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This qualitative case study explores in-depth how one male student teacher reflected on his care practice with infants and how he described his experiences of working with female mentor teachers. The authors used the teacher's daily journal entries, four individual interviews, and weekly team planning meetings as data sources. The data was collected over 15-week period. Findings revealed that the teacher's caring sense gradually evolved through care practice and that he brought in his authenticity as a teacher, not just as a male teacher, while confronting with and critically reflecting upon himself as a teacher. Also, the weekly team planning meetings helped him build relationship with the female mentor teachers. He positively reflected upon his experiences of collaborative teaching. Implication of the findings is discussed in terms of male students in early childhood teacher education programs.

Do young children understand the complex mathematics in the petals of a daisy, the Fibonacci sequence in the spiral of a pinecone, the fractal geometry in the leaves of a fern, or the "golden ratio" in the seed pattern of a sunflower? Probably not, but they certainly can observe and recognize the patterns and compare them to similar patterns they find in nature. Starting a school garden offers one of the best opportunities to allow children to interact, observe, share, and eventually even eat the patterns of nature. School gardens provide a context for engaging in emergent mathematics because there is always something new going on in the garden and it is filled with patterns with which children are self-motivated to interact. A school garden offers a year-round investigation of patterns. It gives students the opportunity to observe the changes that take place through the entire seasonal cycle. From seed to first bud to mature plant, patterns are visible in all aspects of the natural world and children can be involved in every part of the process. This article describes how children can engage in mathematical observations and thinking while observing and tending to a garden space throughout the year, concluding with a garden party for families and community members where children plan and prepare food from the garden's bounty.

Today's children need learning opportunities from cradle to career that build the knowledge and skills necessary to thrive in our interconnected and constantly changing world. This means putting 21st century skills, including creativity, innovation, critical thinking, and problem solving, at the center of learning, both in and out of school. As every parent who has seen their young child quickly and adeptly learn to operate a smartphone would undoubtedly agree, no age is too early to begin fostering these skills. Eugene Geist explores how developmentally appropriate coding and programming activities can serve as a vehicle for the exploration, discovery, and innovation that are central to 21st century skill building and essential when preparing children for the jobs of the future. A list of references and resources is included.

This study was conducted to examine the attitudes of Head Start teachers toward mathematics and how it may influence how and what they teach in the classroom. In general, the findings of this study can be summarized as this: 1) Math anxiety affects how teachers assess their ability at mathematics. The more math anxiety they report, the lower they rate their ability at mathematics. 2) The more mathematics a teacher feels that they know the more confident they are in their ability at mathematics and the better they like mathematics. 3) The more confident they are in their mathematic ability, the more important they feel mathematics is in the preschool classroom. 4) If a teacher is confident that they know enough mathematics to teach preschoolers, they plan to teach mathematics in their classroom more. 5) The more confident a teacher is in their ability at mathematics and that they know enough mathematics content, the more likely they are to use developmentally appropriate methods of teaching mathematics in the classroom. The findings from this present study suggest two future actions to enhance the mathematics outcomes for Head Start children and their future ability and enjoyment of mathematics. First, in-service trainings for Head Start teachers need to add a focus on the teachers' confidence in mathematics. A second suggest is that teachers be encouraged and trained on reflective techniques so that they can reflect upon their own feelings toward mathematics and its effects that it has on their curricular decisions.

The purpose of this study was to observe children naturally interacting with these touch screen devices. Little direct instruction was given to the children on the use of the devices however an adult did assist when needed. The device was introduced to the children as would be any other educational material such as play-dough, new items in the dramatic play center, or new media in the sensory table. Teachers assisted children when needed, but facilitated and promoted the use of exploratory behavior to learn about and use these devices. The findings from the collected data for part 1 and part 2 of this study were surprisingly consistent. The themes and trends that were observed in the participant observation single subject case study were also evident in the group setting.

This article reports the findings of a study to examine the practicality and efficacy of using tablet computers in the Higher Education classroom. Students in a senior level teacher preparation class were provided with Apple iPads for 10 weeks to aid in their studies. The iPads were preloaded with selected software but students were encouraged to use them in the way that felt the most natural and beneficial to them. Results indicated that students thought that the device was most beneficial as an e-reader and a way to have instant access to information while the instructor was lecturing. They also found it to be beneficial in their clinical work in elementary school classrooms.

Research on music and music therapy suggests that math and music are related in the brain from very early in life. Musical elements such as steady beat, rhythm, melody, and tempo possess inherent mathematical principles such as spatial properties, sequencing, counting, patterning, and one-to-one correspondence. With new understanding about the nature of everyday learning experiences, the key role of patterns in the development of literacy and mathematics, and the need for a stimulating environment in the very early years, the importance of music in the home and in the classroom is becoming clear. Music is children's first patterning experience and helps engage them in mathematics even when they don't recognize the activities as mathematics. Music is a highly social, natural, and developmentally appropriate way to engage even the youngest child in math learning. This article offers tips for using music to engage children in mathematics.

Negative attitudes toward mathematics and what has come to be know as "math anxiety" are serious obstacles for children in all levels of schooling today. In this paper, the literature is reviewed and critically assessed in regards to the roots of math anxiety and its especially detrimental effect on children in "at-risk" populations such as low socioeconomic status and females. The effects of teachers' and parents' assumptions, family support, and parents' level of educational attainment will be addressed. The paper also addresses the curricular issues that may lead to math anxiety such as high stress instructional methods and "timed testing". (Contains 2 figures.)

This action research project is designed as a music-based intervention to address and overcome some of the risk factors for low achievement in mathematics that research has linked to poverty level. The National Assessment of Educational Progress found that children who are eligible for school lunch programs in 4th grade score on average 13 points lower on the math portion of the assessment than the overall average and 22 points below those who were not eligible for school lunch programs. When parent educational level is examined, we also see a marked correlational decline in NAEP scores on the mathematics portion of the test linked to parents' educational level. The current research study was funded by an AERA/OERI research grant. Its main goal at the outset was to examine the risk factors associated with lower mathematics achievement as early as kindergarten for children from low socioeconomic groups and the effect of in-service training for Head Start teachers on overcoming these risk factors and from children whose parents have an education level of high school or less. This two-year study provided valuable preliminary data, which lead directly to the next stage of what has developed into a larger research project called MathSTAAR.

A good deal of research is beginning to support the idea of emergent mathematics and that, much as with reading, children begin to learn mathematics from the day they are born. Infants and toddlers begin to notice relationships as they interact with their parents or primary caregivers through songs, rocking, and other verbal and nonverbal communication. Later, they build on this foundation by beginning to classify, seriate (put objects in order based on number and size), compare, and order objects. This article offers some examples of what infants and toddlers might do, how these behaviors are related to mathematics, and what teachers can do to encourage the natural mathematical interests of this age group. (Contains 2 resources and 1 online resource.)

This article reports observations of 2 classrooms in which arts based creative activities were integrated with curricular subject areas. One successfully incorporated a positive approach to supporting creativity. The other classroom used a more traditional approach to creative activities in the classroom. Suggestions for and possible outcomes of supporting and/or not supporting creativity in the classroom are discussed and relevant literature on the topic presented and a discussion of the institutional barriers that keep creativity from being fully emphasized in the classroom. These include 1) the erosion of arts in the school curriculum 2) lack of Preservice teacher training in the arts and 3) over-reliance on praise in the classroom. (Contains 1 table.)

Research suggests that young children's active participation in music supports emergent mathematics knowledge, such as patterning and one-to-one correspondence. The authors define and explain steady beat, rhythm, melody, tempo, dynamics, rhythm, and style. They suggest ways teachers can use these elements of music with infants, toddlers, and young children to foster early mathematical thinking. The article gives detailed examples of simple, developmentally appropriate music activities for young children that all teachers (including those without music training!) can use in the classroom.

Think about making something as basic as hard candy. The ingredients are simple--sugar, water, and flavoring--yet the changes that occur are chemically amazing. Drop by drop, small portions of the syrup placed in ice water indicate how saturated the solution is becoming, until a "crack" sound occurs when the candy is at hard-crack stage, its most saturated point! The whole process is straightforward yet enthralling, as all good science for kids should be. This kind of cooking activity can also provide students opportunities to observe, describe, calculate, graph, and explain. Each cooking lab was structured as if it were a scientific exploration. Data-gathering techniques, notetaking, hypothesizing, problem solving, and further extension activities were facilitated with a view to providing students with a complete introduction to food as science and to scientific processes. Young researchers had to hypothesize outcomes, follow structured processes, note observations, conjecture causes and effects, and provide evidence for conclusions.

This study examined orally invented fairy tales of children in kindergarten through third grade focusing on reflections of children's fears, concerns, and stress related to kidnapping and death of a classmate. Findings suggested that children imbue stories with everyday concerns and anxiety, and that stories act as a safe place to relive a tragic event, explore its meaning, and deal with one's anxieties. (KB)

This article presents methods and theory behind promoting children's spatial awareness through representing 3D reality in 2D cyberspace. Spatial awareness in children is an often neglected aspect in early education. However, applications such as GPS and 3D modeling programs can be used to offer children rich experiences that allow children to interact and experience 2D and 3D space in a way that promotes a sense of spatial awareness. (Contains 1 table and 3 figures.)

Argues that mathematics literacy begins at birth and that all that children need to construct mathematics concepts for themselves are a stimulating environment and receptive adults. Provides suggestions for promoting emergent math for children from birth through 4 years, including using rhythm and music, incorporating mathematics concepts into everyday activities, using blocks and manipulatives, and using the Project Approach. (KB)

Examines the effect of network and public television programs on children's: ability to attend to a task, time on task, and engagement in rough-and-tumble play. Sixty-two children were assigned to one of three groups that watched: (1) a public television program; (2) a network television program; and (3) no television and instead played with instructional materials. Discusses implications for children's programming and environmental influences on attention. (AEF)

This article reports the findings of a study to examine the practicality and efficacy of using tablet computers in the Higher Education classroom. Students in a senior level teacher preparation [...]

Abstract. In this case study, research was conducted in an integrated preschool setting, which included children with a variety of disabilities as well as children who were considered to be [...]

The purpose of this study was to determine if practice in written retellings that focused on the structural framework of narratives, would enhance second grader's writing development as tested by [...]

This study investigated stories that children created after being told the Grimm version of selected tales. These stories were told as an instruction to the children on story structure and [...]

This pilot investigation focused on the genre, content, and organization used in the oral story inventions of 10 African-American children from a kindergarten class in an urban school system in the southeastern United States. After four days of instruction in storytelling through the use of fairy tales, the researcher asked each child to make up a story and tel1 it. The 10 children's stories were tape-recorded and transcribed. Content analysis indicated the children told fantasy stories based on familiar themes, with a parent often playing a role. The organization of the stories was a disjointed collection of juxtaposed sentences. Questions are raised as to the developmental, individual, and cultural variables which contributed to these results.

The article discusses about the making of maps by children at certain ages which creates mental understanding of how places relates on objects and spaces. It offers insights on how their spatial reasoning develop and perceiving everything around for connection. Topics include stages in map development which can help in children's thinking.

The article offers information on the Food, Math, and Science Teaching Enhancement Resource (FoodMASTER) Initiative, which creates and implements curricula that use food as a tool to teach mathematics and science concepts to preschool children Topics covered include hands-on, food-based preschool lessons that use seeds as a foundation, seed-based activities focusing on science and mathematics concepts, and the benefits of hands-on, inquiry-based activities.

The article discusses the use of tablet-based computers in early childhood classrooms. Topics include the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and the Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children’s Media's stance on young children's use of technology, details related to toddler teachers' experience with tablets in the classroom, and suggested mobile device applications, such as "Dr. Seuss’s ABC," "Elmo Calls," and "Shapes."

This article discusses a study which examined the social interaction of preschool children while cooperatively working with computer programs and activities. The benefits of preschool children using computers are covered, which include improving cognitive and verbal skills, long-term memory, and social-emotional growth. Results of the study indicated that some children were able to work well in pairs, following the instructions of those not in control of the computer's mouse and asking for assistance when needed, while other pairings argued over decision-making and control. The author conclude that computer play is similar to any other form of play children engage in, noting that conflict and the need for resolution is common.

Recent research efforts in music neuroscience indicate that rhythm can have an effect on attention in adults and engagement in young children. Research in clinical music therapy and on music enrichment also shows that music affects attention and learning in the early childhood classroom. The authors suggest that findings from the research in music neuroscience can be applied when exploring the effect of rhythm on learning in early childhood classroom settings. Forging a new line of research in which defined rhythm-based protocols are tested has important implications for both early childhood music therapy and education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on patterns in the development of emergent literacy and math, the need for a stimulating environment, and the use of music in the classroom in early childhood education in the U.S. The authors suggest that beat, rhythm, and melody in music can help children learn math through the repetition of patterns and promote positive attitudes towards math. Musical teaching activities support the development of early patterning and everyday learning experiences, while learning through play in early childhood education promotes math concepts.

The article discusses the impact of Mozart effect, a music composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, on children. It mentions that preschoolers' spatial temporal reasoning or understanding of the space around them and the concepts of time can be enhanced by listening to music. The study shows that young children who listen to the music might be able to perform better academic tasks like mathematics. However, little conclusive data supports the existence of the music's effect on children. It says that there is no direct connection between passive listening to music and improvement in spatial reasoning or mathematics task.

The article focuses on the need of an active curricula and teachers' role in implementing the developmentally appropriate practice (DAP). It views that the curricula for the young children should be based on what is known from the research about child development and how the young children learn, to which the early childhood educators should be aware of. The DAP offers children engaging classroom experiences that are relevant to their lives, which is based on clear objectives. The article informs several terms, which are commonly associated with developmentally appropriate practice, including hands-on activities, in-depth exploration, cooperative learning, individualized instruction and project-based curriculum. It gives information regarding the chosen strategies of DAP. It suggests that a developmentally appropriate curriculum for young children is child centered and it embraces children's individual differences while encouraging active learning and promoting a deep understanding. The authors comment that in such a class room one could see that the children are talking with each other and making decisions about their learning. They view that the teachers facilitate this activities through interaction and offering assistance to each of the groups. INSET: Resources for Families on Developmentally Appropriate Practice..

Focuses on the development of "Kitchen Wizards: Food Science for Kids," a series of interactive, standards-based, food-science inquiry lessons that integrated mathematics and science. Creation of the lessons for the purpose of engaging students in food-science activities; Potential of the food-science inquiry lessons to help students develop numerous mathematics and science skills; Information about various food science activities.