Now in its Third Edition, "Young Investigators" provides an introduction to the project approach with step-by-step guidance for conducting meaningful investigations with young children. The authors have expanded their bestseller to include two new chapters--"How Projects Can Connect Children with Nature" and "Project…

The extent to which academic instruction should be a major goal of the curriculum for preschool and kindergarten children is a constant topic of debate among the many parties concerned with early childhood education. The main argument presented in this report is that the traditional debates in the field about whether to emphasize so-called free…

Literature related to eight major categories of variables affecting the experiences provided to children in preschools is reviewed in this paper. Categories initially discussed include contextual factors, characteristics of clients, characteristics of teachers and other assisting adults, and the preschool curriculum. A short discussion of the…

It goes without saying that the terms people use in their daily discourse constantly change. Today the term "nursery school" is referred to as preschool and Pre-K. Perhaps it reflects the contemporary view that the main mission of early education is preparation for school, i.e. "school readiness." But that particular shift in terms is not as…

Current knowledge and practices in the field of preprimary teacher education are discussed with respect to unique characteristics of the field, general issues in teacher education and preprimary education, and recent developments in inservice education. Unique characteristics of the field of preprimary teacher education include role ambiguity,…

In three parts, this symposium presentation to the American Montessori Society: (1) comments generally on current perceptions of Montessori education; (2) poses questions about practices in Montessori classrooms that challenge Montessori educators' core beliefs about Montessori education; and (3) discusses the cutting edges of contemporary…

Discusses the power of early childhood education to overcome longstanding social, psychological, and economic problems. (Author/RK)

Examines six dilemmas endemic to teacher education: coverage versus mastery emphases; evaluative versus affective emphases; emphasis on current versus future needs of candidates; thematic versus eclectic approaches; emphasis on current practices versus innovative practice; and specific versus global assessment criteria. (SM)

On looking back at Head Start and other early childhood program plans, it is felt that several false assumptions have been made, the most obvious being the idea that poor children are understimulated; another is that poor children can be stereotyped, although there are relationships between poverty and health problems and language development. The…

Early childhood education is defined as group settings which are deliberately intended to effect developmental changes in children in the age range from birth up to the age of entering first grade. The following parameters of early childhood education are proposed and explored: (a) characteristics of clients, (b) characteristics of teachers and…

Discusses goals of early education, and the qualities of programs, teachers and administration which would help to implement these goals. (NH)

Increased understanding of the parameters of early childhood education, and the ways they interact and influence each other, may help educators to more successfully translate theory into practice. (NH)

If present trends in family life and education continue into the next decade, most children under five will spend substantial proportions of their early years in various types of early childhood programs, most five- to six-year-olds will attend all-day kindergarten, and during their elementary school years they will spend much of their time before…

This booklet contains two essays on ethics for early childhood educators. The first essay discusses the meaning of a code of ethics, the importance of a code of ethics for working with preschool children, ethical conflicts in day care and preschool work, and steps which may be taken to help early childhood workers resolve these conflicts. Ethical…

Three hypotheses concerning the problems of disadvantaged children developed during the 1960s: (1) they are deprived; (2) they are deficient in certain skills and knowledge; and (3) they are not so much deprived or deficient as they are different, with strengths that should be respected and maximized. These hypotheses provide a background for four…