Developmentally Appropriate Curriculum : Best Practices in Early Childhood Education

This text brings together the best information available on developing an integrated, holistic approach to curriculum and instruction for children age three to eight in such formal group settings as childcare, pre-school, and the early elementary grades. Concentrating as much on the “how” of curriculum development as on the “what and why,” the authors present numerous examples and practical, research-based guidelines―organized by developmental domain―for translating theory into best practice that accommodates age-appropriateness, individual differences, and social and cultural diversity. A unique field-tested observation tool in the Instructor's Manual supplies critical feedback during students' classroom sessions.

Marjorie J. Kostelnik, Ph.D., is Dean of the College of Education and Human Sciences at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. A former child care, Head Start, and nursery school teacher, as well as elementary school specialist, Dr. Kostelnik has been actively involved in helping educators in early childhood programs explore the implications of developmentally appropriate practices. Her work has taken her to many settings throughout the United States and abroad. Marjorie teaches classes in early childhood inclusive education and is currently on the Coordinating Commission for High Quality Early Childhood Education for the State of Nebraska.

Anne K. Soderman has had 14 years of classroom experience working with children in both public and nonpublic educational settings prior to joining Michigan State University, where she is currently Professor of Family and Child Ecology.  In addition to carrying out teaching assignments in a number of international settings, she consults with public school systems in early childhood curriculum, instruction, and evaluation, with a particular focus on early literacy for children who are at risk.  She has also recently co-authoredScaffolding Emergent Literacy (2005) andCreating Literacy-Rich Preschools and Kindergartens (2006).

Alice Phipps Whiren is a professor in the Department of Family and Child Ecology, Michigan State University. She teaches curriculum in early childhood and child development to undergraduate and graduate students. Early in her career, she taught young children in an inner-city public school in Michigan. She also served as a Head Start assistant director and has provided a variety of training sessions for preprimary teachers nationally and internationally. Most recently, she has been a consultant to public school systems as their staffs implement more developmentally appropriate programs for children.

Contributors

Barbara Rohde began her professional career as an art teacher, and recently retired after three decades as an early childhood teacher and administrator. Barb taught young children and college students in public schools, cooperative preschools, at Michigan State University and Lansing Community College. She organized programs and worked with teachers in elementary schools, childcare, School Readiness, Even Start and Early Head Start in Michigan. Barb is currently enjoying success as an artist in Durham, North Carolina.

Laura C. Stein, a former head teacher of the child development laboratories at Michigan State University, is an early childhood consultant living in East Lansing, Michigan. For the past 25 years, she has worked with college students as well as 4- and 5-year-old children. She is a coauthor of a textbook on children’s social development, has contributed numerous chapters and articles to books and journals, and speaks extensively to professional audiences.

Michelle Rupiper serves as the director of the Ruth Staples Child Development Laboratory at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln (UNL). Having received her doctorate in Special Education from Teachers College at UNL, Michelle has had 25 years of experience working with children and families in a variety of early childhood programs. She is the current president of the Nebraska Association for the Education of Young Children.