This study investigated the relationships between symbolic play, reading readiness, drawing, Piaget's principle of conservation, and age, in 41 preschool children. Subjects were participants in a pre-first-grade summer program; they had had kindergarten experience but no formal reading instruction, and they ranged in age from five years, six…

Presents a rationale as well as practical ideas for using movement education as a basis for fostering self-confidence and integrating other learning activities in young children. (CM)

The inadequacy of available tests for predicting developmental disabilities in low income, minority group children; the necessity for assuring confidentiality and avoiding labeling; and a lack of personnel, facilities and funds all proved to be obstacles to early and periodic screening, diagnosis and treatment. (Author)

The Harpersbury Hospital School in Hertfordshire, England, developed a curriculum of "mothering," or intensive, structured interaction teaching, to promote development of language, cognition, and sociability in pupils with severe and complex learning difficulties. The process approach is based on the critical learning that infants…

This article explores the way young people become effective intercultural communicators through instruction in international education. Approaches to curriculum and teaching are explored. A new model is introduced which increases knowledge about the impact of culture on interpersonal interactions. A case study of an Hawaiian student is presented.…

Describes a stage structure concern for children and phonics. Discusses that among all of the cognitive concepts and abilities constructed by young children, quantitative operations are most closely associated with early successful use of phonics. (JK)

The multiple intelligence theory is based on cultural contexts, biological analysis, developmental theories, and a vertical theory of faculties. Seven intelligences are identified: linguistic, logical mathematical, musical, spatial, bodily kinesthetic, interpersonal, and intrapersonal. The theory's educational implications are described,…

Describes three studies that examined how young children distinguish between the real, physical world and the mental world; between objects and thoughts; and between doing something and imagining it. (HOD)

Discusses the new premises on child development and education that have been influenced by past federally funded programs, and how these premises are continuing to influence elementary school programs. (MS)

The purpose of this descriptive study is to examine the content of early learning standards developed by state-level organizations in order to address the following research questions: (1) To what extent have various dimensions of development and learning (i.e., the dimensions of physical and motor, social and emotional, approaches toward…

Noting that many schools do not participate in the U.S. Department of Agriculture's School Breakfast Program despite evidence that poor nutrition affects children's school attendance and performance, this document presents the proceedings of a 1999 symposium on links between breakfast and school performance and the implications for public policy.…

While other developmental theories, on a smaller scale, share center stage with Piagetian theory, Jean Piaget will likely be remembered as one of the world's leading psychologists of the twentieth century. This book, with a first version published nearly 20 years ago, attempts to make Piaget's concepts more "user friendly" for those…

This paper examines Lev Vygotsky's theory concerning the zone of proximal development (ZPD) in children and its relevance to early childhood education. As per Vygotsky's "Mind in Society" (1978), ZPD is the difference between a child's "actual development level as determined by independent problem solving" and the…

Challenging the prevailing belief that the first 3 years of a child's life comprise the most critical period for development, this book maintains that although there is valid scientific evidence for the existence of critical periods, the same research points to learning and development occurring throughout life. The book asserts that too many…

This book is intended to help educators understand how students learn and what teachers can do to foster student achievement. It explains how diverse developmental needs, such as lack of self-esteem or cultural alienation, can be at the root of a student's learning difficulties. Case studies illustrate the ways educators can assess and resolve…