Defines informational text and discusses how it can be used appropriately in early childhood classrooms to build upon young children's curiosity, support vocabulary and world knowledge development, and develop children's concepts for reading and writing. Suggests ways educators can increase the availability of informational texts for young…

Discusses early reading and writing learning as embedded in a larger system of oral communication, and considers the content and valuable dispositions of early literacy instruction. Describes essential early literacy teaching strategies, including rich teacher talk and storybook reading. Includes examples of interactive storybook reading and…

Presents a model for using guidance in mild and serious conflict situations in the preschool classroom. Describes how classic conflict management techniques are used to make both parties equal contributors to a peaceful settlement through mediation, including guidance talks, self-removal, and class meetings. Discusses use of comprehensive guidance…

Describes how one teacher helped preschool children draw. Shows how she guided a 4-year-old to use stencils to draw fish independently, helped children use their knowledge of shapes to guide their drawing of animals, and guided children to draw what was important to them. Asserts that helping children to express their ideas independently in…

Addresses teachers' frustration in reconciling appropriate education for young children with the practice of grading to assess and report progress, contending that research on unreliability in grading and the efforts of committed parents and professionals are necessary to change the practice. Summarizes research suggesting that grading is…

One kindergarten teacher engaged children in conversations about environmental print and thus made literacy learning more meaningful and personally connected to the children's outside school experiences. Activities included an environmental print show-and-tell, and small-group and whole-class word-logo matching activities. It was concluded that…

Suggests developmentally appropriate ways early childhood teachers can help young children express, interpret, and understand their experiences through song. Discusses the importance of singing for gaining music and literacy skills and encouraging self-expression and creativity. Includes tips related to posture, breathing, vocal exploration, vocal…

Describes the creation of a developmentally appropriate curriculum in one child care center using input from teachers, children, parents, and others. Discusses the planning process that combined teacher-initiated activities with child-initiated ideas and questions to produce a unique, dynamic curriculum of age-appropriate and individually…

Describes the changes that took place at a private nursery school when it decided to replace teacher-directed art activities, an early emphasis on academic skills, and other developmentally inappropriate activities with student-centered and student-directed art and play activities that are more developmentally appropriate. (MDM)

Explains that Hunter's Instructional Theory Into Practice/Teacher Assessment Model and developmentally appropriate practices are mutually incompatible alternatives to good early childhood education practices. (BB)

Examines the early childhood and primary learning environments and developmentally appropriate practices in light of the findings of brain research in the mid to late 1990s. Focuses on how the brain works, creating the optimal learning environment, developing classroom learning centers, and presenting meaningful learning experiences. Identifies…

Maintains that new practices such as performance-based assessment that are consistent with the early childhood profession's process goals need to be developed and that testing of young children that is not developmentally appropriate constitutes misassessment. Promotes observational assessment that uses anecdotal notes and that complements…

Explores the impact on children's activities and staff behavior of removing clocks and watches from an early childhood classroom. Describes how removing old patterns of time organization required teacher reflection about taken-for-granted scripts for time and permitted them to invent new scripts that were more supportive of developmentally…

Examines factors contributing to and preventing the implementation of developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) in early childhood education. Presents basic guidelines for DAP, illustrates the use of "both/and" thinking in early childhood practice, and describes the conversion of one school district to DAP. Concludes that administrative…

Discusses ways in which preschool teachers can meet the needs of the gifted preschool child in the classroom. (BB)