John Dewey wrote extensively about philosophy, psychology, education, political science, and the arts. In his very full 92 years of life (1859-1952), he not only wrote about the breadth of life, he participated in it as a teacher, social critic, political activist and involved family man. This fully produced video introduces students to his philosophy and his critical studies of education, the arts and the implications of democracy for the lives of individuals and their communities. Dewey lived in a different era of history than we do, but many of his concerns are very relevant to life today. Maintaining a democracy in the face of diverse ethnic values, educating the young to participate fully in the life of their community, and expanding individual perceptions through participation in the arts were among the issues he examined. Contemporary examples of the influence of his work include film sequences of noted educator Deborah Meier's Mission Hill School in Roxbury, Massachusetts; commentary by literature authority Louise Rosenblatt on Dewey's theories of democratic behavior and philosopher Larry Hickman's comments on the ways technology changes our experiencing of the world. (Dr. Hickman is also the director of the Center for Dewey Studies in Illinois.) Terminology and the historical context necessary for understanding Dewey's work are provided by historical materials, newly shot visuals and clever graphics. With Larry Hickman, Ph.D. This is a short clip from the film. Further information is available at www.davidsonfilms.com.

The work of Lev Vygotsky is increasingly cited as we reconsider the theory and practice of constructivist education. This program introduces the life, vocabulary and concepts of Lev Vygotsky. The video illustrates four basic concepts integral to his work: Children construct knowledge, learning can lead development, development cannot be separated from its social context, and language plays a central role in cognitive development. Elena Bodrova brings an easy familiarity to these concepts. Deborah Leongs commentary and the lively classroom examples enable students, teachers in training, and classroom teachers to incorporate these concepts into their understanding of child development. with deborah Leong, Ph.D. and Elena Bodrova, Ph.D. This is a short clip form the film. Further information is available at www.davidsonfilms.com.

Positive Discipline is a program based on the work of Alfred Adler and Rudolf Dreikurs and designed to teach young people to become responsible, respectful and resourceful members of their communities. Based on the best selling Positive Discipline books by Dr. Jane Nelsen and co-authors Lynn Lott, Cheryl Erwin, Kate Ortolano, Mary Hughes, Mike Brock, Lisa Larson and others, it teaches important social and life skills in a manner that is deeply respectful and encouraging for both children and adults (including parents, teachers, childcare providers, youth workers, and others). Recent research tells us that children are "hardwired" from birth to connect with others, and that children who feel a sense of connection to their community, family, and school are less likely to misbehave. To be successful, contributing members of their community, children must learn necessary social and life skills. Positive Discipline is based on the understanding that discipline must be taught and that discipline teaches.

Educators for Social Responsibility (ESR) works directly with educators to implement systemic practices that create safe, caring, and equitable schools so that all young people succeed in school and life, and help shape a safe, democratic and just world. Founded in 1982, ESR is a national leader in school reform and provides professional development, consultation, and educational resources to adults who teach young people in preschool through high school.

Compassionate Kids is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in the year 2004 by Kelly Palmatier, a vegan (vegetarian) foster/adoptive mom with a background in business, communications, and web design. Compassionate Kids, Inc. is dedicated to helping teach children compassion towards the Earth, people, and animals. The website, CompassionateKids.com, has articles, book reviews, and free printable activities. There are local chapters all across the country that host compassion-oriented field trips and community service events approximately once a month. Field trips and events vary from month to month and from state to state, but are always related to compassion. A field trip to an organic farm can teach about helping the Earth. A canned food drive benefits people. A visit to an animal sanctuary teaches about the value of all living creatures.

Due to the expanding volume of information on the Web, parents and professionals often have difficulty locating the information they want. Even when they find information that seems relevant, they have difficulty determining if it is credible. The Child & Family WebGuide describes trustworthy websites on topics of interest to parents and professionals. All the sites listed on the WebGuide have been systematically evaluated by graduate students and faculty in child development. These sites have been selected from thousands that are available on the Web, based primarily on the quality of the information they provide. The goal of the WebGuide is to give the public easy access to the best child development information on the Web. There are five main categories of information: family/parenting, education/learning, typical child development, health/mental health, and resources/recreation. The first four categories contain sites with research-based information. The fifth category, resources/recreation, contains sites with information about specific programs and things to do. The resources/recreation sites, which were added at the request of parents, do not contain research-based information. The WebGuide also offers an option of searching for sites that are especially relevant to a particular age group (topics by age) and it offers several features requested by parents (e.g., ask an expert sites; research news sites).

This site contains reliable and accurate information on child development, including many good links to information for educators and for parents.

Teaching is a rewarding and challenging profession where you can make a lasting impact. You can have a positive influence on students, schools, and communities now and into the future. Schools across the nation are in need of a diverse set of talented teachers, especially in our big cities and rural areas, and especially in the areas of Math, Science, Technology, Special Education, and English Language Learning. The TEACH campaign is an initiative of the United States Department of Education designed to raise awareness of the teaching profession and get a new generation of teachers to join the ones who are already making a difference in the classroom. At TEACH.gov you can learn what it's really like to be a teacher and get the tools you need to launch your own career in education.

"The Best Websites for Teaching and Learning honors websites, tools, and resources of exceptional value to inquiry-based teaching and learning as embodied in the American Association of School Librarians' Standards for the 21st-Century Learner. New for 2011, the Top 25 Websites foster the qualities of innovation, creativity, active participation, and collaboration. They are free, web-based sites that are user friendly and encourage a community of learners to explore and discover. The Landmark Websites are honored due to their exemplary histories of authoritative, dynamic content and curricular relevance. They are free, web-based sites that are user-friendly and encourage a community of learners to explore and discover and provide a foundation to support 21st-century teaching and learning."

The Future of Children is a collaboration of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University and the Brookings Institution. The mission of The Future of Children is to translate the best social science research about children and youth into information that is useful to policymakers, practitioners, grant-makers, advocates, the media, and students of public policy. The project publishes two journals and policy briefs each year, and provides various short summaries of our work. Topics range widely - from income policy to family issues to education and health - with children's policy as the unifying element. The senior editorial team is diverse, representing two institutions and multiple disciplines. Since The Future of Children aims to reach a wide audience with the best objective research possible, the articles contained in the journals are literature reviews that provide a balanced view of the literature and evidence, review both basic and "policy-relevant" research to highlight what we know as well as what works, and avoid using overly technical language. The project also supports numerous outreach activities and conferences and an active website, including a blog and webcasts of many of our outreach presentations. In keeping with our commitment to reach a broad audience, we offer all electronic versions of our materials and attendance at our outreach forums free of charge. Print copies of the journal are often provided at no cost at our outreach events, and are available for sale on our website.

This Scholastic web site contains a plethora of useful early childhood resources and information.

This chart provides information on how children develop creative-thinking skills from birth to age 6.

The Whole Child site extends the information presented in the 13-part child development video series and telecourse of the same name. The telecourse was based on the popular textbook, The Whole Child, by Joanne Hendrick, Ph.D., published by Merrill/Prentice Hall. The series was produced by Detroit Public Television in association with the Merrill-Palmer Institute of Wayne State University and funded by the Annenberg/CPB Projects.

We often remark on the marvelous creativity of young children's drawings, dramatic play, and invented language. Children show imaginative use of color, themes, and flights of fancy in their language. As teachers, we play an important role in supporting children's ability in art, dramatic expression, and creative responses to problems.

On this site you will find a plethora of information on parenting styles, including an overview of the four basic parenting styles and how parenting styles seem to affect children.

This site contains information about Urie Bronfenbrenner and the ecology of human development.

This site contains a biography of Carl Rogers.

This site contains a biography of Alfred Adler.

This site contains a biography of Abraham Maslow.

This site contains a biography of Erik Erikson.