Peace education has been offered to children for decades, but those curricula have been only minimally guided by children's developmental stages and needs. In this article, the authors apply their research on children's developmental understanding of peace along with peace education principles and Vygotsky's sociocultural theory to present…

Educators and educational theorists frequently employ a gardening metaphor to capture several child-centred principles about teaching and children, i.e. teachers must respect a child's unique interests and abilities, recognise what is developmentally appropriate for students, and resist pursuing a narrow set of outcomes. Historically, however,…

We establish the thesis that in moral education, particularly in the first years of the child's development, unreflexive acts or "unreflexiveness" in certain behaviours of adults is a condition for the development of the personality structure and virtues that enable autonomous ethical reflection and a relation to the Other. With the…

Teachers of very young children have the awesome task of providing rich information and experiences that build skills and understanding in the context of every day routines and within intentionally-designed play opportunities that capture children's interests, wonder and curiosity so they want to know more. Pennsylvania's learning standards join…

Teachers of very young children have the awesome task of providing rich information and experiences that build skills and understanding in the context of every day routines "and" within intentionally-designed play opportunities that capture children's interests, wonder and curiosity so they want to know more. Pennsylvania's learning…

Teachers of very young children have the awesome task of providing rich information and experiences that build skills and understanding in the context of every day routines and within intentionally-designed play opportunities that capture children's interests, wonder and curiosity so they want to know more. Pennsylvania's learning standards join…

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…

As part of a continuing dialog, this response to Johnson and McChesney Johnson (1992) focuses on the many areas of overlap between principles of Developmentally Appropriate Practice and current early childhood special education principles of early intervention. (Author/DB)

As part of a continuing dialog, this response to Carta et al. (EC 607 082) raises questions about the comparability of early childhood special education and Developmentally Appropriate Practice principles and examines philosophical differences over the meaning of integration of curriculum and assessment and the importance of active engagement. (DB)

Explores current issues in preschool and primary education. Discusses U.S. fourth graders' low scores on the 1994 National Assessment for Educational Progress, skills needed in the 21st century, guiding principles on developmentally appropriate curriculum for young children, anti bias curriculum to address student diversity, comprehensive family…

The publication and subsequent distribution and dissemination of "Birth to Three Matters, A Framework to Support Children in their Earliest Years" (DfES, 2002) marks a significant breakthrough in government recognition of the importance of the years from birth to three in shaping children's later learning. However, the Curriculum…

Today, the majority of countries are characterized by multicultural diversity, a factor which has enormous implications for early childhood educators. As we begin to understand the long-term benefits of participation in high quality early childhood care and education, educators must also recognize that their own cultural heritage can and does…

Five principles of learning for young children with handicaps (functioning below a developmental age of one year) are presented, with descriptions of strategies that can be used to facilitate ascendance to higher levels of cognitive-social-communicative functioning. The principles include frequent adult-child interactions, meaningful context for…

Noting that there are many criteria by which to determine whether pedagogical practices are appropriate for young children, this paper outlines a developmental approach to pedagogy for young children. Twenty-three principles of practice are outlined. The main suggestions are that a developmental approach is one that takes into account those…

The purpose of this literature review is to look at brain research and its effect on educational practice. For the last several years, educators, parents and policymakers have become increasingly interested in the potential role of positive early childhood experiences in promoting a child's emotional and intellectual well-being (Ellison, 2001).…