This paper has two purposes: (1) to explain briefly in terms of Piaget's theory why relationships are fundamental for constructivist teachers; and (2) to show how constructivist teachers can think about relationships in classroom activities. In a nutshell, the message is that the process by which children are constructing their intelligence,…

What kind of developmental potential is present in elementary schoolchildren but hindered by the traditional type of education? Half a century ago Daniel El'konin and Vasili Davydov, the leaders of Russian Vygotskian educational psychology started answering this question. They suggested that reflection is a basic human ability and it can be…

This paper focuses on youth voices about sex and AIDS and reveals significant discrepancies between the "ideal adult worldview" and the "practical youth worldview" on sexual matters. In discussing the 'youth worldview', it draws on Piaget's theories of childhood development and Perry's theory of student development, both…

Designed for teachers, students, caregivers, and health professionals who work with children from birth to age 8, this book provides a review of recent research and theories of development and learning in the early childhood years, with an emphasis on implications for effective teaching. Where appropriate, the book takes an Australian perspective,…

This preschool curriculum was developed by a local task force in Lower Kuskokwim School District, Alaska. The task force based their work on the book "Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children from Birth through Age 8," on input from district parents of young children, and on the recommendations of a…

Issues are discussed and recommendations are offered to policymakers on the preparation of practitioners to work with infants, toddlers, and their families. Section I examines eforts to define "competence" for practitioners and programs. Section II describes in detail four key elements of training for infant/family practitioners, illustrating how…

This competency-based curriculum is designed to be a handbook for the development of child care programs. It details the competencies, developed through a survey of child care provider-employers in Alaska, that students will require in a vocational child care program. The handbook is organized in seven sections. Section I introduces the concept of…

Using examples from children drawing in a year one classroom, this article examines firstly, how drawing operates as a unique mental tool, and secondly, the role of drawing in the construction and development of knowledge. Young children utilize prior knowledge and experience to negotiate and construct meaning through their interactions with…

Directed to teachers of the mentally retarded, the text emphasizes clinical teaching which is based on testing for and identifying each child's weaknesses and strengths, and then formulating an educational program. Aspects covered include the following: the status of professional awareness in the education of the mentally retarded, the nature of…

The legitimate use of authority in political and moral education is examined from a cognitive-developmental perspective. However, legitimate authoritative communications by a teacher must have the potential for reasoned elaboration. These communications then mark off the boundaries of rational and authoritative communication from non- and…

In a curriculum project designed to establish guidelines for teacher use in planning homemaking education, the choice of resource materials was based on the philosophy of home economics education, socioeconomic trends, and the developmental tasks of adolescence. A conceptual framework was formulated which served as a basis for the scope and…

Information is presented for individuals who are taking the second and third courses of the Computer Assisted Remedial Education (CARE) sequence. The entire CARE package is designed to help teachers learn to assist students in their classes who have learning problems. CARE 2/3, the courses for which this handbook was created, provide instruction…

A syllabus is provided of the second and third courses of the Computer Assisted Remedial Education (CARE) sequence. CARE 2/3 is a college-level, combination offering for education majors which deals with diagnostic teaching at the preschool and primary levels. The objectives of the course are to enable educators to identify the characteristics of…

Field experience during teacher preparation enables the prospective teacher to observe children as they develop -- emotionally, socially, intellectually, and physically. Children, at different stages of development, exhibit characteristics of behavior which may or may not affect how and what they learn in the formal classroom environment. Thus,…

Linguistic cohesion involves the semantic and syntactic relationships that link sentences together. Research on linguistic cohesion is related to readability and to developmental and ability-level issues in reading/writing. Instructional strategies for low-ability readers/writers include predicting comprehension problems through cohesion analysis…