Developmentally Appropriate Curriculum: Best Practices in Early Childhood Education, Third Edition [Paperback]

Marjorie J. Kostelnik (Author), Anne K. Soderman (Author), Alice Phipps Whiren (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0130496588 | ISBN-13: 978-0130496584 | Publication Date: June 23, 2003 | Edition: 3

This book brings together the best information available on developing an integrated, holistic approach to curriculum and instruction for children age three to eight in such formal group settings as childcare, pre-school, and the early elementary grades. Concentrating as much on the “how” of curriculum development as on the “what and why,” the authors present numerous examples and practical, research-based guidelines—organized by developmental domain—for translating theory into best practice that accommodates age-appropriateness, individual differences, and social and cultural diversity. For childcare, pre-school, and early elementary grades instructors.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

This comprehensive book brings together the best information currently available for developing an integrated approach to curriculum and instruction in the early years. The book creates a bridge between the worlds of child care and early education, as well as between preprimary and primary programs. The effective ideas presented are designed to give readers a cohesive view of the what, why, and how of developmentally appropriate practices. Each chapter addresses principles of age-appropriateness, individual appropriateness, and social and cultural appropriateness. It is designed for current and future early childhood professionals working in formal group settings with young children ranging in age from three to eight. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Marjorie J. Kostelnik is Dean of the College of Education and Human Sciences at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. A former child care, Head Start, and preschool teacher, as well as elementary school specialist, Dr. Kostelnik has been actively involved in helping educators in early childhood programs explore the implications of developmentally appropriate practices. Her work has taken her to many settings throughout the United States and abroad. Marjorie teaches classes in early childhood inclusive education and is currently on the Coordinating Commission for High Quality Early Childhood Education for the state of Nebraska.

Anne K. Soderman had 14 years of classroom experience working with children in both public and nonpublic educational settings prior to joining Michigan State University in 1979, where she is now Professor Emeritus. In addition to continuing to consult with schools in international settings, she is currently carrying out an administrative assignment and conducting research on second-language acquisition in Beijing, China. Soderman is also co-author of Guiding Children’s Social Development and Learning, 6^th Ed. (2009), Creating Literacy-Rich Preschools and Kindergartens (2008) and Scaffolding Emergent Literacy (2005).

Alice Phipps Whiren is a professor emeritus of the Department of Family and Child Ecology, Michigan State University. She taught curriculum in early childhood and child development to undergraduate and graduate students and was supervisor of the Child Development Laboratories. Early in her career, she taught young children in an inner-city public school in Michigan. She also served as a Head Start assistant director and has provided a variety of training sessions for preprimary teachers nationally and internationally.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 528 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall; 3 edition (June 23, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0130496588
• ISBN-13: 978-0130496584
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,005,609 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Trumps Peterson's Book By An Edge Due To Balanced Presentation, February 21, 2006

By 

Reginald Williams (Orangeburg, SC United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Developmentally Appropriate Curriculum: Best Practices in Early Childhood Education, Third Edition (Paperback)

Once again, Prentice Hall displays why it remains a superforce in creating textbooks: its balanced and accessible research-based comprehensiveness. As with my first Chemistry book in high school, I believe this book possesses everything you will need to know about early childhood curriculum.

The former champion, in my opinion,--Evelyn Peterson's A PRACTICAL GUIDE OT EARLY CHILDHOOD CURRICULUM--gets bested here because this text presents, in a well-understood way, what Peterson's book also did well: present pratical explanations. This texts gets the slight edge because the authors ably worked in all the research and citations relevant to the concepts without overloading a teacher's mind with scholarship. It's a difficult feat that I have only seen one other time in an ECE text (J.A. Brewer's INTRODUCTION TO EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION).

Here's where you really get a smashing deal: this book will give you all you need to grasp the curriculum topics on the PRAXIS II: Education of the Young Child test.

The New Champion of Early Childhood Curriculum college textbooks. Take a bow and a victory lap.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars definitely a must have, September 14, 2008

By 

love teaching (Georgia, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Developmentally Appropriate Curriculum: Best Practices in Early Childhood Education (4th Edition) (Paperback)

Whether you are a seasoned educator just being initiated to the DAP concept, or a student just beginning to savor the taste of the classroom world, this book is a must for your library. There is no element of early childhood education that DAP does not touch. Strategies of teaching and learning, activities and routines, the physical environment, classroom management, family evolvement, and assessment procedures are all enfluenced by the principles of age, individual, or social appropriateness!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, June 10, 2011

By 

Sam - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Developmentally Appropriate Curriculum: Best Practices in Early Childhood Education (5th Edition) (Paperback)

This book is a very well written book that contains relevant information regarding early childhood. I found it to be a great resource for anyone to use as a reference in dealing with children. Information is based on the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) standards, is up to date, valid and reliable.