Young Children Volume 81 • No 3 Integrating Guided Play and Hands-On Learning: Insights and Applications | Page 96

OURPROUDHERITAGE

About the Authors

Patricia A. Crawford, PhD, is professor of early childhood education and language literacy and culture at the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She is a current teacher educator and a former teacher of young children in the primary grades. pcrawfor @ pitt. edu
Barbara Kimes Myers, PhD, is professor emerita of education at DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois. Currently she lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where she studies, writes, teaches, and works with others in child development and early childhood education. kimesmyers @ yahoo. com

Our Proud Heritage

Our Proud Heritage, coedited by Grace Jepkemboi Komol, PhD, and Jerry Aldridge, EdD, shares insights from the history of early childhood education to help educators develop teaching goals and objectives today. By considering the origins of ideas and programs, early childhood education professionals can better understand the present and make greater progress in the early childhood field.
References
Aldridge, J., & L. M. Christensen. 2013. Stealing from the Mother: The Marginalization of Women in Education and Psychology from 1900 – 2010. Bloomsbury.
Aldridge, J., J. L. Kilgo, G. Jepkemboi, & R. Ruto-Korir. 2014.“ Matriarchs of Experimental and Progressive Education: Ten Women Who Influenced John Dewey.” International Journal of Case Studies 3( 5). casestudiesjournal. com / Volume % 203 % 20 Issue % 205 % 20Paper % 201. pdf.
Alfonso, S. 2017.“ Implementing the Project Approach in an Inclusive Classroom: A Teacher’ s First Attempt with Project-Based Learning.” Young Children 72( 1): 57 – 65.
Aljabreen, H. 2020.“ Montessori, Waldorf, and Reggio Emilia: A Comparative Analysis of Alternative Models of Early Childhood Education.” International Journal of Early Childhood 52( 3): 337 – 53. doi. org / 10.1007 / s13158-020-00277-1.
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Beineke, J. A. 1998. And There Were Giants in the Land: The Life of William Heard Kilpatrick. Peter Lang.
Beneke, S., & M. M. Ostrosky. 2009.“ Teachers’ Views of the Efficacy of Incorporating the Project Approach into Classroom Practice with Diverse Learners.” Early Childhood Research & Practice 11( 1). ecrp. illinois. edu / v11n1 / ostrosky. html.
Beyer, L. E. 1997.“ William Heard Kilpatrick( 1871 – 1965).” PROSPECTS 27( 3): 468 – 85. doi. org / 10.1007 / BF02736644.
Bredekamp, S., & B. Willer. 2022.“ Intentional Teaching: Complex Decision Making and the Core Considerations.” In Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children from Birth Through Age 8, eds. S. Friedman, B. L. Wright, & M. Masterson. 4th ed. NAEYC.
Burlbaw, L. M., M. J. Ortwein, & J. K. Williams. 2013.“ The Project Method in Historical Context.” In STEM Project-Based Learning: An Integrated Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics( STEM) Approach, eds. R. M. Capraro, M. M. Capraro, & J. R. Morgan. SensePublishers Rotterdam.
Chen, S. 2025.“ Enhancing Project-Based Learning in 21st-Century Classrooms: Lessons from Dewey and Kilpatrick’ s Progressive Ideas.” The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas 98( 2): 29 – 35. doi. org / 10.1080 / 00098655.202 5.2482196.
Crawford, P. A. 2017.“ Back to the Future with Patty Smith Hill.” Childhood Education 93( 3): 213 – 17. doi. org / 10.1080 / 00094056. 2017.1325238.
Cremin, L. A. 1961. The Transformation of the School: Progressivism in American Education, 1876 – 1957. Knopf.
DuCharme, C. C. 1993.“ Historical Roots of the Project Approach in the United States: 1850-1930.” Paper presented at the Annual Convention of the National Association for the Education of Young Children. ERIC, ED368459. files. eric. ed. gov / fulltext / ED368459. pdf.
Edwards, C. P. 2002.“ Three Approaches from Europe: Waldorf, Montessori, and Reggio Emilia.” Early Childhood Research and Practice 4( 1): 1 – 14. digitalcommons. unl. edu / cgi / viewcontent. cgi? article = 1001 & context = famconfacpub.
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Grinberg, J. G. A. 2005. Teaching Like That: The Beginnings of Teacher Education at Bank Street. Counterpoints series. Peter Lang.
Helm, J. H. 2015. Becoming Young Thinkers: Deep Project Work in the Classroom. Teachers College Press.
Helm, J. H., & L. G. Katz. 2011. Young Investigators: The Project Approach in the Early Years. 2nd ed. Teachers College Press.
Helm, J. H., & L. G. Katz. 2016. Young Investigators: The Project Approach in the Early Years. 3rd ed. Teachers College Press.
Helm, J. H., L. G. Katz, & R. Wilson. 2023. Young Investigators: The Project Approach in the Early Years. 4th edition. Teachers College Press.
Katz, L. G. 1994.“ The Project Approach.” ERIC, ED368509. files. eric. ed. gov / fulltext / ED368509. pdf.
Katz, L. G., & S. C. Chard. 1992.“ The Project Approach.” ERIC, ED340518. files. eric. ed. gov / fulltext / ED340518. pdf.
Katz, L. G., S. C. Chard, & Y. Kogan. 2014. Engaging Children’ s Minds: The Project Approach. 3rd ed. Bloomsbury.
Kilpatrick, W. H. [ 1918 ] 2018. The Project Method: The Use of the Purposeful Act in the Education Process. 11th ed. Teachers College Press. education-uk. org / documents / kilpatrick1918 / index. html.
94 Young Children
Fall 2026