Developing Constructivist Early Childhood Curriculum: Practical Principles and Activities

by Rheta Devries, Carolyn Hildebrandt, Rebecca Edmiaston

This timely volume provides a constructivist interpretation of developmentally appropriate curriculum in early childhood education. Rheta DeVries, one of the founders of constructivist early education, and her colleagues provide the theoretical rationale and practical advice for conducting specific activities in the classroom. Descriptive vignettes are used to show how children’s reasoning and teacher interventions are transformed in the course of extended experience with a physical phenomenon or group game. Throughout the book, constructivist teaching is illustrated and contrasted with the approaches found in three other classroom types. "This is a practical and theoretically strong book. Going beyond the generalities of 'developmentally appropriate practice,' it focuses especially on the teacher's role and gives excellent principles of teaching about specific activities over time."
― Constance Kamii , University of Alabama at Birmingham
"The authors have done an excellent job of clarifying the constructivist approach to curriculum and instruction as compared to traditional approaches and to the conventional approach to developmentally appropriate practice. Rich with examples of constructivist teaching and learning, this is a unique and valuable contribution to the field of early childhood education."
― Rosalind Charlesworth , Weber State University

264 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2001