Preparing Teachers for the Early Childhood Classroom: Proven Models and Key Principles - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1598570811 ISBN 13: 9781598570816

Publisher: Brookes Publishing Co, 2011

Synopsis

For early childhood educators, high-quality professional development can have an enormous positive impact on teaching practices and boost young children's outcomes and school readiness. But since early childhood teachers come from diverse backgrounds and educational levels, it can be a challenge to create effective, customized professional development programs for them. This is the book administrators and program directors need to meet that challenge and take the first critical steps toward improving their training practices. Bringing together lessons learned from the eight top-performing programs to receive professional development grants from the Early Childhood Educator Professional Development Program in the U.S. Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, this book gives readers a valuable inside look at what's really working today. Program directors and administrators will fully explore the who, what, when, where, and how of high-quality, practice-based professional development: Who benefits from it? Examine characteristics of the early educator workforce and how to address their obstacles to professional development participation, such as financial resources, education levels, and burnout rates. What practices are promising? Explore proven models for choosing the right content, scaffolding skills through coaching and mentoring, and promoting effective professional development across whole communities. Where should professional development happen? Learn from successful approaches in community colleges, training programs, and culturally diverse centers. When and for how long should it take place? Make sound decisions about the duration and timing of professional development. How do you know it's working? Discover the best ways to assess early childhood educators' practices and monitor fidelity of implementation. Throughout the book, cutting-edge research blends with vignettes and case studies from the eight successful programs ideal models that readers can use as a starting point to improve their own practices. A breakthrough resource that will change the way early childhood educators are trained, this book will help programs lay the important groundwork for better professional development, better teachers, and better outcomes for all young children.

About this title

Review:

This volume is timely because of the intense focus on teacher quality across all early childhood sectors . . . [it] covers the major issues faced by those with the daunting task of creating early childhood professional development systems.--Pamela J. Winton, Ph.D."Senior Scientist and Director of Outreach, FPG Child Development Institute; Research Professor, School of Education, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill" (04/21/2010)

Addresses critical topics on the professional development of early childhood teaching staff, advancing our understanding of areas where more attention is needed.--Ivelisse Martinez-Beck, Ph.D."Senior Social Science Research Analyst, Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, US Department of Health and Human Services" (06/08/2010)

Finally, a reliable source that synthesizes the best available research evidence on all aspects of professional development in early childhood--who the early educators are, what practices are most promising, and the methods for implementing and evaluating it in various contexts. --Virginia Buysse, Ph.D.

About the Author:

Edited by Susan B. Neuman, Ed.D., & Michael L. Kamil, Ph.D. Foreword by Dorothy Strickland, Ph.D.

About this edition

• Publisher: Brookes Publishing Co
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 1598570811
• ISBN 13: 9781598570816
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 256
• Editor: Neuman Susan B.