| ACEI | The Association for Childhood Education International is an early childhood professional organization that publishes a journal, holds international conferences, and guides and supports professionals in the field. Founded in the late 1800s as a kindergarten organization, the ACEI broadened its focus in the 1930s to include preschools and elementary schools.
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| ages and stages | A catch phrase that relates to childhood developmental features and behaviors that tend to correlate with specific ages. Each stage describes a particular period of development that differs qualitatively from the stages that precede and follow it. The sequence of stages never varies.
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| aggressiveness | The quality of dominating power that results in pushing forward (sometimes in hostile, harmful, attacks) without regard to the welfare of the other person or persons.
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| Americans with Disabilities Act | A 1992 law, (Public Law 101-336) also called ADA that defines disability, prohibits discrimination, and requires employers, transportation, and other public agencies to provide access to the disabled in places of employment, public facilities, and transportation services.
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| anecdotal record | A documentation method that briefly describes an activity, a snatch of conversation, a chant, and so on. Anecdotal records can be based on reflection or written on the spot.
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| antibias focus | An activist approach to valuing diversity and promoting equity by teaching children to accept, respect, and celebrate diversity as it relates to gender, race, culture, language, ability, and so on.
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| assertiveness | The quality of standing up for one's own needs and wants in ways that recognize and respect what other people need and want.
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| assisted performance | A concept described by Russian researcher Lev Vygotsky that suggests that children cannot perform as well on their own in some cases as they can when they receive a bit of help from a more skilled person.
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| associative play | A form of play in which children use the same materials, interact with each other, and carry on conversations. It is not as organized as cooperative play, in which children take on differentiated roles.
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| authentic assessment | A method of assessing children according to what they know, can do, and are interested in, which can then be applied to ongoing curriculum planning. Authentic assessment avoids comparing children to a norm or grading them. It also avoids standardized testing, which measures isolated skills and bits of knowledge out of context.
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| behavior contagion | A phenomenon that occurs when children are influenced by each other's behavior. It is most noticeable in its negative form, when children are doing something they aren't supposed to do.
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| behaviorism | The scientific study of behaviors that can be seen and measured. Behaviorism, also called "learning theory," attributes all developmental change to environmental influences.
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| behavior modification | A form of systematic training that attempts to change unacceptable behavior patterns. It involves reinforcing acceptable behavior rather than paying attention to and, thus, rewarding unacceptable behavior.
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| both-and thinking | An approach to decision making in which the early-childhood educator considers what is developmentally, individually, and culturally appropriate in all situations; it involves coming up with a solution that may incorporate all the conflicting elements. Both-and thinking contrasts with either-or thinking, in which the choice is between one solution or the other.
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| CDF | The Children's Defense Fund is an organization that advocates for children, particularly those in poverty and/or of color.
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| center-based program | An early childhood program, usually child care, that operates in a building other than a person's home.
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| cephalo-caudal development | The developmental pattern of human beings that proceeds in a head-to-foot direction.
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| child-centered curriculum | An educational philosophy created by John Dewey that emphasizes designing curriculum according to the interests of the children rather than specific subject matter.
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| child-centered learning | A teaching-learning process in which the child learns from interacting with the environment, other children, and adults. This type of learning contrasts with a classroom in which the educator's main role is to teach specific subject matter or formal lessons.
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| child development | The study of how children change as they grow from a qualitative rather than a merely quantitative standpoint.
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| cognitive stages | A set of stages described and named by Jean Piaget that focuses on intellectual development.
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| concrete operations | A cognitive stage described by Jean Piaget during which young children (ages seven through eleven) can use what Piaget calls "mental operations" to reason about the concrete world. At this stage, children are not yet capable of purely abstract thinking that involves taking variables into account or coming up with propositions.
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| constructivist approach | A view based on Jean Piaget's work that suggests that children don't passively receive knowledge through being taught but rather actively construct it themselves.
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| cooperative play | A form of play that involves a significant degree of organization. Interactive role-playing and creating a joint sculpture are two examples of cooperative play.
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| curriculum | A plan for learning. Curriculum can be both written (an official plan in the form of, for example, an outline or web) and unwritten (that is, unconscious learning that occurs through the adult-child relationship).
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| descriptive feedback | A form of nonjudgmental commentary. Adults use descriptive feedback to put children's actions and feelings to words to convey recognition, acceptance, and support*"You're putting a lot of work into that drawing" or "Looks like you don't like him to touch your painting." Descriptive feedback should be used to facilitate rather than disrupt.
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| developmental checklist | A method of documenting and assessing a child's development. A developmental checklist might be broken down into specific categories, such as physical, psychomotor, cognitive, social-emotional, and language.
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| developmentally appropriate practice | A set of practices that directly relates to a child's stage of development as defined by such theorists as Piaget and Erikson.
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| dialoguing | An approach to conflict whose goal is to reach agreement and solve problems. Unlike arguing, whose aims are to persuade and win, dialoguing involves gathering information and understanding multiple viewpoints in order to find the best solution for all parties concerned.
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| double bind | A kind of mixed message that causes confusion. For example, a mother embraces a child and says, "Why don't you go play with the other children?" Her body language says "Stay here with me," but her actual words say the opposite.
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| dual focus | A method of supervision that allows the adult to focus on a child or small group of children while still being aware of what else is going on in the environment at large.
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| early childhood culture | The culture (largely unrecognized) that results from early childhood training. Related to the dominant culture of the society but not exactly like it.
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| emergent curriculum | A curriculum that grows out of children's interests and activities and takes shape over time. Although emergent curriculum often has a spontaneous aspect and is child-centered, it is also facilitated and, thus, planned for by adults.
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| emergent literacy | The ongoing, holistic process of becoming literate--that is, learning to read and write. Emergent literacy contrasts with a reading-readiness approach, which emphasizes teaching isolated skills rather than allowing literacy to naturally unfold in a print-rich environment.
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| empowerment | Helping someone experience his or her sense of personal power. For example, an adult can empower a child by giving him or her the opportunity to make some decisions rather than being told what to do.
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| environmental checklist | A method of documenting the setup and/or use of the environment in an early childhood program. An environmental checklist can be used to assess a specific child's use of the environment, or it can be used to assess the effectiveness of the setup itself.
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| expressive language | Language that is produced to convey ideas, feeling, thoughts, and so on. Expressive language develops later than its counterpart, receptive language.
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| family child care program | An early childhood program that provides child care services in the home of the provider.
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| feedforward | A guidance tool that helps children understand beforehand what consequences might result from certain behavior (often unacceptable behavior).
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| full inclusion | A concept that goes beyond simply including children with special needs into whatever setting is the natural environment of their typically developing peers. Full inclusion means that such children, regardless of their disability or challenge, are always integrated into a natural environment and that services are as culturally normative as possible.
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| gross-motor spaces | Indoor and outdoor areas specifically designed for gross-motor skill building and/or vigorous play involving large-muscle activities, such as running, stretching, climbing, jumping, rolling, swinging, ball throwing, and (in the case of older children) game playing.
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| group time | A period during which children come together to participate in some specially planned activities, such as singing, storytelling, movement activities, or discussions. The content, duration, and frequency of group time (sometimes called "circle time") vary according to the children's age and developmental needs.
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| guidance | Nonpunishing methods of leading children's behavior in positive directions so that children learn to control themselves, develop a healthy conscience, and preserve their self-esteem.
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| Head Start | A comprehensive, federally funded program that provides education, health screening, and social services to help low-income families give their children--from birth to age five--the start they need to succeed in public school. There are some state-supported versions of Head Start as well.
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| holism | A view that considers the whole as more important than an analysis of the parts. A holistic view of the child, for example, integrates the mind, body, feelings, and personal context into an inseparable unit. A holistic curriculum is an integrated approach to a plan for learning in which the teaching-learning process occurs throughout the day rather than being broken down into separate subjects.
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| holistic listening | A form of listening that goes beyond merely hearing. Holistic listening involves the whole body and uses all the senses in order to pick up subtle cues that aren't put into words or otherwise readily apparent.
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| home culture | The family life of the child, which encompasses cultural beliefs, goals and values--including how they play out in child-rearing practices.
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| impression management | A nonconstructive way of talking to children that discounts their feelings and their sense of reality. For example, a child says, "I don't like that sandwich." In response, the adult says, "Yes, you do." Impression management teaches children to mistrust their senses.
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| incidents reports | A method of documenting a particular type of repeated occurrence from beginning to finish. Sometimes called "event sampling," incidents reports focus on one of a variety of behaviors, such as aggressive incidents or parent-child separations.
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| incongruence | A type of mixed message that causes confusion. For example, a person's body language might convey anger while the words contradict the emotion.
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| integration | The incorporation of children with special needs into programs with their typically developing peers and giving them the support they need so they really belong. Part of integration is giving attention to the interactions between the two groups of children. The goal is for all children to participate in the program to the greatest degree possible.
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| interest centers | In the early childhood setting, the floor space, equipment, and materials for play, interaction, and exploration. Examples of interest centers include dramatic-play, block, science, art, and music centers.
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| intrinsic motivation | Inner rewards that drive a child to accomplish something. Intrinsic motivation contrasts with extrinsic motivation, in which rewards are given to the child in the form of praise, tokens, stickers, stars, privileges, and so forth.
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| learning theory | A theory that focuses on the scientific study of behaviors that can be seen and measured. Learning theory, also called "behaviorism," attributes all change to environmental influences.
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| logico-mathematical knowledge | One of three kinds of knowledge described by Jean Piaget. Logico-mathematical knowledge comes from physical knowledge and involves an understanding of relationships between objects through the use of comparison and seriation.
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| mainstreaming | A term that means placing children with special needs into programs that serve children who are typically developing. In some such programs support for the children with special needs may be minimal, so those who can't handle the mainstream may never feel they belong there.
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| mapping | A method of documenting how a specific child functions in the early childhood environment. Using a map of a room or area, the recorder plots the path of the child and records such activities as interactions with other children or with adults. Start and end points are notated as well as the duration of the observation. Mappings can also be used to assess the use and effectiveness of the environment itself.
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| meaning-making | A practice through which children construct knowledge by finding meaning in their experience.
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| modeling | A teaching device and guidance tool in which an adult's attitude or behavior becomes an example the child consciously or unconsciously imitates.
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| Montessori | A particular approach to education founded by Maria Montessori (Italy's first woman physician) that emphasizes the active involvement of children in the learning process and promotes the concept of a prepared environment.
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| multiculturalism | An approach to education that accepts and respects cultural differences and supports the vision of a pluralistic society.
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| NAEYC | The National Association for the Education of Young Children is the largest and best-known early childhood professional organization. In addition to publishing a journal and holding conferences, the NAEYC sets standards for the early childhood field and advocates for young children and their families through its position statements.
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| natural environment | A setting (such as a home or early care and education program) where children with disabilities will find their typically developing peers. A natural environment can be defined by the fact that it will continue to exist whether or not children with disabilities are there.
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| nature-nurture question | The question that asks, "What causes children to turn out the way they do?" In other words, is a child's development influenced more by his or her heredity (nature) or by his or her environment (nurture)? This question is sometimes called a "controversy," because nature proponents insist that genetics plays a stronger role in influencing development, while nurture proponents make the same claim about environmental experiences.
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| normalization | A term which means that services such as early care and education programs provided to those with special needs are based on circumstances that are as culturally normative as possible.
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| object permanence | A cognitive milestone described by Jean Piaget that occurs in later infancy, when babies develop the understanding that objects and people continue to exist when they can't be seen.
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| one-to-one correspondence | The understanding that counting involves assigning one number to each object or person being counted. This form of counting differs from reciting numbers by rote.
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| parallel play | A form of play in which two or several children are playing by themselves but within close proximity of each other. Each child's play may be influenced by what another child is doing or saying, but there is no direct interaction or acknowledgment of the other child.
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| parent cooperative preschool | A program designed to educate parents while serving their children. This type of program, sometimes called a "parent participation nursery school," operates on a cooperative basis and is often run by parents under the auspices of public school systems.
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| physical-care centers | Areas of the early childhood environment that are designated and equipped for cooking, eating, cleaning up, hand washing, diapering and toileting, and napping.
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| physical knowledge | One of three kinds of knowledge described by Jean Piaget. Physical knowledge involves an understanding--in concrete rather than abstract terms--of how objects and materials behave in the physical world.
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| physical milestones of development | Events that mark progress in the path of physical development, such as the first time a baby rolls over, sits up, or takes a first step. These milestones, which were introduced by Arnold Gesell, are based on norms that come from the scientific study of children's physical behavior.
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| portfolio | One of the tools of authentic assessment. Portfolios are collections of samples of children's work; they assess both process and product. Teachers, children, and parents can all contribute to portfolios in order to broaden the assessment to reflect developmental progress in the home as well as the early childhood setting.
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| primary caregiving system | A caregiving system in which infants are divided up and assigned (in groups of three or four) to specific primary caregivers who are responsible for meeting their needs and record keeping. The goal of this approach is to promote closeness and attachment but not exclusivity. An important aspect of this system is that each child know and relate to other caregivers as well.
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| professionalism | A set of attitudes, theories, and standards that guides the early childhood professional. An early childhood professional is someone who is (1) trained in the principles and practices of the education of young children between birth and age eight, (2) knows about the ethics, standards, and legal responsibilities of the profession, and (3) conducts himself or herself accordingly.
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| project approach | An in-depth teaching-learning process that emerges from an idea--thought up by either a child or an adult--and is carried out over days or weeks. Unlike free play, project work emphasizes product as well as process. Documentation of the process (during and upon completion) is an important element of the project approach.
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| proximal-distal development | The developmental pattern of human beings that progresses from the middle of the body out to the extremities.
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| psychosexual stages | A set of stages described and named by Sigmund Freud that focuses on sexual development.
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| psychosocial stages | A set of developmental stages described and named by Erik Erikson that focuses on successive social crises.
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| readiness approach | An approach to the education of young children that focuses on preparing children for kindergarten with an emphasis on reading-readiness skills. Its major drawback is that it focuses on teaching disconnected skills that have no meaning for the child in the here and now.
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| real-world math | Math activities that relate directly to problems in the child's own world--as compared to theoretical problems that have nothing to do with the child's reality. Real-world math is sometimes called "authentic math."
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| receptive language | Language that can be understood, though perhaps not spoken. Receptive language develops earlier than its counterpart, expressive language.
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| redirection | A form of early childhood guidance that diverts a child from unacceptable behavior to acceptable behavior without stopping the energy flow. Ideally, redirection involves giving the child a choice to lead him or her toward a constructive behavior or activity.
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| reflective thinking | A way of examining one's own experience--both past and present--in order to understand it, learn from it, and grow. Reflective thinking is a useful exercise for examining personal reactions to certain situations or people that may get in the way of developing and maintaining relationships or effectively facilitating the teaching-learning process.
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| register | A particular style of language or way of speaking that varies according to the circumstances and the role a person is filling at the moment.
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| RERUN | An acronym that lists all the elements needed to resolve a conflict through dialoguing*reflect, explain, reason, understand, and negotiate. RERUN is a holistic process, and, as such, it is not a series of steps that must always occur in the same order; but as the acronym suggests, the process can be repeated as often as necessary.
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| running record observation | A method of documenting that gives a blow-by-blow, objective, written description of what is happening while it is happening. A running record can include adult interpretations about the meaning of the observed behaviors, but it must separate objective data from subjective comments.
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| running records | A method of documenting that gives a blow-by-blow, objective, written description of what is happening while it is happening. A running record can include adult interpretations about the meaning of the observed behaviors, but it must separate objective data from subjective comments.
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| scaffolding | A form of assistance that supports and furthers understanding and performance in a learner.
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| self-esteem | A realistic assessment of one's worth that results in feelings of confidence and satisfaction.
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| sensorimotor cognition | A cognitive stage described by Jean Piaget that occurs from birth to age two. During this stage, children's cognition develops through movement and sensory exploration of the physical world.
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| sensorimotor play | A form of play that involves exploring, manipulating, using movement, and experiencing the senses. It is sometimes called "practice play" or "functional play." In sensorimotor play, the child interacts with his or her environment using both objects and other people.
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| social knowledge | One of three kinds of knowledge described by Jean Piaget. Social knowledge relates to knowledge about the world that can only be transmitted socially, such as labels for objects.
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| social learning theory | A branch of behaviorism that focuses on the significance of modeling and imitation in a child's development.
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| sociocultural theory | A theory developed by Lev Vygotsky that focuses on the effect of cultural context on development.
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| solitary play | A form of play in which a child plays alone even though other children may be present.
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| stage theorist | A theorist who believes that children develop according to specific, sequential stages of development.
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| surround care | Child care that extends beyond the regular daily program. It may be offered in a child care center for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers during the early morning and evening, when there are fewer children present. Surround care is also offered in some programs for school-age children, who attend before and after school.
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| symbolic play | A form of play that uses one thing to stand for another and shows the person's ability to create mental images. Three types of symbolic play are dramatic play, constructive play, and playing games with rules.
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| synchronous interaction | A coordinated interaction in which one person responds to the other in a timely way so that one response influences the next in a kind of rhythmic chain reaction that creates connections.
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| time-out | A nonviolent alternative to punishment that removes a child from a situation in which he or she is behaving in an unacceptable way. Time-out is an effective guidance measure when the child is truly out of control and needs to be removed to settle down. Used as a punishing device by controlling adults, however, it has side effects--as does any punishment-- including undermining self-esteem.
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| time sample | A documentation technique that involves collecting samples of targeted behaviors of small groups of children within a specific time frame as a way to learn about individual and group patterns.
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| transformation and representation | Two processes that distinguish the constructivist approach from other teaching-learning approaches. Transformation involves processes of change, while representation portrays change in the form of traces. Activities of transformation and representation facilitate children's symbolic thinking.
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| transitions | The passages between one place and another or one activity and another. Examples of transitions include arrivals and departures, cleanup time, and going outside. Transitions occur as often as children change activities either as a group or as individuals.
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| webbing | A brainstorming technique for planning curriculum that makes visual connections between different ideas or subjects. Webbing is a holistic and nonlinear approach, which makes it different from designing a curriculum outline, for example.
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| zone of proximal development | According to Lev Vygotsky, the gap between a child's current performance and his or her potential performance if helped by a more competent person--child or adult.
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