Negotiating Standards in the Primary Classroom: The Teacher's Dilemma

This book takes you into the classroom to see how eight teachers struggled with the dilemma of how to balance a standardized curriculum with their understanding of sound early childhood educational practices. You'll see up close how each teacher developed a variety of strategies in her efforts to respond to imposed standards and assessments, to the developmental nature of children, and to the challenge of diversity in the classroom. It presents and analyzes a variety of approaches used by these teachers, including a linear approach, an integrated approach, a holistic approach, and ignoring the imposed standards entirely.