Early Childhood - Connecticut State Department of Education

Professional Roots And Current Research Chapter 1
work in partnership with parents to create classroom
environments that cultivate communication, reflection
and inquiry (Cadwell, 997), impact successful practice
in the United States.
Eager to Learn: Educating Our Preschoolers
(National Research Council, 00 ), is an excellent
resource which presents a synthesis of the theory
and research relevant to early childhood education. It
develops an integrated picture of early learning and
what it should look like in programs and classrooms.
It successfully contrasts the traditional beliefs of early
childhood educators with current research.
The National Association for the Education
of Young Children (NAEYC), the nation’s largest
professional organization of early childhood educators,
Childhood Programs states, “among the most frequent
themes …[is] the need to move beyond the either/or
polarizing debates in the early childhood field … to more
both/and thinking that better reflects the complexity of
the decisions inherent in the work of the early childhood
education” (Bredekamp and Copple, 997).
Early childhood programs need to create
settings where cognitively challenging curriculum
is embedded within appropriate experiences, and
delivered by professionals who are caring, understand
development, and stay current with research and best
practice (Shore, 1997). Teachers should be reflective and
involved in decision making around curriculum and
teaching strategies. Professionals have an obligation
to participate in the dialogue that strives to link past
theories and practice with current research. The past
and the present serve as guideposts in the ongoing
efforts to strengthen the vision for the implementation
of successful early childhood education programs.
References
Berk, L. and Winsler, A. Scaffolding Children’s Learning:
Vygotsky and Early Childhood Education. Washington,
DC: National Association for the Education of Young
Children (NAEYC), 997.
Bredekamp, S. and Copple, C., eds. Developmentally Appropriate
Practice in Early Childhood Programs. Washington,
DC: NAEYC, 1997.
Bredekamp, S. and Rosegrant, T. Reaching Potentials:
Transforming Early Childhood Curriculum and Assessment,
Vol.2. Washington, DC: NAEYC, 1995.
Cadwell, L. Bringing Reggio Emilia Home: An Innovative
Approach to Early Childhood Education. New York:
Teachers College Press, 997.
4
Connecticut State Board of Education. Greater Expectations,
Connecticut’s Comprehensive Plan for Education,
2001-2005. Hartford, CT: Connecticut State Board of
Education, 003.
Goffin, S. G. and Wilson, C.S. Curriculum Models and
Early Childhood Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Prentice-Hall, 00 .
Hull, K.; Goldhaber, J. and Capone, A. Opening Doors,
An Introduction to Inclusive Early Childhood Education.
Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Co., 2002.
Kamii, C. and DeVries, R. Physical Knowledge in Preschool
Education: Implications of Piaget’s Theory. New York:
Teachers College Press, 993.
National Research Council. Eager to Learn: Educating
our Preschoolers. Committee on Early Childhood
Pedagogy. Barbara T. Bowman; M. Suzanne Donovan
and M. Susan Burns, eds. Commission on Behavioral
and Social Sciences and Education Washington, DC:
National Academy Press, 00 .
Ornstein, A. and Levine, D. Foundations of Education.
New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2000.
Shore, R. Rethinking the Brain: New Insights Into Early
Development. New York: Families and Work Institute,
997.
Sowers, J. Language Arts In Early Education. Albany, NY:
Delmar Publishers, 000.
Tabors, P.O. and Snow, C.E. “Young Bilingual Children
and Early Literacy Development.” In Handbook of Early
Literacy Research, S.B. Neuman and D.K. Dickinson,
eds. New York: Guilford Publications, 2001.
Resources
Carter, M. and Curtis, D. Training Teachers: A Harvest of
Theory and Practice. St. Paul, MN: Redleaf Press. 1994.
Charlesworth, R. Understanding Child Development.
Albany, NY: Delmar, 2000.
Charlesworth, R. Child Development. Upper Saddle
River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2001.
Dewey, J. Experience and Education. New York: Kappa
Delta Pi, 938.