Childhood Education articles from March 1994

Childhood Education archives from March 1994

A problem of theory for early childhood professionals.
March 22, 1994... Understanding precedes belief, and only through a genuine understanding of why a practice is conducted may an educator achieve meaningful and effective intervention. I perceive a danger in the current trend among early childhood professionals to...

Are labels determining practice? Programming for preschool gifted children.
March 22, 1994... Education researchers have focused increasing attention on the identification of young gifted children from all population groups (Barbour, 1992; Frasier, 1991; Shaklee, 1992). Children from disadvantaged and culturally diverse environments are...

Kid's eye view of reading: kindergartners talk about learning how to read.
March 22, 1994... Only a few days remained in the school year. Although I was tired and ready for summer vacation, I did not want to say goodbye to one of my best classes ever. This group of kindergartners had made amazing progress during the year. When school had...

New developments in preparing teachers for the middle grades.
March 22, 1994... My colleagues and I at George Mason University usually begin a new academic year with a retreat to a rustic regional park near the campus. One of the speakers for our 1987 retreat was the Dean of the College of Education and Human Resources, as...

Respect, responsibility and reciprocity; the 3 Rs of parent involvement.
March 22, 1994... The importance of parent involvement is rarely questioned within the field of early childhood education. Research conducted over the past two decades outlines why parent involvement is an essential part of every child's education. In an extensive...

Responding differently to diversity.
March 22, 1994... Teaching in a way that ensures all students will reach their full academic potential is a daunting challenge, especially with the ever increasing diversity in cultures and languages of American students. That so many of these students do not...

From sheep to skyscrapers; a 3rd-grade student exchange.
March 22, 1994... Some 3rd-grade students went to the farm. It was a sheep farm. Some were able to hold a baby sheep and some were able to pet sheep. After that, they went to a hog farm. Some of the students were able to hold a piglet which was black and white and...

Government-funded preschools in Chile, a comparison with head start.
March 22, 1994... In 1990, the federally funded Head Start program celebrated its 25th anniversary of providing preschool programs to children from poverty families. In addition to recognizing 25 years of successful service, a group of educators, politicians and...

Focus of testing should be on student improvement. (ACEI Exchange)
March 22, 1994... Delaware's Department of Public Instruction promised it would not release school-by-school results of students' performance on the new statewide tests. These tests provide a snapshot of what skills the state now values in reading, writing and...

Branches can fill need for field trip training. (ACEI Exchange)
March 22, 1994... Field trip experiences are a vital part of a child's schooling. Guidance on how to conduct these visits, however, is often omitted from education curricula. ACEI Branches can fill this need by designing educational sessions on the use of museums....

Leta Andrews named Outstanding Teacher of the Year. (ACEI Exchange)
March 22, 1994... Classroom teachers, the backbone of our education system, deserve as much support and recognition as society can deliver. Their job is more difficult, and more critical to our future, than any other I can imagine. The importance of honoring these...

Wacky classics. (Classroom Idea-Sparkers)
March 22, 1994... We are all familiar with Moby Dick, A Christmas Carol and Anne of Green Gables, but have you heard of Mouldy Brick, A Christmas Peril or Anne of Clean Stables? Your students will certainly have heard of these "Wacky Classics" once they have...

Stations of the classroom. (Classroom Idea-Sparkers )
March 22, 1994... Physical education teachers often use stations during their classes. For example, students do ten push-ups at Station One, ten sit-ups at Station Two, etc. This can be an effective format for language arts classes, as well. It will be handy to...

Public hearings. (Classroom Idea-Sparkers)
March 22, 1994... Despite complaints that City Hall doesn't listen, today's citizens have many opportunities to make their views known. They can approach government through Senate hearings about the suitability of cabinet appointees, applications for rezoning of...

Famous folks. (Classroom Idea-Sparkers)
March 22, 1994... Each student selected one famous person, read a biography of that person and made a list of five facts about the individual (without naming the person). These facts were printed on one side of a large index card with the person's name on the...

Writer's corner. (Classroom Idea-Sparkers)
March 22, 1994... One effective technique for encouraging children to write is a writer's corner in the classroom. This area can be stocked with a variety of paper in different sizes, shapes, colors and textures. Writing materials can include pens, pencils and...

Author's showcase. (Classroom Idea-Sparkers)
March 22, 1994... One key way to motivate student writers is to provide a showcase for their work. Student writing can be showcased in a variety of ways, including the following suggestions: * Publish a local school literary magazine in which selected student...

Implementing multicultural education in teacher education programs. (ACEI Exchange)
March 22, 1994... In his astute characterization of schools as microcosms of the larger society, John Dewey rendered an accurate assessment of schools that has remained constant over time. His characterization is as true today as it was when he first stated it. At...

The child's connections to the universal power of story.
March 22, 1994... The storyteller is a powerful symbol in Pueblo lore. in figurative art, the storyteller may be female or male, but is always covered from head to toe with children who are drawn to the story. What is so compelling about story that an ancient...

Parents who have a child with a disability.
March 22, 1994... Our life style is different because of Jennie . . . I almost wanted or wished to experience sudden infant death syndrome as a mother |of a child with severe mental retardation~. I wished it would happen to my child. After I realized that it was...