Notes that humor and hope can produce an interest in reading and writing in children. Presents ideas for developing interest in language arts as well as suggested poems, picture books, and beginning chapter books. Also includes classroom suggestions for developing the four needs of beginning writers: ideas, words, structures, and spelling. (LBT)

Notes that music instruction enhances children's self-esteem and develops a variety of skills. Presents guidelines for music programming in early education, including: (1) selecting music to help young students feel successful; (2) including movement activities; (3) using children's names whenever possible; (4) utilizing music terms to enhance…

Notes that educators' expectations of parents originate from various sources, including their personal backgrounds and experiences, professional literature, other educators, the media, and children. Suggests teachers may examine assumptions and biases about parents and find ways to broaden the definition of parent involvement. Presents suggestions…

Refers to the words "spirit" and "spirituality" not in terms of religion but as human qualities that allow children to transcend or move beyond that which they do not yet understand. Illustrates the encouragement of these qualities in a kindergarten program and the program's use of literature to help students grow spiritually. (LBT)

This position paper of the Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI) endorses the elimination of corporal punishment in all environments for children, and notes international initiatives banning corporal punishment. The paper states that corporal punishment is an ineffective discipline strategy with children, and provides detailed…

Introduces this special issue on how educators in various countries facilitate creative thinking in their students. Notes that some of the articles contain information or examples demonstrating originality, flexibility, or important personality traits that contribute to creativity, such as risk-taking, and that others address the need for…

Uses personal narratives and a literature review to examine the status of creativity in Finland's schools. Describes the Finnish school system and how creativity is nurtured at various grade levels, and examines how teachers can arrange a creative learning environment. Maintains that teacher-education departments need students willing to use their…

Recounts Polynesian legends and folktales as examples of how the informal knowledge passed on through shared traditional stories can broaden children's worldviews and contribute to a culture vision. Maintains that reading, telling, discussing, and making creative interpretations of folklore are one way to share the intimate side of a culture.…

Examines how one Korean kindergarten used picture books to facilitate children's creativity. Describes students' responses to literature-based science activities related to a picture book. Concludes that good picture books can unleash children's minds from conventional science activities and that the development of the children's ideas depended on…

Presents the autonomous-learner model developed by George Betts and the Renzulli model as possible ways to facilitate creative thinking and personal development in Japanese students, whose culture typically emphasizes memorization. Concludes that developing the mindset to critically question learning will increase students' learning abilities and…

Describes performing arts and story-telling programs in Kenya that help to meet the needs for a creative framework and orientation to genuine learning that recovers some of the diminishing traditions of pre-colonial Kenya. Includes descriptions of the Kenya Schools Drama Festival, the resurgence of traditional story telling, and the Kenya Drama…

Describes the Talents Unlimited Program, implemented in an elementary school in southwest England, which provides a framework for developing creative- and critical-thinking skills. Describes an evaluation that found that 5-year olds taught with this approach performed better on specific critical- and creative-thinking skills tasks than did peers.…

Romanian teachers and creative adolescents were interviewed to profile the creative adolescent, focusing on self-image and a description of social conditions contributing to creativity. Responses suggested that schools lack the means to stimulate creativity. Teachers recognize creativity but lack curricula to meet students' needs. Creative…

Recounts experiences of Brigham Young University student teachers in Mexican schools. Explores reasons for lack of interest in facilitating creativity, despite a rich culture. Discusses four positive changes occurring in Mexican education: (1) students allowed to write about their own topics; (2) open-ended questions and informal debates; (3)…

Describes the teaching strategies used in a university summer study trip to England to investigate British primary- and preprimary-education practices. Strategies include readings, meetings, questions, observations, journals, and a culminating project. Focuses on the strategy of searching for "Miss Read," the pen name of Dora Saint, an author of…