Search

Educator preparation programs play an important role in preparing early educators (EEs) to work with young children (PPNTF, 2020). However, EEs often experience suppressed salaries making preparatory programs financially burdensome (NASEM, 2018). It is incumbent upon institutions of higher education to embrace practices that alleviate financial barriers experienced by EEs seeking critical knowledge regarding practices that support learners throughout their formative years (NASEM, 2018). Open Education Resources (OER) is emerging as an effective equity practice that positively impacts students' perceptions, performances, and perseverance while also alleviating some of the financial burdens associated with higher education. This article explains a cross-institutional collaboration to create a high-quality OER to enhance EEs' professional knowledge in language and literacy practices for young children, birth to age five. This initiative reflects standards articulated by the Association of Teacher Education, specifically in the areas of collaboration, cultural competency, scholarship, contribution, and vision (ATE, n.d.).

Preparing for high-stakes licensure exams can be daunting for teacher candidates and particularly intimidating for aspiring teachers who speak English as a second language, those with exceptionalities, and members of historically marginalized communities (Petchauer, 2015; Nettles et al., 2011; Tyler, 2011). University-based teacher educators are well positioned to support teacher candidate populations enrolled in or seeking to enroll in teacher education programs. This study explored preservice teachers' experiences engaging in study groups within a supportive learning community. The study groups were facilitated by university-based teacher educators leveraging socio-cognitive strategies to help preservice teachers navigate a high-stake licensure exam. The findings show students who engaged in these study group sessions reported higher affect levels, found the study group structure relevant, and articulated specific strategies for navigating the test in the future.

Cognitive abilities, executive functions (EFs) and patterning, and simple measures of early literacy and mathematics were measured for 275 kindergartners during the second and third month of formal schooling. An exploratory factor analysis revealed four factors. The first was a literacy factor, to which a number series scale made a small contribution. The second was primarily a mathematics scale, but also reflected early literacy. The ability to recognize patterns, working memory, and inhibition also contributed to this factor. A third factor involved cognitive flexibility, patterning, and literacy. Finally, there was a factor that essentially involved phonics. These results indicate that two EFs and patterning are related to early mathematics at the beginning of kindergarten when children have experienced little formal schooling. In addition, very early in kindergarten, there is a general achievement factor that does not reflect any of the cognitive abilities tested here.

This project tested the effects of adding instruction of trios of children in patterning, mathematics, early literacy, or social studies to ongoing instruction in kindergartens. Children were randomly assigned to trios which were randomly assigned to one of four kinds of instruction. A quarter of the trios received patterning instruction with a mixture of repeating and growing patterns. Another quarter of the trios were taught number recognition, number order, counting, comparing quantities and related early mathematics. Another quarter were taught letter recognition and sounds, simple words, and other subject matter in early literacy. The remaining quarter of the trios were taught social studies, including recognition of important figures in history and important city and federal services. The children taught patterning outscored the others on a test of patterning, but there were no other significant differences. Implications for patterning instruction as a support for early mathematics or literacy were discussed.

Early childhood and early childhood special education programs have predominantly been separate teacher preparation programs that prepare novice teachers for general or special education settings. However, with a growing shift toward inclusion, as well as a shortage of educators with training to teach all children, there is a need for teacher preparation programs to prepare all early childhood educators to support all children and engage all families. This article describes one institute of higher education's integrated program and the program's process to align coursework with both the "Professional Standards and Competencies for Early Childhood Educators" and "Initial Practice-Based Professional Preparation Standards for Early Interventionists/Early Childhood Special Educators." We do this by discussing (a) the landscape of teacher education and integrated programs, (b) one IHE's integrated program history, (c) our process for embedding standards, and (d) next steps.

The effects of instructing kindergarten students (five-year-old in their first year of public school) on patterning were tested. Up to nine students in each class were randomly assigned to three groups in each of six classes, i.e., as many as three from a class in each group. One group received instruction on complex patterns similar to those employed by other researchers with first graders. Another group was instructed in early literacy, and another in early mathematics. For each group, the experimental instruction was scheduled in a counterbalanced order for 15 minutes in the morning, five days per week for most of the school year. When tested in late May-early June, the children taught patterning scored significantly better on a test of patterning. There were no significant differences on tests of mathematics and early literacy. However, there were correlations between the children's patterning scores and some literacy scales.

To determine whether patterning instruction was as useful or more useful than other forms of instruction, kindergarten children (age five) were taught either patterning or early literacy or mathematics or social studies in matched sessions. Instruction was conducted in 15-minute sessions from November through mid-April. Posttests on patterning, mathematics, early literacy, and three executive functions showed that the children taught patterning became significantly better at patterning than those in the other instructional conditions. No differences were found between the children taught mathematics, early literacy, or social studies. Correlational analyses indicated that the relations of patterning ability, working memory, and inhibitory control to mathematics achievement were similar. Cognitive flexibility was not very strongly related to any other measure and the executive functions were relatively independent of each other for the children who were age five.

Although many students who enter kindergarten are cognitively ready to meet the demands of the kindergarten mathematics curriculum, some students arrive without the early abstract reasoning abilities necessary to benefit from the instruction provided. Those who do not possess key cognitive abilities, including understandings of conservation, insertions into series, and the oddity principle, are at a disadvantage when attempting to master mathematical concepts and skills that require early abstract thought. Recognizing the need to address this gap, this study examined the effects of an intervention designed to teach children conservation, insertions into series, and the oddity principle. The study included 78 kindergartners enrolled in a culturally, linguistically, and socioeconomically diverse metropolitan school district. Students were randomly divided among one of three groups: cognitive intervention, numeracy instruction, and art instruction. Instruction for each group was matched in number, timing, and extent of sessions. The study found that kindergartners who received the cognitive intervention scored significantly higher on measures of cognitive ability than those in the comparison group who participated in the art instruction or those who received numeracy instruction. On the Woodcock-Johnson III Applied Problems scale, those in the cognitive intervention scored significantly higher than those who received art instruction. Those in the cognitive intervention and those in the numeracy intervention performed similarly. These results suggest that it is possible to provide instruction that enhances the cognitive abilities of kindergartners who do not possess key reasoning abilities. In addition, there is evidence that promoting early abstract thought can enhance kindergartners' mathematical abilities. (Contains 4 tables.)

The authors examined the role of an intervention designed to increase reading comprehension, reading self-efficacy beliefs, and engagement in social studies for middle school students of varying language backgrounds. Thirteen sixth- and seventh-grade teachers implemented the United States History for Engaged Reading (USHER) program with their students, and approximately 50% were English language learners (ELLs). After teachers implemented USHER, changes in history reading comprehension and reading self-efficacy beliefs were identified for both ELLs and English native speakers. Findings show promise for multifaceted comprehension instruction in social studies for middle school contexts with large numbers of ELLs.

This study investigates early childhood education teachers' and assistant teachers' views about a year-long professional development model that focuses on developing intentional teaching. The study shares the results of interviews conducted with the teachers at the end of the implementation of a one-year experimental professional model in Head Start settings in a large metropolitan area. The purpose was to gather feedback on the model, which included large-group, on-site and one-on-one interactions. Teachers and assistant teachers were asked about the various components of the model and the influence the professional development opportunities had on their practice and classroom interactions. The results of this study support the importance of providing networking opportunities across sites and sharing usable knowledge and strategies that can be applied directly to their work with young children.

This study considered the facilitators and barriers of successful inclusion in Head Start classrooms by examining the perspectives and practices of instructional professionals. A cross-sectional survey design was combined with direct observation in inclusive Head Start classrooms. Survey data were collected from 71 Head Start instructional professionals in three Head Start programs. Observations took place in nine classrooms to examine the practices of 19 instructional professionals using an observation rating scale. Participants identified a lack of professional development as the greatest barrier to successful inclusion. Participants believed that their inclusion needs were greater than the inclusion supports available to them. Inclusive classroom quality varied significantly among different classrooms. Study findings suggested that the instructional professionals appear to be key to successful inclusion in Head Start settings. Additional professional development for Head Start instructional professionals focused on effectively enacting inclusion practices could support high-quality inclusion for children with disabilities.

Research Findings: In each of 16 public school classrooms serving multiethnic low-income neighborhoods, 2 first graders were assigned to be taught patterning, 2 to be taught reading, 2 to be taught mathematics, and 2 to be taught social studies for 15-min sessions 3 days per week for 6 months. Assignment within each classroom was randomized. The children's mean age was 6 years, 5.19 months. Patterning instruction included instruction on symmetrical patterns, patterns with increasing numbers of elements, and patterns involving the rotation of an object through 6 or 8 positions. In May, the 120 children still available were tested on patterns, reading, and mathematics. Patterning instruction had large, fully mediated effects on both reading and mathematics. There were no significant differences on some individual scales, but on others children who received patterning instruction scored best, often by grade equivalents of 4 to 8 months. Extant explanations of the efficacy of patterning instruction are reviewed, and the potential importance and limitations of its role in early education are discussed. Practice or Policy: Patterning instruction should be extended to more complex patterns than the alternations currently used in elementary schools in order to produce important improvements in both reading and mathematics.

A test of the effectiveness of patterning instruction was conducted with 140 first-graders. First, 383 first-graders from 20 classes were screened on a patterning test. The eight in each class who scored worst were given individual 15-minute lessons on patterning or reading or mathematics or social studies three times weekly for a period of 6 1/2 months. Test results for 140 children still available in May showed that the children receiving patterning instruction were generally superior on a patterning test. They also scored significantly higher on the Woodcock-Johnson (W-J) III Mathematics Concepts Scale 18A than children who received mathematics, reading, or social studies lessons. On the W-J III Mathematics Concepts Scale 18B, children who received either patterning or mathematics instruction scored significantly higher than those who received social studies instruction. There were no significant differences on the W-J III Applied Problems Scale 10, nor on three W-J III reading scales. These results suggest that instruction on understanding patterns can substantially improve 1st-graders' understanding of mathematical concepts. Such outcomes may be specific to the sort of children, primarily minority children from diverse ethnic backgrounds, who were participants in this study. (Contains 3 tables.)

Research Findings: A total of 72 Head Start children (M age = 53.26 months, SD = 5.07) were randomly assigned to 4 conditions. Some were taught the oddity principle (choosing the object that differs from others in a group) and seriation (ordering objects on a dimension and inserting new objects into such orders), which are forms of thinking that develop naturally at about age 4. Others were taught letters or numbers or were engaged in art activities in sessions matched in frequency, timing, and extent. Toy animals were used as props in lessons that scaffolded the children's learning. Preschoolers in the cognitive group improved their cognitive skills significantly more than the others and also became better than the numbers or art groups at identifying letters, as measured by the Letters and Words scale of the Stanford Early School Achievement Test 2. This indicates that with improved oddity and seriation skills, children profited more from lessons and letter sounds offered to all children by their classroom teacher. Comparable results were demonstrated for the oddity and seriation instruction and progress in counting and adding and subtracting objects as measured by the Woodcock-Johnson III Applied Problems scale. Practice or Policy: The content and procedures embodied in this research enable children who are economically disadvantaged to make progress in learning letters and in numeracy when enrolled in preschool. Brief periods of such activities for most of the school year may be an effective supplement to lessons on letters, letter sounds, and numeracy offered in preschool curricula. (Contains 3 tables.)

High profile documents in early childhood education describe Intentional Teaching (IT), yet little research has been undertaken to give specificity to the definition so that application is possible, for example, to determine and prioritize information to include in professional development, assess fidelity of the implementation of that professional development, and measure impact on teachers. Prekindergarten teachers in a community-based Head Start program participated in the study and were observed during large-group and centers/small-group activities. Three studies using mixed methods are presented. In 2 of the studies, experts together observed focus teachers with attention to coding all instances of IT. They then discussed their observations. Discussions were recorded and analyzed with grounded theory analyses. Features of IT were specified. The additional study used direct observations of teachers to assess their IT, comparing those given professional development centered on IT and a control group. Findings from the studies enriched and refined our understanding of IT and provided necessary features of IT. Application of the findings is provided. (Contains 3 tables.)

We examined the effectiveness of the Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) model of writing instruction with a self-determination training component for middle school-age students with emotional and behavioral disorders. We randomly assigned students to experimental or comparison treatments during which special education teachers provided the intervention. Students in the experimental groups received instruction on how to plan and write persuasive essays, were trained on self-determination skills, and were taught how to use persuasive writing to self-advocate. Students in the comparison condition received writing instruction with the established school writing curriculum. Instruction for both groups lasted 33 days, four days a week during 30-minute sessions. Experimental students significantly outperformed comparison students at posttest in all the persuasive essay-writing components assessed, in their ability to recall the parts of a persuasive essay, in the self-efficacy measure, and on self-determination knowledge. Experimental students were able to maintain gains in almost all writing measures and were able to generalize to content areas, although comparison students slightly increased in number of words. Student and teacher interviews revealed an overall satisfaction with SRSD procedures and the results. (Contains 1 figure and 3 tables.)

Meeting the challenge of program accountability is a goal for teacher education programs across the USA. In this context, achieving effective assessment practices that provide concrete evidence of program participants' knowledge and skills has become both an increasingly significant issue and a challenge to teacher education programs seeking to document the attainment of their program learning outcomes. This qualitative study examined the portfolio reflections of 51 teachers enrolled in an advanced master's degree program whose learning outcomes are aligned with the core propositions of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Using the four levels of reflection and a fifth level that emerged from data analysis, we examined the levels of development and change in teachers' reflections across the program. This analysis helped the researchers to determine to what degree teachers developed a reflection-based inquiry stance in their classrooms during the program. The study contributes new findings to the body of literature on the role and function of portfolios in teacher education programs seeking to document teachers' understanding and application of specific program goals and professional standards as a result of professional development coursework. As an authentic assessment tool, portfolio data (i.e., evidence such as the reflections contained therein) can provide an important lens for capturing teachers' approach to teaching and learning and provides insight into the complexity of professional development for practicing teachers. (Contains 1 note and 2 tables.)

A learning-set procedure was used to teach the oddity principle, insertions into series, and number conservation to 85 kindergarten children who did not grasp these abstractions. Control groups were given lessons in kindergarten literacy, numeracy, or art in sessions matched in timing and extent. The children who were taught the principles of abstraction early in the school year were a match in literacy at the end of the year for those taught literacy and a match in numeracy for those taught numeracy. They surpassed the literacy group in numeracy, surpassed the numeracy group in literacy, and surpassed the art group in both. This indicates that improving the children's mastery of the abstract thinking involved in oddity, insertions, and conservation facilitated a broad improvement in mastery of kindergarten material. (Contains 3 tables.)

Background: Children ordinarily begin their formal education at the age when the great majority of them are capable of understanding the role of addition and subtraction in changing number. In determining critical differences they can apply the oddity principle--the first "pure" abstraction that children ever develop--understanding that when all but one item are alike on some dimension, it is the relation between items, not their absolute qualities, which determines which belongs to a different set, i.e. is "odd". They are also capable of inserting items into a unidimensional series, a form of abstraction which develops a bit later. Children slow to develop such abilities often experience difficulty understanding classroom instruction in the first year of school. Purpose: The purpose of the research was to teach children oddity, insertions and conservation and compare their subsequent literacy and numeracy with that of children taught literacy and numeracy directly. All children develop oddity, insertions and conservation through unstructured interaction with the environment, but some do so belatedly, after patterns of school failure have been established. Is it worthwhile to spend classroom time teaching these thinking abilities? This research was designed to test whether teaching them produced better academic achievement than equal time spent teaching academic material. Programme: Teachers can use a wide variety of common objects to teach in an efficient and structured way the abstractions 5 year olds ordinarily learn less efficiently in their daily lives. This method, called a "learning set" approach, is easily applied by teachers or assistants without the need for special training. Sample: The participants were culturally diverse 5 year olds, generally of low socio-economic status, enrolled in five urban schools. Students from 25 classrooms were screened to determine whether they already understood the concepts which were to be taught. The final sample had 82 boys and 74 girls. Fifty-two were Hispanic/Latino, 36 African American, 33 White US born, 21 Mideastern, 7 East African, 3 Asian Indian, 2 West African, and 2 East Asian. Design and methods: In an experimental design, the children were randomly assigned to one experimental and three control groups. The former were taught number conservation, the oddity principle, and how to insert objects into a series. One control group was taught numeracy: recognition and identification of numbers, counting by 1s, 5s, or 10s, and other aspects of numeracy. Another control group was taught literacy: upper and lower case letters, letter sounds, rhyming and blending. A third control group was taught social studies: family structure and activities, the major senses and body parts, community resources, mapping and citizenship. The instruction was conducted from October through February. In May and June, the children were tested on oddity, insertions, number conservation, literacy and numeracy. Numeracy was measured with the Woodcock-Johnson III and literacy with the "Stanford early school achievement test". Research instruments were used to measure the cognitive concepts. Results: The children taught the three thinking abilities outscored the control children on tests of these concepts. They surpassed the literacy control group in numeracy and matched it in literacy, surpassed the numeracy group in literacy while matching it in numeracy, and surpassed the social studies group in both. Conclusions: Small group lessons on the oddity principle, insertions into series and number conservation may benefit kindergartners who lack these concepts. Mastery of these abstractions may enable them to understand academic subject matter which they would otherwise have difficulty comprehending. (Contains 3 tables.)

This paper reports the results of a study that examined preservice teachers' perceptions of which program experiences contributed to shifts in their culturally responsive dispositions and teaching practices. At the time of the study, participants were engaged in a teacher preparation program designed to prepare teachers to work with culturally, linguistically, socio-economically, and ability diverse young children and their families. The findings suggest that five types of experiences, interacting with each other, were instrumental in effecting changes in dispositions and teaching practices. The experiences included material resources, diverse internship experiences, interactions with diverse families, critical reflection, and discussion and dialogue.

With an increased emphasis on incorporating technology-based instruction into K-12 classrooms and an expectation that teachers will use technology to support their teaching, teacher educators are continuously challenged to prepare K-12 teachers to use new and emerging technologies effectively for learning and teaching (Ross & Wiseman, 2001). Although some teacher educators are preparing teachers who have the knowledge and skills to integrate technology into their classrooms, research indicates that graduates are not adequately prepared to teach with technology (Johnson-Gentile, Lonberger, Parana, & West, 2000; Strudler, Wetzel, Moursud, & Biefeldt, 1999). Recognizing the need for faculty development, universities across the nation were awarded funds through Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology (PT3) grants to provide faculty with opportunities to develop their own expertise in technology integration. This paper describes what happened at a PT3-funded university when three literacy faculty in different preservice teacher programs, Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary, were paired with practicing teachers to integrate technology into their literacy methods courses. The intention of this paper is to add to the findings of other PT3 projects in order to (a) provide insights into ways that technology has been successfully integrated into methods courses, specifically literacy methods courses, and (b) learn from preservice teachers' perceptions of the efforts to integrate technology into their teacher preparation program. (Contains 1 table.)

This paper reports the findings of a study that examined changes in interns' culturally and family-responsive dispositions over the course of a 2-year early childhood teacher preparation program that prepares teachers who are willing and able to work with culturally, linguistically, and ability-diverse young children and their families. Specifically, we studied shifts in dispositions about (a) building relationships with families, (b) feeling comfortable working with children and families with diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, and (c) being willing to implement culturally responsive and relevant curriculum and instruction. Qualitative methodologies were employed to examine the guiding-principles paper interns wrote at the conclusion of the program. Results of the study indicate that interns perceived that their attitudes toward and beliefs about families with cultures different from their own changed over the course of the program. They attributed these changes, in part, to their engagement in activities that involved home visits and gathering families' stories. The interns felt they gained a greater understanding of cultural diversity and changed some of their assumptions and biases as a result of spending time with families and getting to know their sociocultural context as well as their beliefs, priorities, and goals. The interns perceived that this intimate knowledge of families helped them provide culturally responsive instruction that took into account children's diversity and promoted cultural and linguistic continuity between home and school.

A test of the effectiveness of patterning instruction was conducted with 140 first-graders. First, 383 first-graders from 20 classes were screened on a patterning test. The eight in each class [...]

While a large body of research indicates that inclusive preschool education provides important benefits for children with and without disabilities, barriers to effective inclusion in preschool settings such as Head Start classrooms continue to persist. Although a large number of preschool-age children with disabilities are served in Head Start settings, with general education teachers tasked with including them in their classrooms, little research examines Head Start teachers' perceptions about inclusion. In this study, interviews were conducted with 21 Head Start teachers' regarding their needs and available supports to include children with disabilities in their classrooms. Qualitative analyses indicated that the teachers perceived the factors of attitudes toward inclusion; families; and teacher knowledge, skills, and practices as inclusion barriers. They considered the factors of classroom environment, materials, resources, and personnel and professional development to be inclusion facilitators. The participants reflected on a classroom-based inclusion framework in which they where responsible for implementing specific strategies to promote high quality inclusion based on a range of factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]