Child development and classroom teaching: a review of the literature and implications for educating teachers

The article presents a framework for explaining how teachers' perspectives and knowledge about child development contribute to classroom practices and considers the implications of that framework for teacher education and for research on teacher education. The framework describes relations among different theoretical views on children's cognitive and social development, the role of the teacher in fostering this development, typical educational practices associated with each view, and qualities of the child that are fostered or valued within each view. A selective literature review identified theoretical perspectives, empirical research that supported posited links, and effects of teacher education course work and instructional experiences on teacher beliefs and practices. Gaps in the research base are highlighted in order to identify needed research. Implications for integrating child development study into teacher education programs are considered. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.