The field of early childhood education has long been marked by intense controversy concerning appropriate curriculum and teaching methods and goals. This paper explores some implications of the traditional dichotomies of the field and suggests that while there are many reasons to resist the side that advocates formal academic instruction, it does…

Suggests that the articles in the book cover many of the aspects of discussion in the early years education debate. Notes that the articles are well-written, well-researched, and successfully link theoretical issues with practical implementation. Discusses some criticism related to the epistemological and conceptual framework presented. (AA)

Notes Head Start's obligation to promote literacy skills; presents pertinent strategies: (1) encourage families to talk with and read to children; (2) read to children every day; (3) create a print-rich environment; and (4) infuse reading and writing activities throughout the curriculum. Discusses importance of focusing on language and literacy…

Examines the interrelationships between young children's literacy growth and music development. Discusses five ways in which song picture books promote language growth. Suggests early childhood activities and materials for using song picture books as a resource for an integrated, developmentally appropriate curriculum. (Author/KB)

Describes writing portfolios, a teaching method that enhances students' taking responsibility for their learning, facilitates developmentally appropriate assessment, and allows evaluation of writing development. Includes six student forms: "Self-Evaluation of Writing,""Self-Evaluation of the Writing Portfolio,""Identification of Topics,""Writing…

Primary teachers completed the Theoretical Orientation to Reading Profile and Primary Teacher Questionnaire to determine their endorsement of developmentally appropriate practice. Results indicated a substantial congruence between the constructs underlying the notion of developmentally appropriate practice and those that are fundamental to a whole…

Three kindergarten teachers integrated developmentally appropriate 30-minute daily writing experiences into the curriculum. Both teachers and students came to value writing time, and teachers became more comfortable in making writing an integral part of each day. A modified program in the second year introduced sight words and word walls earlier.…

Argues that rigorous, detailed academic standards are driving school improvement efforts instead of student needs as voiced by the students themselves. Offers support, through student interviews, for the notion that a challenging, integrative, and exploratory curriculum should be the standard for developmentally responsive practice and that this…

Key considerations for designing reading practice include determining the most effective methods to store word meanings for fluent retrieval during word recognition, making practice stimulating, determining whether practice ought to occur within or without the context of extended text, and addressing whether a target instructional objective is…

This article describes a 4-step protocol for selecting and facilitating production of a first vocabulary in children with specific language impairment using a focused language stimulation approach. Focused language stimulation includes general language stimulation techniques and, in addition, requires frequent, highly concentrated repetitions of…

Explains that Hunter's Instructional Theory Into Practice/Teacher Assessment Model and developmentally appropriate practices are mutually incompatible alternatives to good early childhood education practices. (BB)

Reviews the literature which presents theory and research that places early communicative development in the context of familiar experiences that occur over time. (BB)

Videotaped four- to eight-year olds as they interacted with computer software at different levels of developmental appropriateness. Facial expressions and other affective behaviors were analyzed as a function of age, presence of a peer, and appropriateness of software. Found that responses were mediated more by age, gender, and social condition…

Examines three early childhood gifted programs at the University of Illinois: (1) University Primary School, which uses an interest-based curriculum; (2) Retrieval and Acceleration of Promising Handicapped Talented, with a teacher-determined curriculum; and (3) Bringing Out Head Start Talents, serving children from lower class families in a…

Discusses ways in which early childhood teachers can educate parents about the necessity for developmentally appropriate education at the preschool and primary levels, despite widespread parental preferences for an inappropriate, structured academic curriculum. Teachers can explain the purposes of developmentally appropriate curriculum to parents,…