrates how children in PreK to 8th grade learn math, and then shows the most effective methods of teaching math using problem-based activities. Examples of real student work and common challenges help you visualize developmentally appropriate mathematics instruction and assessment that…

The Common Core State Standards have influenced curriculum for primary grades across the country, requiring more sophisticated responses to written text from children than ever before. Yet readiness for kindergarten is still often defined in terms of constrained print-related skills. As early as preschool, children can be introduced to more…

Early childhood education faculty from a college collaborated with a local public school district to conduct a series of professional development workshops for early childhood practitioners. The workshop series was designed to address pedagogical concerns identified by district administrators and teachers, as well as to help early childhood…

Using Shulman's theory of teacher knowledge as the theoretical framework and a phenomenological research design, this qualitative study used Seidman's three-interview protocol to understand how 11 kindergarten teachers perceived the CCSS affected their use of developmentally appropriate practices (DAP) and their instructional discretion. This…

Teachers are on the front line in any educational controversy. Increasingly, some bloggers, newspaper articles, and other media have criticized the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM) (CCSSI 2010) as being inappropriate for children in kindergarten and first grade. However, both research and expert practice reveal that children are…

In this article, I (a) illustrate how the K-2 CCSSM reflect the major findings from research studies carried out over the last 30 years on early mathematical abilities that indicate these standards are developmentally appropriate for young children, and (b) offer insights into some types of instructional strategies (e.g., student-centered…

This article presents rationale for an enhanced inquiry approach to science education that authentically integrates content knowledge and application skills in a middle school science curriculum. Such pedagogy ensures students' attainment of national and state standards for learning science and multiple literacies (e.g. language arts and…

Soon after the implementation of federal and state early education mandates that require the teaching and testing of more formal "academic" skills, many highly experienced early childhood teachers began voicing concerns about the negative impact the mandates were having on the young children in their classrooms. Many of these concerns…