Ramps and Pathways: A Constructivist Approach to Physics with Young Children

If you think the words young children and physics don't belong together, think again.

Based on the theories of Piaget and the work of DeVries and Sales, this book successfully makes the case for building a constructivist approach to physical science learning in the early childhood classroom. Ramps and Pathways:

• Reviews how children "construct" content knowledge and the mental ability to organize knowledge (intelligence)
• Explains why ramps activities engage children deeply in reasoning about physical objects and phenomena such as force and motion, across a range of ages and developmental levels, even over several years
• Provides a rationale you can use to explain and defend the educational value of children's play and exploration
• Shows you how to apply the 10 principles of constructivist teaching in your classroom
• Includes dozens of full-color photographs of children's amazing structures