Reviews four recent journal articles on the social dynamics of classrooms. Topics include the effects of gender and ability on social behaviors, and effects of school "warmth" on student participation and achievement. (ET)

Summarizes recent ERIC documents in early childhood education and related areas. Topics include the integrated character education model, conflicts and prospects of character education in multicultural education, and the role of the schools in character education. (ET)

Notes that sign language is the third most used second language in the United States and that early childhood is an ideal language-learning time. Describes the experiences of one preschool where American Sign Language has become an integral part of the curriculum. Includes guiding principles, classroom do's and don'ts, and a resource list of…

Presents theory and research to help preschool teachers understand literacy-enriched play centers, in terms of their purposes and outcomes. Describe a pilot project using play centers in a preschool classroom and provides guidelines for planning and using such a center. (ET)

Notes the importance of listening in the learning process. Describes cause for concern for deteriorating listening skills among students and teachers, and the need for promoting active listening skills in the classroom and eventually integrating listening across the curriculum. Gives basic classroom principles, suggestions for successful…

Presents the Four E's curriculum model--Experience, Extension, Expression, Evaluation--which offers a framework for selecting and organizing appropriate curriculum for preschool and primary students. The model focuses on integrating curriculum but is also useful for planning a single unit, or whenever teachers want to evaluate the appropriateness…

Notes that sorting is an early classification activity; as language develops, objects can be sorted by various attributes and described. Describes key experiences in this developmental sequence, and provides guidelines and specific suggestions for selecting for classroom use "attribute materials" designed to lead students to both physical and…

Examines the impact of European demographic changes on discontinuities in young children's lives. Maintains that early childhood educators should react to changes on the contextual and familial level. Advocates teaching children coping strategies for transitions in individual and family development and in the educational system. (Author/KB)

Examined the potential of teacher-researcher collaboration for enhancing the effectiveness of early learning experiences of 4-year-olds in England. Found that, during fieldwork, child engagement and teachers' stimulation, sensitivity, engagement, and autonomy increased. Teacher and student engagement were related. Suggests that teachers who strive…

Investigated whether preschoolers had acquired event knowledge schemata, and the impact of an inductive reasoning training program on knowledge transfer in story recall tasks. Found that inductive reasoning training led to knowledge transfer in kindergartners but had only minor influence on prekindergartners. (Author/KB)

Examined the home and school numeracy experiences of young Somali children living in the United Kingdom. Results indicated that the home numeracy experience was in a more formal setting than the majority of school learning experiences. Explored cultural conflicts and recommended that teachers take into account children's home learning experiences.…

Replicated Carlsson-Paige and Levin's studies on teachers and parents coping with children's war play in Greece. Found that teachers' and parents' opinions were comparable to Americans'. Most Greek teachers limited rather than banned war play and were satisfied with their approach to war play. Parents' approaches were similar to those of…

Uses case studies on promoting interaction skills for integrating young children with special needs in nursery schools to examine the link between research methodology and promotion of educational quality. Asserts that the research process can influence interaction strategies and promote effective, reflective practice. Notes that teams need…

Describes the experience of a bilingual kindergarten teacher who, in an effort to improve students' writing, used color-coded symbols familiar to students on specific key functions of the computer keyboard. Familiarity with the keyboard functions facilitated the children's understanding and consequent use of software, and allowed the children to…

Examined the effectiveness of a nonbiased computerized language screening test, the Kidtalk Interactive Diagnostic Test of Aptitude for Language Knowledge (KIDTALK), in differentiating children on basis of diagnostic category but not ethnic/linguistic background. Found a significant difference between scores of the language learning disabled and…