Rethinking the Relationship Between Learning and Development: Teaching for Learning in Early Childhood Classrooms

This article challenges the overemphasis in early childhood education on young children's development and its relative inattention to their learning. The author argues that learning leads cognitive development, and that early childhood educators should be more centered on teaching for learning and less on facilitating development. An alternative framework for thinking about early childhood teaching is presented, including descriptions of curriculum, instruction, and assessment, which place children's learning at the center of early childhood practice.