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This postqualitative inquiry explores the processes that occurred when a group of early childhood education (ECE) students and I engaged with and in pedagogical narrations over one academic term as we attempted to make visible and disrupt the hegemonic images of children and childhood we held. I worked with Foucault’s notion of power in this study to attend to those moments when competing material-discursive practices created tensions, anxiety, and contradictions in our thinking as the students and I explored new understandings of children and childhood. Barad’s theory of agential realism provided a framework for considering how pedagogical narrations function as an apparatus, that is, as an instrument that intraacts with organisms and matter, within a learning activity to produce disruptions and change in order for generative knowledges to be produced. Positioned within the reconceptualization of early childhood education (RECE), this research is significant in that it extends the reconceptualization focus beyond the early childhood classroom into the education of early childhood educators. Further, the project challenges education from an anthropocentric and logocentric understanding whereby the knower and the known are considered distinct entities in a pedagogical context. / Graduate / kkummen@capilanou.ca

The keynote speaker will invite participants to reflect on the conference theme: Engaging ALL Learners through Quality Early Childhood Teacher Education. Poster and Round Table Presentations will engage participants in discussion of scholarly work focused around the NAECTE conference theme.

Designed for those who work in the field of early childhood teacher education, this session serves as the spring conference for NAECTE. Explore the theme of leadership and global perspectives for early childhood teacher educators through a keynote presentation, paper and poster presentations, and dialogue among participants.

With the assumptions that we are all for social justice and that early childhood teacher education programmes need to take a stand on social justice and provide prospective teachers with the practical tools to work with children in early childhood settings, the author of this thesis conducted an instrumental case study aimed to illuminate a process of critical thinking towards conceptualising professional knowledge in teaching for social justice in pre-service early childhood teacher education in Colombia. The purpose of the research was to bring insights into how teacher educators’ views and understandings of social justice influence their pedagogical and practical knowledge with regard to preparing prospective teachers to work with children in Colombian early childhood settings. The inquiry was developed in three stages (an internet-based survey, focus groups and written accounts) and thirty teacher educators working in a university based pre-service early childhood teacher education programme, participated in the study. The findings showed that teacher educators’ views and understandings of social justice in early childhood teacher education were associated with global discourses of inclusion, child rights, equity and equal opportunities for All. These understandings were identified in explicit actions regarding equality, diversity and respect in early childhood education. The findings also showed that other views of social justice appeared to be embedded in local and particular understandings of equity and equality that revealed a dual perception of social justice manifested through implicit and silenced actions with regard to preparing prospective early childhood educators. These particular views which exposed intentions and sensitivity towards teaching for social justice revealed generative forces and synergies in the early childhood teacher education programme. Implications of this study suggest the influence of teacher educators’ views and understanding of social justice in their political, pedagogical and practical professional knowledge with regard to preparing early childhood educators to live on co-existence as ‘vivencialistas’ committed to be citizens in social justice working with children in early childhood settings.

In this article, Jeffrey Wood reflects on his teacher research project in his kindergarten classroom. Wood focuses on the value of critical literacy as seen through his work with Moses, a student in his classroom. Wood shows us how much we need to consider children’s points of views in early childhood literacy teaching. Wood describes how an important idea such as critical literacy—which involves creating literacy teaching that speaks to children’s identities and empowers them—brings us closer to the worlds of our children and to those moments of insight and learning for ourselves as teachers.

The purpose of this study was to better understand the impact experience and context have on the development of an early childhood education teacher professional identity. Using the Listening Guide (Gilligan et al. 2006), data were gathered and examined from interviews with three early childhood educators (ECE) currently teaching in a public school setting. Findings suggest that personal life experiences, teacher preparation, and career experience/contexts had a significant impact on the development of the teachers' professional identities. Examining when these early childhood educators committed themselves to the profession, and during which contexts and experiences they embraced early childhood tenets, provided important insight into how teacher preparation programs can bring forth candidates' past experiences for critical discussion to help preservice teachers make better sense of their developing early childhood teacher identity. Implications for provisionary teachers include support for navigating policy and societal influence in addition to day-to-day classroom teaching.

The purpose of this study was fourfold: to further our understanding of the effect of training on teachers' use of "bridging strategies"; to identify variables that influence teachers' use of the strategies; to explore the feasibility of using the Bridging Strategy Rating Scale (BSRS) as a feedback/evaluation tool for members of the child care and school community; to establish which strategies were least/most used. A series of two-way, 2 x 2, ANDV As, !-tests, and descriptive statistics revealed that training was partially effective in assisting teachers in their use of the "bridging strategies"; comfort with, clarity of concept, and simplicity, were identified contextual variables that influenced teachers' use of some of the strategies. T-test of control group's pretest and posttest mean score was statistically significant whereas the experimental group's was at a level that approached significance. Observing, validating, participating/conversing, managing/organizing/providing were the most used strategies and extending, problem initiating, role modeling and instructing were the least used. Interpretations and implications for early childhood teacher educators are discussed. / Ph. D.

The purpose of this research study is to identify teachers&rsquo / perceptions on the effectiveness of their teacher education programs in supporting their professional practices. The data to the study were gathered through semi-structured interviews with 17 in-service teachers working in public early childhood institutions in Ankara. The data were analyzed through the emerging codes and themes shaped by the research questions. The results indicated that the 1998 program the study intended to investigate was found to be relatively satisfying in terms of developing professional teach ing competencies. The major weakness was reported to be theory-oriented structure which did not allow for ample practice opportunities both in the courses and in the field experiences. Moreover, due to the infancy ages of the field, the contents of courses offered were perceived to be in line with the essentials of primary and elementary level which contradicts the necessities of early childhood teaching. The findings were further discussed and interpreted.

abstract: Arizona State University's (ASU) teacher education program has been restructured several times in the last two decades to train teachers to teach children more effectively by responding to their individual needs and learning demands. One of the reasons for restructuring was to respond to new licensing requirements by the State. To serve young children's needs, the state of Arizona required individuals working with young children to obtain either early childhood licensing or endorsement by January, 2009. Responding to these new requirements, ASU now requires student teaching in a preschool setting in addition to the existing Kindergarten to third grade student teaching and internship requirements. This study addressed the question of teacher preparation and self-efficacy based on this newly restructured teaching model used in the ASU Tempe teacher education program. The following questions guided this study: 1) What effects do beginning teachers perceive that their split-student teaching experiences have on their experience as a new teacher; 2) How do beginning teachers' prior schooling, educational, and personal background influence their current teaching; and 3) What role does home, family, and collegial support play as beginning teachers start their teaching career? A qualitative case study research method was utilized in this study. Two face-to-face, in-depth individual interviews and one focus group interview with three second-year and two third-year beginning teachers were utilized to understand their experiences in the program and in their beginning years of teaching. An analysis of interview data revealed beginning teachers' student teaching experiences partially fulfilled their need of having adequate in-classroom experience before starting their teaching careers; yet they highlighted some suggestions for student teaching assignments to better prepare prospective teacher candidates in the program. Moreover, they expressed both satisfaction and dissatisfaction toward courses taken in the program. Their statements also emphasized the importance of having effective mentorship in their student teaching and first year of teaching. Support from administration, experienced colleagues, friends, and family members were also acknowledged as highly valuable as they struggled with issues in their beginning career. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Curriculum and Instruction 2010