In this article I explore if and how very young children can be the educators of their early childhood educators. I describe and discuss a story constructed from a fieldwork done in one early childhood setting in Norway. The story is read with Levinas and his concepts Said and Saying. Further I discuss if and how this might be understood as…

There have been an increasing number of research studies using participatory, visual methods with young children. This article will explore the possibilities and challenges of extending these methods as tools for listening to early childhood practitioners as well as to young children. This research is based on a longitudinal study carried out…

This study examined the early interests of 109 children and their subsequent information contributions and pursuits in kindergarten. Four groups of children with similar interests were identified on the basis of the children's profiles of activities in the home, tracked bimonthly for over a year. Activity patterns reflected conceptual, social,…

The policy brief "Ethnographic Knowledge for Early Childhood" details the contributions of current ethnographic research in the area of early childhood education. The brief's main purpose is to demonstrate how ethnography (as a methodology) helps us better understand the context of early childhood programs, the types of settings and…

This paper reports the findings of study into children's self-perceptions of reading, with a particular emphasis on the perceived use of reading scheme material. Using a collective case study approach, two cohorts of children (six in Nursery and six in Reception) were followed over the course of one academic year. This study employed a range of…

These papers were collected from participants at a conference on young children, adults, and music. Papers include: (1) "Preschool Children's Responses to Music on Television" (Katharine Smithrim, Canada); (2) "Learning to Observe in Order to Join the Musical Activities Better to the Total Development of the Young Child" (Margre van Gestel, The…

A participant observation study of a primary grade classroom, in which three first grade students were selected as case study subjects, illustrates the range of workstyles of beginning writers. Primary grade teachers are often concerned that their students are not producing writing comparable with their capabilities, but educators' conceptions of…

SINCE SYMBOLS ARE SEEN AS REPRESENTATIVES OF THINGS, ACTION, RELATIONSHIPS, AND FEELINGS, YOUNG CHILDREN NEED TO LEARN TO PROCESS SYMBOLS. THE QUALITY OF A CHILD'S EDUCATION IN MANAGING AND UTILIZING SYMBOLS WILL AFFECT HIS ABILITY TO WORK, LOVE, AND GROW. SOME MAJOR IDEAS IN OUR CONCEPTUALIZATIONS OF MAN AND HIS DEVELOPMENT HAVE BEEN UPROOTED IN…

This book seeks to explain how gender affects human development from infancy through adolescence and into adulthood. The book's introduction states the two theses of the book: first, gender differences appear primarily in group, or social, contexts; and second, gender differentiation can be understood only in a developmental context--the sexes…

The Middle East has been undergoing vast social and economic change, but in all reports available today, little attention has been paid to the situation of children. The purpose of this book is to help readers better understand the children of the Middle East to give a sense of their lives today and a sense of attitudes toward children and their…

This document is comprised of the four 2000 issues of a periodical published by the Australian Early Childhood Association focusing on the needs of children from birth to 8 years and on issues related to child care and early childhood education in Australia. Each issue features articles focusing on a particular theme along with editorials and…