Describes how the sociodramatic play experiences of a group of first graders served as a vehicle for integrating the classroom curriculum. Considers play as a curricular tool and adults' roles in sociodramatic play. Shows how first-graders' play in connection with creating a card shop incorporated reading, writing, and mathematical skills, and…

Currently there is an international shift towards inclusive education, a means of education according to which the learner is schooled in the least restrictive environment possible, to overcome his or her challenges to learning and development. Bearing this in mind we considered the experiences of a learner with learning difficulties who transited…

The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the analysis of the Early Childhood Education (ECE) curriculum in six countries involved in the UPDATE-project, and on that basis, propose a conceptual foundation for technology education in ECE that aims to enhance gender sensitive technology education in the continuum from early years to…

Recognizing the perceived conflict between a belief in the value of play to early childhood development and a commitment to an early childhood pedagogical framework, this book attempts to validate play as a fundamental component of learning and an avenue through which learning outcomes can be identified and confirmed. The book is designed to…

These collected papers are a record of the proceedings of the 33rd Annual Conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia entitled, "Shaping the Future of Mathematics Education." The conference is held in Fremantle, as was the previous conference a decade earlier. Keynote speakers are discussing issues that are emerging more…

The purpose of the study was to examine whether teacher beliefs would play a role in their actual practices while teaching target language in early phases of primary education, principally, in kindergarten and first grades in a state school. As it is a very broad research area, the researchers exclusively analyzed teaching practices and teaching…

This study represents the integration of several smaller studies and articles on how the fantasies of children between age 5 and 7 become structured by the socialization pressures of the media and the school and how this helps or hinders the growth of children's own imaginative processes. Paper 1 is a research review and theoretical overview of…

Conducted two experiments on kindergarten to third-grade children in which it was hypothesized that the degree of adult intervention would not make a difference in play treatments and that thematic fantasy play would serve to construct metalinguistic understanding. Hypotheses were confirmed. There was also significant interaction between adult…

Learning through the arts has the potential to stimulate open ended activity that encourages discovery, exploration, experimentation and invention, thus contributing to children's development in all areas of learning and helping to make the curriculum meaningful to them. In this book, the author draws on her extensive experience of promoting young…

Two studies examined the ability of a peer play scale, based on the Howes Peer Play Scale, to assess developmental sequences in children's play with peers from the infant through the preschool periods. The frequency and proportion of play forms, and the ages at which they emerged, varied as a function of the children's child care setting. (LB)

Describes a block play activity undertaken in a kindergarten through second-grade multiage classroom, in which children used blocks and various other props to construct and operate an imaginary snack shop. Discusses the benefits of block play and guidelines for teachers to follow in establishing block play activities. (MDM)

The patterns of cognitive play of 28 African-American and Euro-American preschool children with intellectual disabilities are reported. Fourteen children representing each group, matched on developmental age and family variables, were observed playing independently at home. The pattern of African-American children's play was more reflective of…

Joe L. Frost is Parker Centennial Professor Emeritus at the University of Texas, Austin, and one of America's leading experts on play and playgrounds. In addition to having taught child development and early childhood education at Texas and several other universities, he has written or edited fifteen university-level textbooks and more than one…

The intent of this study was to examine the development of peer interaction in low-income Mexican-heritage families in the United States. Eighty-eight children (44 girls) were observed and mothers interviewed when children were 14, 24, 36, and 54 months old. We used the Attachment Q-Set (Waters, 1990), the Peer Play Scale (Howes & Matheson, 1992),…

It is paradoxical that many educators and parents still differentiate between a time for learning and a time for play without seeing the vital connection between them. Educators are very serious about education in CES schools. However, in their earnest attempts to engage students in meaningful and thought-provoking work or dialogue, is it possible…