Ramps and Pathways

Rheta DeVries retired as professor of curriculum and instruction at the University of Northern Iowa (UNI), where, as director of the Regents’ Center for Early Developmental Education, she led the effort to build and develop Freeburg School, a demonstration school for constructivist education. Previously, she held faculty positions at the University of Houston, the Merrill-Palmer Institute, and the University of Illinois at Chicago. DeVries has received many awards, including for significant contribution to the application of constructivist principles in education from the American Educational Research Association (AERA), and for outstanding faculty research from UNI and the University of Houston. Her eight books include Developing Constructivist Curriculum in Early Education: Practical Principles and Activities (Teachers College Press, 2002) and Moral Classrooms, Moral Children: Creating a Constructivist Atmosphere in Early Education (Teachers College Press,1994). She received a PhD in psychology from the University of Chicago, and was a postdoctoral fellow of the National Institute of Mental Health for work and study at the University of Geneva, Switzerland.Christina Sales, an assistant professor at the University of Northern Iowa (UNI), taught young children for more than 20 years. At UNI, she helped establish Freeburg School, where she served as a teacher and curriculum coordinator. Sales has made numerous presentations throughout the world on the education of young children, and is a coauthor of the book Developing Constructivist Early Childhood Curriculum: Practical Principles and Activities (Teachers College Press, 2002). Her current focus is working with classroom teachers, developing constructivist early childhood curriculum, and conducting research on early childhood activities. She received an EdD in curriculum and instruction from UNI.

• AcknowledgmentsAbout the Authors“Can I Have Your Shovel?"Ramps Materials1. Thinking about Children’s Thinking2. Doing Constructivist Physical Science3. Mental Relationships Children Can Construct4. Ten Principles of Teaching5. The Story of NaniReferencesIndex

"All early childhood teachers should read this excellent book. In clear and respectful language, using theory, vignettes, and photographs, the authors both describe how children construct knowledge of the physical world and explain and illustrate what it means to be a constructivist teacher. Their Ten Principles of Teaching should be in the hands of every early childhood teacher." — Karen Worth, coauthor of the Young Scientist series"Physics is everywhere, and it's much easier to teach than one would think. "Ramps & Pathways: A Constructivist Approach to Physics with Young Children" is a guide for educators who want to introduce the finer aspects of physics to younger learners in a way they can understand and with plenty of fun demonstrations. With ten principles of the educational method, "Ramps & Pathways" is a strongly recommended read for any . . . teacher." — The Science Shelf, The Midwest Book Review