Abstract/Notes: Issues such as falling birthrate, the changing Japanese family and society, diverse family needs, and working mothers have all had an impact on preschool education in Japan. The Japanese government has addressed the situation by implementing policies to support childrearing, “Kosodate Shien”. These operate at the family and community levels. This has led to changes in the standards and regulations in preschool education and has resulted in new childrearing systems or institutions, in addition to the traditional kindergartens and nursery schools. Consequently, universities and colleges have to train professionals who can also deal with parents and the community. In this presentation, currents issues in early childhood education will be described, as well as government policies. In addition, the significance of changes in professional preparation programs at universities and colleges will be discussed.

Language: English

DOI: 10.18848/1447-9494/CGP/v15i10/45950

ISSN: 1447-9494

Language: English

Abstract/Notes: The purpose of this study was to investigate young children’s perception of melodic construction in hope of finding clues about their broader cognitive development in nonmusical domains. Following Jeanne Bamberger’s example of musical-perceptual tasks with Montessori bells, four children aged three to six were presented with a melodic construction task and asked to create a representation of their work. Analysis of data revealed common themes with varied results of (a) eagerness or hesitancy to participate, (b) whether bells were moved or played, (c) exploration of bells, (d) internalization of rhythm, (e) cognitive readiness for melodic construction, and (f) role of visual representation. No cross-case findings could be drawn about broader cognitive development, however specific characteristics of the children and their approach to the melodic construction task are presented. Recommendations for further study center on potential clues a melodic construction task could provide about language construction in individual children.

Language: English

ISSN: 1938-2065

Abstract/Notes: Examines three philosophical traditions and their implications for early childhood education. Links Montessori to the empirical tradition. Considers the influence of the nativistic tradition of Plato and Rousseau on Froebel, the originator of the kindergarten, and Steiner, the founder of the Waldorf Schools. Discusses Piaget's ties to constructivism.

Language: English

ISSN: 0026-914X

Language: English

Abstract/Notes: The present call for structured mathematics programmes in preschools continues a trend from the nineteenth century, in which young children’s lack of mathematical knowledge was considered to have a detrimental effect on their individual futures and those of the wider society. In this paper, an investigation of the philosophies behind several early childhood programmes shows that there is a long-standing acceptance that those not living in poverty should make decisions about the education, including the mathematics education, that children who are living in poverty should engage in. Consequently, the philosophies behind these programmes, and with them the advocated mathematics education, contribute to a homogenised view of the child. This fails to recognise the attributes that children and their communities have and situates those living in poverty as being deviant. The strong promotion in this century of structured mathematics education programmes is solidifying this homogenising process in a manner not seen in previous early childhood programmes.

Language: English

DOI: 10.1007/s11858-014-0578-y

ISSN: 1863-9704

Abstract/Notes: Elisabeth Coe, in Montessori in Contemporary American Culture Montessori offers us the concept of the "prepared environment," embedded in the four planes of development.In this issue, the reader is urged to consider the nature of "environment" when reading a father's reflections on the effects of parental choices on children's behavior (page 66), one teacher's ruminations on his experiences in a public Montessori school (page 30), another teacher's thoughts on the challenges and possibilities of the third plane (page 46), and also an examination of the development of self-knowledge through involvements in the world of the senses (page 42).

Language: English

ISSN: 1054-0040

Language: English

ISSN: 0519-0959

Language: English

ISSN: 0519-0959

Abstract/Notes: Zusammenfassung: Jungen mit Fragilem-X-Syndrom weisen im Schul- und Jugendalter charakteristische Merkmale des körperlichen Erscheinungsbildes, der Entwicklung und des Verhaltens auf. Es werden vorläufige Beobachtungen an zehn Jungen im frühen Kindesalter mitgeteilt. Im Vergleich zu den Befunden bei älteren Kindern sind schwere kognitive Behinderungen und kommunikative Auffälligkeiten seltener. Im Spielverhalten in einer Montessori-Übungssituation zeigen Jungen mit dieser genetischen Besonderheit sehr wohl die Fähigkeit zu gezieltem und kooperativem Spiel, aber weniger Ausdauer und Selbstorganisation bei zielgerichteten Tätigkeiten. Die Unterschiede sind signifikant im Vergleich zu nicht-behinderten Kindern bzw. Kindern gleichen Behinderungsgrades, aber anderer Behinderungsursache und als Merkmale des Verhaltensphänotyps bei Jungen mit fragilem-X-Syndrom zu verstehen. [Summary:Boys with Fragile X syndrome show characteristic features of physical appearance, development and behavior in school and adolescence. Preliminary observations on ten boys in early childhood are reported. Compared to the findings in older children, severe cognitive disabilities and communicative abnormalities are less common. In play behavior in a Montessori exercise situation, boys with this genetic peculiarity do show the ability for targeted and cooperative play, but less perseverance and self-organization in targeted activities. The differences are significant compared to non-disabled children or children of the same degree of disability, Play and communicative behavior in young boys with fragile-X syndrome Summary: Reports on development and behavior in boys with fragile-X syndrome support the idea of ​​a characteristic behavioral phenotype in this special population. Preliminary results are presented for 10 boys with fragile-X syndrome in early childhood. Severe mental handicaps and communicative abnormalities are observed less frequently than was expected on the basis of results reported for school-age children or adults. Boys with fragile-X syndrome show goal-directed and cooperative play behaviors in a Montessori play session, but less persistence and organization than children with normal development or a mental handicap of heterogeneous origin. Results confirmed these behavioral differences as characteristic aspects of a "behavioral phenotype" in children who already in early childhood have fragile-X syndrome.]

Language: German

DOI: 10.1024//1422-4917.27.3.175

ISSN: 1422-4917