The authors present the results of a multi-year qualitative study of play-based teachers in the USA. These teachers were often under pressure to alter their curricula in order to conform to more rigid and traditional educational approaches, pressure which has only increased under the present federal administration. The contextual factors…

Unit 10 of a fine arts bilingual program developed for the third grade is oriented toward the basic theme of communities around the world and supports the spiraling questions of who the individual is, what his alternatives are, how he can initiate change, and what the results of change are. This teacher's guide to kits 37-40 explains focus,…

After a critical examination of four assumptions of current procedures in language assessment, it is argued that the pragmatic domain of language ability should be the first to be assessed. A study designed to determine the usefulness of language variation (the number of different structures a child can produce or comprehend) as an alternative…

This teacher's guide describes a program about urban ecology which can be used with children from kindergarten through grade six. The program comprises five units which explore concepts and practical issues of consumption in the home, health and well-being, commercial enterprise, transportation and networks, and production. Each unit's content is…

Three similar experiments were conducted to assess language variation and politeness in the speech of English monolingual and Spanish-English bilingual children, and in Armenian children learning English as a second language. Each experiment elicited request strategies from the children with the use of puppets in a structured conversation. While…

This report, representing a 12-month case study of a new Scottish primary school, draws together educational issues concerning problems and possibilities of open-plan schooling by locating them in the day-to-day work of a particular open-plan school. During 70 days of field work, the researcher spent time observing classes, interviewing parents,…

The Project's report on its second year gives a detailed description of the construction and trial of its innovative 8th-grade American History course. Local history and local and national contemporary problems were interwoven with the traditional content of American history. Teaching-learning methods and activities included film-viewing,…

Thirteen institutionalized children from 4-1/2 to 14 years old, diagnosed as autistic, atypical, or childhood schizophrenic, were observed for three years to obtain a detailed description of their speech and language behavior. Case histories were assembled from available medical and psychological data. During a program of experimental relationship…

A diagnostic treatment center for learning disabilities and emotional problems was developed to serve six school systems. Evaluation by the multidisciplinary staff covered behavior, family background, health, and intellectual, perceptual motor, emotional, and educational functioning. Treatment plans, developed by the team which subsequently met…

To examine the differences between mother-child interaction in middle class and in isolated rural poor families, a sample of 24 rural poor and 12 middle class mothers were videotaped as they interacted with their preschool children in structured situations. (Rural poor mothers were found to initiate verbal interaction with a question, a situation…

In recent years, preschool and elementary school teachers have noted increases in behavior concerns and developmental delays, possibly caused by prenatal drug or alcohol exposure. This document notes that it is more important to ascertain the children's challenges than the causes. It describes the most promising practices identified for improving…

This training manual and companion videotapes comprise an educational program for professionals and paraprofessionals who work with young children with language disorders. The program is particularly helpful in serving children from linguistic minority backgrounds and their families. The program's strategies are also appropriate for teachers and…

This document contains the proceedings of a conference on early childhood education. Included are a list of the members of the executive committee of the OMEP and of the conference organizing committee, the program, the keynote addresses, abstracts, and an index of presenters. The keynote addresses were: (1) "Achieving Quality Early Care and…

As preschoolers develop the ability to carry out their ideas and play alone and with others, they are developing the foundation for social competence. This booklet and a companion videotape help teachers and parents recognize and support nine High/Scope key experiences in initiative and social relations: (1) making and expressing choices, plans,…

This report discusses the activities and outcomes of Project Coach Outreach, a project to encourage the use of best practices in early intervention for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers with disabilities and to increase family-centered service options in Mississippi. Specifically, the project focused on the use of natural environments to include…