Over forty years ago, Howard Zinn identified the problem as not one of civil disobedience, but of civil "obedience". He confronted the problem of remaining obedient to laws and rules even "in the face of the face of poverty and starvation and stupidity, and war and cruelty." Framed in an early childhood context, this article explores the value of…

Defining environment as both the physical space and the people who are in it, this paper explored the effects of environment on a first-grade child. Urie Bronfenbrenner's theories on the effects of physical environment on children provided a conceptual foundation during the observation of Christy, a student at Lawrence School in Brookline,…

Suggests that pull-out reading programs are not ideal, nor are they the answer to all children's reading problems. Notes, however, that such programs represent the only source of additional assistance for many children. Urges classroom teachers and remedial reading teachers to communicate and collaborate to make the learning environment coherent.…

Children begin school with some very basic ideas about written language and reading. The first is that of sign and message. That a graphic representation, a "sign," conveys meaning is an early and easy concept for children that stems from their visually attending to print in their environment. The realization that spoken language can be…

Suggests that teachers examine the assets of natural language in children's homes for implications for language instruction at school. Discusses a children's story that can be interpreted as an analogy with instructional implications for creating natural language contexts in the classroom. (HTH)

Introduces the topic of this journal issue: ethnography as a resource for understanding classrooms as cultures. Presents excerpts from student essays to show the knowledge students have about life in classrooms and about classroom cultures. Offers a list of premises and questions to help make visible the often invisible patterns of life in…

Compulsory schooling commences for children in New Zealand when they are 6 years old, but all primary schools accept children from the day of their fifth birthday. On any school day, a new pupil may enter the class for new entrants and become part of the school system. This article explores the creation of an appropriate environment for these new…

Offers suggestions for parents and school personnel designed to help handicapped children look upon school as a normal course of events. (FL)

Describes problems and some advantages and disadvantages of small rural primary schools. Topics discussed include school closures, finance, teacher/pupil relationships and interactions, interruptions and the teaching head, adult/adult relationships, the small school environment, and approaches to learning. (RH)

Reviews the role of social interaction in literacy knowledge construction and the importance of the enrichment of the classroom environment in promoting literacy interactions. Describes the information about writing embedded in a group of kindergartners' interactions during play. (RS)

Spelling instruction should be multi-faceted and not tied to any special time of day. Teachers in a "spelling classroom" should demonstrate their fascination with words, encourage the exploration of words, and know that spelling is developmental. The spelling classroom can be identified by: (1) the print in the room and the children's…

Each classroom has certain beliefs and values, traditions and rituals, roles, expectations, and materials that contribute to a distinct classroom culture. This paper views and interprets children's experience in centers as socially constructed, dynamic, and situated in multiple, interdependent, cultural, and historical contexts. The paper provides…

Discusses a classroom where children from many cultures use talk to share and discover the "big" questions in their lives and where the teacher discovers what the critical issues for her and her students really are. (RS)

Discusses authentic ways to incorporate literature into a first-grade math program. Discusses counting books, number books, storybooks, and concept (informational) books. Cautions teachers not to impose mathematics on a piece of literature--the mathematics should flow from the book. Notes that teachers need to establish a classroom that promotes…

Reports impressions about the current context of education for children in the Yukon as well as some unusual aspects of teaching in this harsh northern climate. Problems of evaluating education in the Yukon are briefly indicated. (Author/RH)