The publication of "Il metodo della pedagogica scientifica," by Dr. Maria Montessori, docent in the University of Rome, giving a full account of the inception and development of the system of education of which she is the author and the simultaneous translation of the work into English and German are events so unusual as to challenge attention.…

Interactive media have come of age. The range of interactive entertainment products, intended to be used by children in and out of school settings is growing: CD-ROMs, computers, the Internet, video games (for a variety of handheld and console platforms), interactive toys (including educational talking books), and a variety of wireless software…

Stresses need for early childhood educators to be prepared for prenatal drug exposed children, who may exhibit multiple disabilities in many areas. Suggests that cognitive and behavioral extremes preclude a list of best practices with this population. Recommends small, stable learning environments. Discusses need for educators and care providers…

Examines the inherent dichotomy between the competing needs of maintaining emotional safety and exploring sensitive issues in social studies classrooms. Argues that an effectively safe classroom can serve as a necessary backdrop for addressing controversial issues even in the earliest of grades. Maintains that most teachers simply ignore these…

Describes inquiry learning as defining a purpose for inquiry (the problem), postulating tentative answers or solutions, testing various hypotheses, drawing tentative conclusions, and applying those conclusions to new situations. Asserts that acquisition of these skills supports democratic citizenship. Outlines the inquiry approach used for a…

Presents a 6-day unit for grades 2-4 to enable students to understand the concept of time and how the analog clock works. Using concrete materials and cooperative learning, the unit presents cognitive, affective, and psychomotor objectives and activities for each lesson. (MDH)

Examines relationships between student interests and aptitude in selected academic fields and their success in intensive courses on these subjects. Discusses a two-year study of 33 mathematics students and 32 literature students in the eighth and ninth grades in the Soviet Union. Shows that differentiated, intensive study did not strengthen…

Explores developmental patterns in children from kindergarten through grade six. Highlights physical development, including height, activity level, motor skills, and health; mental development, including abstract thought, academic focus, learning difficulties, subject preferences, and creativity; psychosocial development, including interpersonal…

Introduces the articles presented in this special collection and provides the appropriate context for discussing the relationship between changes in the child development knowledge base and their implications for early childhood teacher preparation and practice. Presents an overview of recent developments in both the preparation and practice…

Tested a model linking maternal/family characteristics to child cognitive and psychosocial competence in African-American 6- to 9-year olds in rural single-mother-headed households. Found that maternal education, religiosity, and financial resources were linked with parenting style, mother-child relationship, and maternal school involvement.…

This study examined whether the effects on cognitive and language outcomes of a recently developed home-based educational intervention program, Opstap Opnieuw, for 4-6-years-old disadvantaged children could be explained by improved mother-child interaction. The present sample (n = 30) was drawn from a larger sample of Turkish-Dutch families (n =…

The "new federalism" paradigm offers an explanation why the federal government has devolved much of its administration of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF, formerly AFDC) and Medicaid (through managed care) programs. A review of child and family outcomes data resulting from these devolutionary changes in TANF and…

Laurie Richlin has been running a workshop on course design for higher education for over fifteen years, modifying and improving it progressively from the feedback of participants, and from what they in turn have taught her. Her goals are to enable participants to appropriately select teaching strategies, to design and create the conditions and…

Government commissions have demonstrated that residential schools' ability to educate aboriginal students was compromised by widespread problems including (a) inadequate curriculum, staffing, instruction time, and parental involvement; (b) racism; (c) prohibition against the use of aboriginal language; and (d) maltreatment. This article uses…

Examining problems and questions related to full-day kindergarten, this book deals broadly with early childhood curriculum design and development. It suggests specific step-by-step ways to plan an emergent curriculum based upon integrated, dynamic themes that grow out of children's diverse personal and cultural experiences. Addressed to teachers,…