In this article, the author discusses the challenges of the English language learners (ELLs) to succeed in a society where they are expected to fail because teachers have been telling them over and over that they cannot make it or that they do not have what it takes. With time, these statements become part of the students' beliefs, and eventually…

Families are children's first educators and play a critical role in young children's literacy development. Young children's success as readers is related to their early literacy experiences in the home. Family literacy practices determine young children's literacy skills prior to formal instruction. However, families may not be aware of best…

Digital cameras can be wonderful teaching/learning tools in the preschool classroom. They can record and document student development, make text-free cues for pre-reading children, and develop learning prompts for discussion. In this article, the author discusses tips on selecting the right digital camera. Above all, it is important to consider…

The Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI) is among the oldest professional education organizations in the world and the only international organization of its kind that focuses on the development of the whole child from birth through early adolescence. Given the current sad state of world affairs and the plight of millions of…

In this article, the author presents the approaches and strategies for culturally and linguistically responsive early education in an international preschool in Moscow, Russia. This international preschool, enrolling children from Russia, the United States, Germany, Italy, Israel, Argentina, Brazil, Sweden, and Japan, provides a multilingual and…

In an attempt to meet the growing professional development needs of early childhood practitioners in North Carolina, Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) is reaching out to the rural areas of North Carolina by offering programs that will certify North Carolina teachers in birth through kindergarten education (BKE). In this article, the author…

This article describes how a teacher changed all his plans to teach the hurricane. When the Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, kids become naturally curious and seek answers in an event this big. The author suggests the use of tragedies to help them grow as students and as citizens.

Hearing impairment due to conductive hearing loss can have a devastating effect on children's language development, and consequently educational outcomes, especially for Indigenous students, for whom there may be the additional issue of being educated in their second or third language. With appropriate interventions, however, Indigenous students…

A variety of trends in second language teaching have left many English Language Learners (ELLs) in the United States with well-intentioned teachers who, unfortunately, have limited understanding of the second language acquisition or cultural diversity issues that affect the ELLs in their classrooms. In this article, the authors present the current…

A small, but perhaps not so unusual, miracle is happening in one of the poorest elementary schools in Charleston County, South Carolina. Two kindergarten teachers at Mary Ford Elementary School, with the help of the school's art teacher and a kindergarten specialist, have effectively combined a focus on art with daily read-alouds and the use of…

Teachers around the world face similar issues. For example, they worry about how to provide effective instruction, they ask themselves what they can do about inadequate funding for education, they question the efficacy of standardized testing, and they wonder about their status and position within the social structure. However, each country's…

The purposes of this article are to: Give a historical perspective on religious diversity in the United States; Develop a rationale for teachers and children to learn about religious pluralism; Provide basic information, resources for teachers, and appropriate children's literature about major religious groups; Explore developmentally appropriate…

This Classroom Idea-Sparker was submitted by Dorothy L. Haggerty, Associate Professor of Professional Practice, University of New Orleans. Too often, students are bored with science. Irrelevant facts, numerous definitions, and confusing diagrams clutter the student's mind. To help motivate students, teachers should, instead, choose fun,…

Teachers must learn to recognize and eliminate gender bias, because it can limit students' ambitions and accomplishments (Sanders, 2003). A gender-neutral position practiced by teachers recognizes individual and group differences, and believes that both girls and boys can reach their fullest potential if they are sensitive to the quality and level…

Over the last 30 years, much has been learned about how children develop as spellers. During that time, the literary confidence of many kindergarten, 1st-, and 2nd-grade children has been damaged by insisting they use conventional spelling when, in their thinking, it is impossible to understand how words can be spelled conventionally. This article…