Education (Early)

Early Learning Guidelines (ELGs) exist across states to help early childhood educators identify the developmental and learning outcomes and goals that children should achieve during early years (Scott-Little, Kagan & Frelow, 2009). The ELG Toolkit addresses the preschool age group using the domains from the Head Start Framework. It serves as a roadmap to early childhood educators looking for national and state resources that are based on research and evidence-based practices. The ELG Toolkit identifies resources for working with special populations, and links to states that received funding from the federal Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge Grants and are engaging in developing innovative practices for working preschool age children in early child programs.

Psychological science has much to contribute to enhance teaching and learning in the classroom. It contributes to effective instruction; classroom environments that promote children’s learning; appropriate use of assessment including data, tests and measurements; as well as research methods that inform practice.

We present here the most important principles from psychology, the “Top Twenty,” that would be of greatest use in the context of early childhood teaching and learning and well as applications for each classroom practice. After the description of each principle, relevant supporting research is provided followed by a discussion of the principle’s relevance for the classroom.