History

Family Map From this family map you can see that Joseph lives with a bilingual extended family. They own a landscaping business. His mother is a nurse and she is expecting their third child. The family enjoys camping and fishing. The family reports that Joseph is generally happy but fights with his brother. He seems […]

Helping Families Understand Curriculum, Goals, and Expectations If we want families and the community to be more involved in our children’s early education, we need to help them understand the nature and purpose of learning standards and how they affect the curriculum as well as the systems in place for achieving accountability to the standards.

Family Systems Theory Family systems theory describes family dynamics and provides insights about family structures. Teachers and programs can apply their understanding of family systems to develop productive and collaborative relationships. From a family systems perspective, educators recognize that while the families they serve today are increasingly diverse, all have elements in common that may

Teaching from a Developmental Perspective One of the primary goals of teachers as decision makers is to make sure that the curriculum “opens the door” to learning for all children in the group or class (Hull, Goldhaber, & Capone, 2002). Excellent teachers evaluate and adapt curriculum to respond to the interests, abilities, needs, and culture

Curriculum and Development Wavebreaker Media / Thinkstock Learning Objectives After reading this chapter, you should be able to: Describe the general characteristics of typically developing children. Explain what special needs are and some of the ways in which teachers make adaptations to meet those needs. Describe, from social and cognitive perspectives, how children’s play develops

References Ackerman , D. J., & Barnett, W. S. (2005, March). Policy report prepared for kindergarten: What does “readiness” mean? National Institute for Early Education Research. Retrieved from http://nieer.org/publications/policy-reports/policy-report-prepared-kindergarten-what-does-readiness-mean. Administration for Children and Families. (January 16, 2012). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families. Retrieved from the Office of Planning,

Recommended Readings There Are No Children Here, by Alex Kotlowitz.(1992). New York: Anchor Books. This is the true story about how two brothers, Lafayette and Pharaoh, navigate and survive the “other world” of the housing projects in South Chicago. Farmington, PA: Plough Books. The Hurried Child, by David Elkind. (2001). Cambridge, MA: Perseus Books. This

What is your image of the young child? What experiences or ideas influenced the construction of this image? How do you imagine we will perceive the child of the future, and how will curriculum adapt? Using the description of the seventeen imaginary children from the opening vignette, describe how you would prepare for and welcome

Connecting Children with the Natural World Last, part of our image of today’s children involves their need to be protected from a dangerous world. Children are constantly supervised in commercial outdoor spaces that are created especially for them and include plastic, brightly colored structures, clearly defined boundaries, and artificial turf. Gone are the days when