Rebecca S. New

Social Constructivist Theory and Principles of Inclusion: Challenges for Early Childhood Special Education

Current theoretical and practical conceptualizations in the field of early childhood special education are limited in their attention to the sociocultural context in which development occurs. This article argues for a paradigmatic shift away from the individualistic models of development and learning to a social constructivist model that stems from views of learning and development first articulated by Vygotsky and since expanded upon by Rogoff and others. Such a shift is supportive of the current press for more inclusive classroom practices through an emphasis on the sociocultural context, the role of social activity—including instruction—in learning, and the contributions of learners to their own development. Principles for inclusive early childhood practice are explicated based on the concepts of classrooms as communities, learning as socially mediated, curriculum as contextually relevant and problem based, and assessment as authentic and personally meaningful.

Reggio Emilia As Cultural Activity Theory in Practice

Abstract This article situates Reggio Emilias municipally funded early childhood program within the citys cultural traditions of resistance and collaboration and considers what it is about this highly localized program that is appealing and useful to contemporary school reform initiatives. Five features of Reggio Emilias approach to early education are described: an interpretation of teachers as researchers, curriculum as long-term projects, the role of symbolic languages in child development and advocacy, the role of the environment, and an interpretation of parents as partners in the educational enterprise. Other features of the citys hard work–specifically, its capacity to make ideas visible and its emphasis on relations among adults as well as children–are identified as central to Reggio Emilias continued influence on the field. The article concludes with a proposal to consider schools as cites where reform initiatives can be informed by principles and practices from Reggio Emilia.

Introduction: The ethic of inclusion.

The Politics of Developmentally Appropriate Practice Inclusive Policy, Practice and Theory for Young Children with Developmental Differences Culture, Child Development and Developmentally Appropriate Practice Research in Parent-Child Interaction Expanding the Perceptions of Developmentally Appropriate Practice Understanding Development in Cultural Context The Movement of African-American Children Through Sociocultural Contexts.

Inclusive policy, practice, and theory for young children with developmental differences.

The Politics of Developmentally Appropriate Practice Inclusive Policy, Practice and Theory for Young Children with Developmental Differences Culture, Child Development and Developmentally Appropriate Practice Research in Parent-Child Interaction Expanding the Perceptions of Developmentally Appropriate Practice Understanding Development in Cultural Context The Movement of African-American Children Through Sociocultural Contexts.

The family context of Italian infant care

This descriptive study of Italian infant care is based on a year‐long investigation of 20 infants and their families in a small town one hour north of Rome, Italy. Foci of the study included infant social interactions as observed in the home environment, parental attitudes regarding child care and development, and an ethnographic study of family life within the community. Results revealed a high level of social density in infant care environments, a homogeneity of expectations and strategies of parenting, and an emphasis on physical well‐being.

Section I Commentary: Legitimizing Quality as Quest and Question

I wrote this commentary from my home in northwestern Italy, where bleating sheep and church bells often interrupted my solitude. It is with a keen sense of time and place that I join others in exploring the means and meanings of quality in early childhood education. The ideas put forth in this section expand the discourse to include new theoretical, anthropological, and postmodern perspectives. As I engage in this discussione,1 I will share a few thoughts provoked by the separate entities, after which I will focus on the richness of their combined perspectives as they lead to a more ethical and effective interpretation of quality early care and education within contexts characterized by change and complexity.

Cross-Cultural Research on Children’s Development: Deep Roots and New Branches:

John and Beatrice Whiting took on the ethnocentric assumptions of the fields of child development and child psychiatry and crafted a research agenda that laid the groundwork for half a decade of scholarship. They made culture visible through their study of behavior and relationships, as illustrated in decades of systematic and ethnographic observations of individual children in context. Their research initiatives served to critique and enhance social science discourse, and they routinely engaged others in debating the processes and meanings of their research. Although a bulk of their work has since been incorporated into scholarship on the cultural nature of child development, their theoretical and methodological orientation to the social and environmental bases of children’s learning and development has influenced research in other fields as well. This article examines contributions of the Whitings to theory, research, and, increasingly, policy and practices in the applied fields of early care and early childhood education, including the utilization of ethnography to improve minority and multicultural education. Examples of contemporary theory and culturally grounded research are presented as new branches of scholarship that extend far beyond what they might have foreseen, yet with deep roots tracing back to the work of John and Bea Whiting.

Reggio Emilia's Commitment to Children and Community: A Reconceptualization of Quality and DAP 1

1An earlier version of this paper was originally published in Canadian Children (Spring, 1997). Portions of this paper are drawn from a keynote address given at a national conference on asili nido (infant/toddler child care) in Parma, Italy: Il nido compie 20 anni: La qualitia delle relazione (Child Care celebrates 20 years: The quality of relations), November 14/15. 1996.

Commentary: Looking Back and Moving Forward

The articles in this special issue make clear that our field is characterized by a breadth and depth of knowledge unimaginable 200 years ago, even to someone as exceptional as Elizabeth Peabody. This radical feminist used early 19th-century ideas of the “woman’s sphere” to suggest that a career in early childhood education was “the ideal solution to the problem of what educated American women should do with their lives,” and she credited Froebel’s “genius” in identifying a way in which women could “assume a useful . . . role in society” (Beatty, 1995, p. 61). So yes, we’ve come a long way. While some of our field’s old ideas and traditions may no longer be in our children’s or our field’s best interests, others ought not be so easily dismissed. What follows is less a commentary on the articles included in this special issue—although they help to make my case—and more my ongoing reflections on how we might better conduct our business. Some of these recommendations represent iterations of old competencies. Others represent challenges to traditional interpretations of our responsibilities that may strike some as disloyal, yet may prove instrumental to our continued efforts to successfully prepare future teachers for their work with increasingly diverse classrooms of young children. These recommendations also represent another aim, not inconsequential to the first, which is getting a seat at the “big table” where decisions are made about what constitutes ethical and effective teaching and teacher education. As a lifelong member of this profession, I’m confident we have what it takes to step out of our comfort zones and up to the plate. This requires a willingness to: