In the Bulgarian public space social distances and stereotypes regarding the Roma ethnicity are still difficult to overcome. This process' impact on the social development of the Roma child is an indisputable fact that has negative social implications when the child joins the school community. Predicting and overcoming these consequences implies…

Learners are multi-faceted, unique people. Discovering the whole individual is incumbent upon realizing the teaching/learning environments, common social and societal realities, and belief and value systems respective of academic and socio-societal factors that establish who one is as a learner and teacher. In "Learning and Teaching," the authors…

The study proposes an analysis of the processes through which the material and symbolic features of the setting and the activities of the educators interact to determine the children's experience in an early educational centre. This analysis is of particular interest with regard to both educational practice and understanding developmental…

Summarizes three studies on the effects of physical environment on preschool children's play and cognitive development, and discusses implications for classroom design. Notes that size of play area, and the extent to which the size of structures in that area was proportional to children's size, affected the rate at which children entered complex…

Presents suggestions for creating a classroom environment where young children's thinking and reasoning processes are supported. Discusses organizing time blocks for predictability and flexibility and organizing the physical space, including providing access to work spaces and access to materials. (KB)

Notes that with safe and developmentally appropriate equipment, outdoor play can be a significant part of high-quality early child care. Highlights 10 suggestions for safe outdoor play. Knowledgeable teachers and appropriate child-caregiver ratio are needed for safe play. (JW)

Intended for the preschool teacher wishing to implement a cognitively oriented curriculum, this instructional guide focuses on the problem-solving approach (as opposed to the teacher-directed approach) to student learning. Each chapter provides space for teachers to plan, implement, and evaluate lessons. Activities in the guide are participatory,…

This research examined the extent to which 2.5- to 5-year-old children in three Kindergarten classrooms in Thessaloniki, Greece could be taught about the use of classroom space and equipment. The study combined the theoretical perspectives of Piaget, Vygotsky, Bruner, and Frangos with the views of theater director Peter Brook. Mixed-age groups of…

Focusing on writing as a language process, this booklet describes a framework for writing instruction that has as a major consideration the totality of language. The first section discusses writing as a language process, emphasizing that as children learn to write, they can also learn to listen, speak, and read. The second section focuses on the…

This paper explores some of the attributed of quality day care programs for infants, age 0 to 30 months. High-quality interactions with adults result in positive developmental outcomes for infants. Adults involved in day care should focus on providing an environment of stimulating experiences, which help infants to develop satisfactorily. Other…

This preliminary draft version of a teacher's guide describes the philosophy of informal responsive instruction and characteristics of the Responsive Care Program. The notebook is intended to help teachers in the Responsive Care Program organize materials describing the program and materials related to their training. The Responsive Care Program…

The classroom environment elicits social comparison behavior in which a student uses peers' performance as a gauge for his own self-assessment. Social comparison as it relates to ability is a four phase sequential process. In phase one, stimulation of social comparison is elicited through developmentally-determined cognitive capacities and motives…

The document describes the Pediatric Language Laboratory, a day care center which provides day care and therapeutic services to 20 mild to moderate communicatively delayed children, 1 to 4 years old. Initial sections address program philosophy; program components (diagnostics, remedial services, typical services, parent education, and community…

Compares case studies of early childhood education in schools in Germany and Ireland. Both schools emphasize the importance of children's emotional-spiritual development, but while Irish children are already in formal education, German schooling defers beginning of formal learning. Concludes that more teacher interaction with children in German…