Nancy File

A Comparison of Early Childhood and Elementary Education Students' Beliefs about Primary Classroom Teaching Practices.

Abstract Two professional preparation paths lead to teaching positions in the lower primary grades; their different histories and emphasis result in potentially conflicting paradigms. We examined the viewpoints of 119 pre-service teachers who were either at the beginning or near the end of their programs in early childhood (ECED) or elementary education (ELED). They completed a survey of their beliefs about primary classroom practices. ECED students, compared to ELED students, favored practices more consistent with the constructivist nature of National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) guidelines in several areas, including teaching strategies, expectations of the children, assessment strategies, and teacher- and child-directed activities. One significant difference was found between beginning students and student teachers, with student teachers favoring more frequent use of less developmentally appropriate behavior management strategies.

Grappling With Big Ideas: The Process of Program Improvement

The process for change undertaken by one early childhood teacher preparation program is described. While the changes were spurred in part by increasing emphases on standards and assessment systems, faculty noted concerns with how this framed the program and with how students negotiated learning in this system. After describing these concerns, the approach to change, utilizing the concept of big ideas, is discussed.

Teacher Preparation in Changing Times: One Program's Journey toward Re-Vision and Revision.

The purpose of this paper is to describe a major revision process to the early childhood teacher education program at our 4-year university. We briefly outline the major policy and standards changes that we have witnessed impacting our work as early childhood teacher educators that were, in part, the impetus for our program changes. We describe our teacher education program as it was configured 2 years ago and as it exists today after major change efforts, highlighting the purposes and desired outcomes of these changes. We have conceptualized this journey as both a revision of the program and a re-visioning process. We focus on our attempt to integrate the intentions underlying policy and standards changes into our work in preparing teachers for the full range of early childhood program auspices, as well as for any and all of the children who are enrolled in them. In particular, we emphasize the integration of coursework and classroom experiences to more fully prepare our teacher candidates for effective practice with dual-language learning young children and their families. One result of this work, we hope, is the normalization of “difference” for our teacher candidates and the resultant disposition toward responsibility for educating all children.

Identifying and Addressing Challenges to Research in University Laboratory Preschools

Research Findings: This essay offers a review of challenges that university laboratory preschools face in providing a site for research that fits with other components of the program mission. An argument is made to consider paradigm shifts in research questions and methods that move away from traditions within the fields that study childrens development. The close analysis of teaching and learning are ideally suited to the university laboratory preschool. Practice or Policy: Suggestions for meeting challenges relative to addressing reluctance from teachers and children for research participation and ensuring that the setting provides a realistic and authentic model for generating useful research are discussed.