Moving beyond the usual genetic explanations for giftedness, Dr. James Campbell presents powerful evidence that it is parental involvement--very specific methods of working with and nurturing a child which increases the child's chances of being gifted. Based on his research with parents of more than 10,000 gifted children around the world,…

This follow-up to a previous article (Orbit 14, pp. 8-11), describes and analyses some present educational applications from Piaget's theories (revised curricula, new assessment procedures, the readiness and self-discovery approach) and some possible future influence in teaching methodology. (JA)

A study examined serial-memory ability in 10 children (ages 4 to 6) with specific language impairment (SLI) compared to age and language peers. Under long-presentation conditions, the performance of children with SLI resembled that of their peers. Under short-presentation conditions, children with SLI performed worse that age-matched peers.…

The introduction to this special issue on preschool issues in autism summarizes the other papers, which focus on general issues, development of attention and imitation during the preschool years, nonverbal communication of young children with autism, and instructional techniques. (DB)

At the Center for Discovery (The Center), a private, non-profit agency 80 miles northwest of New York City in the Catskill Mountains, children are growing and learning at their own pace, in their own way, with careful attention focused on communication and social/emotional development. Children with autism are being educated to be social beings,…

This paper reports the findings of a pilot study which adopted an ethnographic approach to investigate the cultural features of the Chinese kindergarten curriculum by means of "semi-participant" observations, semi-structured interviews, daily conversations and open-ended questionnaires in two Chinese kindergartens. The paper first…

Contemporary education theory (and official South African policy) underwrites learner-centredness. I analyse learner-centredness as a possible piece of the puzzle about why it is proving so difficult to improve academic achievement. Learner-centred ideas are grounded in the belief that cognitive abilities develop spontaneously in accordance with a…

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…

This study explores educators' reflections on professional childcare practice in different national contexts. The data were collected by showing video clips of classroom activities in Japanese, Dutch and German pre-schools to experienced German and Dutch pre-school teachers. The clips were used to elicit their opinions on playing and learning in…

Creative writing is considered as a form of creative expression in which the child expresses his ideas, feelings, or reactions. This expression is original and spontaneous, and allows the child to organize his experiences so that they assume a personal meaning. With this experience, the child, through the process of symbolization, adds to his…

Maintains that listening to storytelling is an important developmental experience for young children, and provides suggestions and information on techniques for telling traditional, personal experience, and personal imagination stories. (CM)

Can a child's ability to read and write be influenced by early musical training? Audrey Wisbey's views on the subject have aroused considerable interest. (Editor)

Developmental spelling, the pattern resulting from different strategies that children use at various stages of cognitive development, is explained and five instructional activities supported by developmental spelling research are offered, including the importance of an environment emphasizing functional use of language and of opportunities for…