Journal Article 1.1: Ackerman, D. J. (2004). States’ Efforts in Improving the Qualifications of Early Care and Education Teachers. Educational Policy 8(2), 311-337.

1. Identify the inconsistencies among states on Early Childhood Education teacher qualifications.
2. List and describe some of the programs that offer financial assistance to Early Childhood Education teachers who want to increase their knowledge or obtain a higher credential.
3. Interpret the strengths and weaknesses of career lattices.
4. Explain some of the challenges faced when attempting to improve the requirements needed to work in an Early Childhood Education setting.

Journal Article 1.2: Buysse, V., Winton, P. J., & Rous, B. (October 2009). Reaching Consensus on a Definition of Professional Development for the Early Childhood Field. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education 28(4), 235-243.

1. Analyze how the varying definitions of professional development opportunities can lead to uneven, and sometimes incongruent, learning opportunities for teachers.
2. Predict what would happen when reaching consensus on the meaning of professional development in early childhood.
3. Identify the six key assumptions about professional development.

Journal Article 2.1: Winzer, M. A. (July/August 1998). A Tale Often Told: The Early Progression of Special Education. Remedial and Special Education, 19(4), 212-218.

1. In the second half of the 18th century, many individuals fostered what was by far the most important intellectual and cultural movement of the time and created one of the most hopeful periods in the history of humanity. List those individuals and explain what they contributed.
2. Critique John Locke's philosophy from the 8th century that was enthusiastically embraced and assimilated.

Journal Article 2.2: Cohen, S. (November 1968). Educating the Children of the Urban Poor: Maria Montessori and Her Method. Education and Urban Society, 1(1), 61-79.

1. Summarize how Maria Montessori identified the need for a school for children living in poverty.
2. Describe the educational program that she developed.
3. Maria Montessori identified a strategic role of the teacher: to encourage what exists in potential to become actual. Critique what is meant by that statement.

Journal Article 3.1: Kang, J. (July 2007). How Many Languages Can Reggio Children Speak? Many More Than a Hundred! Gifted Child Today, 30(3), 45-65.

1. Describe some of the unique materials that are used in the Reggio Emilia schools.
2. One of the focal points of a Reggio Emilia school is how children represent and express themselves. There is a considerable focus on art. Discuss the many ways that children can use art and a variety of materials to express themselves.

Journal Article 3.2: Shields, C. & Gredler, M. (April 2003). A Problem-Solving Approach to Teaching Operant Conditioning. Teaching of Psychology, 30(2), 114-116.

1. B. F. Skinner’s theory of operant conditioning focuses on the effects of the consequences of a behavior on the future occurrence of that behavior. In this article, describe the consequences and provide an example of each.
2. Of the consequences listed, which one will most likely work best in stopping specific behaviors? Why?

Journal Article 4.1: DeVries, R. (March 1997). Piaget’s Social Theory. Educational Researcher, 26(2), 4-17.

1. Discuss Piaget’s two types of morality that correspond to two types of adult-child relationships.
2. Piaget uses the term cooperative teacher. Explain what this person would be like.

Journal Article 4.2: Andresen, H. (December 2005). Role Play and Language Development in the Preschool. Culture & Psychology, 11(4), 387-414.

1. Explore how preschool children in role play are acting in the zone of proximal development.
2. Differentiate between pretend play and role play.
3. Expound on why role play is important for language development.
4. Describe egocentric speech.

Journal Article 5.1: Beatson, J. & Taryan, S. (April 2003). Predisposition to depression: the role of Attachment. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 37(2), 219-225.

1. Explain how environmental experiences impact brain development from birth.
2. The principal means of delineating attachment patterns in human infants is via Ainsworth’s Strange Situation (SS). Describe what this entails.
3. Explore how an individual may be predisposed to depression.

Journal Article 6.1: Kelly-Vance, L. & Oliver Ryalls, B. (October 2005). A Systematic, Reliable Approach to Play Assessment in Preschoolers. School Psychology International, 26(4), 398-412.

1. Determine why the play assessment process is the most popular alternative strategy for assessments.
2. Conclude why educators can develop better interventions for children by understanding how they play.

Journal Article 6.2: Hamre, B. K., Pianta, R. C., Burchinal, M., Field, S., LoCasale-Crouch, J., Downer, J. T., Howes, C.,LaParo, K., & Scott-Little, C. (February 2012). A Course on Effective Teacher-Child Interactions: Effects on Teacher Beliefs, Knowledge, and Observed Practice. American Educational Research Journal, 49(1), 88-123.

1. Compare and contrast the differences between teachers in a control condition and those who took a course on effective teacher-child interactions. Was there a difference in intentional teaching?
2. Analyze the relationship between degree status and program quality or child outcomes.

Journal Article 7.1: Walsh, R. L., Coral R. Kemp, C. R., Hodge, K. A.,& Bowes, J. M. (June 2012). Searching for Evidence-Based Practice: A Review of the Research on Educational Interventions for Intellectually Gifted Children in the Early Childhood Years. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 35(2), 103-128.

1. Expand on why young gifted children have been described as one of the most underserved groups in education.
2. Compare and contrast some of the interventions available for gifted children.

Journal Article 7.2: Recchia, S. L. & Puig, V. I. (May 2011). Challenges and Inspirations: Student Teachers’ Experiences in Early Childhood Special Education Classrooms. Teacher Education and Special Education: The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children, 34(2), 133-151.

1. Explore the potential challenges and learning opportunities that self-contained settings offer early childhood special education teachers in training.
2. Discuss the multiple challenges to ensuring that young children with disabilities receive high-quality special education services in inclusive settings.

Journal Article 8.1: Perkins, D. M. & Mebert, C. J. (July 2005). Efficacy of Multicultural Education for Preschool Children: A Domain-Specific Approach. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 36(4), 497-512.

1. Determine why multicultural curricular and antibias components have been included in early childhood classrooms.
2. Children’s reasoning about race and gender varies with their cognitive level. Explore how know this can help teachers in the classroom.
3. Analyze the correlation between parents’ attitudes towards race and their childrens’ attitudes towards race.

Journal Article 9.1: Prochner, L. & Hwang, Y. (November 2008). 'Cry and you cry alone': Timeout in early childhood settings. Childhood, 15(4), 517-534.

1. Briefly expound on the four timeout possibilities that have been used in schools.
2. Clarify why time out is generally not effective as a guidance technique.
3. Explore why social isolation should not be used with children.

Journal Article 9.2: Millei, Z. (February 2012). Thinking differently about guidance: Power, children’s autonomy and democratic environments. Journal of Early Childhood Research, 10(1), 88-99.

1. Argue how guidance approaches aim to relinquish adult power in order to fulfill children’s need for autonomy, and consequently to empower children.
2. Explore the concept of self-reflection and its’ relationship to guidance.

Gilmore, K. (November 2011). Pretend Play and Development in Early Childhood (with Implications for the Oedipal Phase). Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association, 59(6), 1157-1182.

1. Investigate the benefits of pretend play.
2. Analyze how imaginary play is a particular developmental capacity that has a specific developmental moment.

Journal Article 11.1: Rothbart, M. K. (August 2007). Temperament, Development, and Personality. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 16(4), 207-212.

1. Discuss the relationship between temperament and social behaviors.
2. Explore how children show considerable variability in their reactions to the environment.
3. Identify the three broad dimensions of temperament.

Journal Article 11.2: Wilson, C. L., Rholes, W. S., Simpson, J. A., and Tran, S. (April 2007). Labor, Delivery, and Early Parenthood: An Attachment Theory Perspective. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 33(4), 505-518.

1. Explore how stressors affect attachment in new parents.
2. Examine the two dimensions that underlie individual differences in adult attachment orientations.
3. Investigate the assessment of feelings of jealousy that new parents have toward the baby.

Journal Article 12.1: Theriot, J. A., Franco, S. M., Sisson, B. A., Metcalf, S. C., Kennedy, M. A., & Bada, H. S. (March 2003). The Impact of Early Literacy Guidance on Language Skills of 3-Year-Olds. Clinical Pediatrics, 42(2), 165-172.

1. Discuss the importance of early onset home reading routines.
2. Examine how early literacy intervention can increase the expressive and receptive language scores of preschool children.

Journal Article 12.2: Neumann, M. M., Hood, M., Ford, R. M., & Neumann, D. L. (September 2012). The Role of Environmental Print in Emergent Literacy. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 12(3), 231-258.

1. Define and provide examples of environmental print.
2. Clarify how environmental print can be used to promote children’s literacy development.
3. Discuss how adults can help children make sense of environmental print and use it to promote emergent literacy skills by guiding and scaffolding their interactions with it.

Journal Article 13.1: Clements, D. H. & Sarama, J. (June 2008). Experimental Evaluation of the Effects of a Research-Based Preschool Mathematics Curriculum. American Educational Research Journal, 45(2), 443-494.

1. Examine if the incorporation of a specific mathematics curriculum has positive effects on the quality of preschool mathematics environments and teaching.
2. Record the concepts that can be included in a comprehensive preschool mathematics curriculum.

Journal Article 13.2: Chen, J. & Chang, C. (June 2006). Using Computers in Early Childhood Classrooms: Teachers’ Attitudes, Skills and Practices. Journal of Early Childhood Research, 4(2), 169-188.

1. Clarify how early childhood teachers can guarantee that technology is developmentally appropriate for the children in their classroom.
2. Explain why teacher proficiency in technology integration is a critical determinant of the educational benefits children gain from using computers.

Journal Article 14.1: Mikhailovich, K. & Morrison, P. (December 2007). Discussing Childhood Overweight and Obesity with Parents: A Health Communication Dilemma. Journal of Child Health Care, 11(4), 311-322.

1. Identify the causes of overweight and obesity.
2. Explore the purposes of communicating with parents about children’s weight.
3. Investigate parents’ perceptions of weight management.

Journal Article 14.2: Ward, D. S., Vaughn, A., McWilliams, C. & Hales, D. (November/December 2009). Physical Activity at Child Care Settings: Review and Research Recommendations. Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 3(6), 474-488.

1. Examine the beneficial contribution of physical activity to the health and development of young children.
2. Identify ways that the teacher can incorporate physical activity throughout the day.

Journal Article 15.1: Mahn, H. (November 1999). Vygotsky's Methodological Contribution to Sociocultural Theory. Remedial and Special Education, 20(6), 341-350.

1. Compare and contrast the major contributions of Vygotsky’s methodological approach to sociocultural theory and traditional Western approaches.
2. Explore Vygotsky’s major theoretical contributions.

Journal Article 15.2: Hooper, L. M. (July 2007). The Application of Attachment Theory and Family Systems Theory to the Phenomena of Parentification. The Family Journal, 15(3), 217-223.

1. Discuss the relationship between attachment theory and family systems theory.
2. Scrutinize the many definitions of parentification.
3. Explain the effect that early relationships between the parent and the child have on current behavior.

Journal Article 16.1: Kalifeh, P., Cohen-Vogel, L. & Grass, S. (January 2011). The Federal Role in Early Childhood Education: Evolution in the Goals, Governance, and Policy Instruments of Project Head Start. Educational Policy, 25(1), 36-64.

1. Examine some of the federal programs that exist for the sole purpose of providing quality child care and education to the nation’s prekindergarten children.
2. Discuss the core values that providers were required to uphold in order to support the mission and purpose of Head Start.