ERIC Number: EJ916624
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2009
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1547-1888
EISSN: N/A
Critical Reflections on Working with Diverse Families: Culturally Responsive Professional Development Strategies for Early Childhood and Early Childhood Special Educators
Maude, Susan P.; Hodges, Lisa Naig; Brotherson, Mary Jane; Hughes-Belding, Kere; Peck, Nancy; Weigel, Cindy; Sharp, Lisa
Multiple Voices for Ethnically Diverse Exceptional Learners, v12 n1 p38-53 Fall 2009
Professional development that focuses on supporting teachers' abilities to work with diverse families is keenly needed. This article outlines three instructional strategies and how they were used with undergraduate students in an inclusive early childhood teacher education program: (a) involving diverse family members as instructional supports; (b) performance of family scenarios; and (c) examining diverse families in popular media. These strategies, undergirded by the importance of critical reflection, have been implemented as part of a statewide preservice teacher education initiative in Iowa. Program evaluation data provide preliminary evidence of their potential to foster the development of necessary cultural dispositions for future teachers to meet the growing diversity among children and families. (Contains 1 table and 1 note.)
Descriptors: Undergraduate Study, Teacher Education Programs, Program Evaluation, Young Children, Special Education Teachers, Professional Development, Student Diversity, Culturally Relevant Education, Faculty Development, Preschool Teachers, Early Childhood Education, Teacher Competencies, Inclusion, Mainstreaming, Family Involvement, Vignettes, Mass Media, Reflection, Program Effectiveness, Teamwork, Interdisciplinary Approach, Cultural Pluralism
Division for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Learners, Council for Exceptional Children. 1110 North Glebe Road Suite 300, Arlington, VA 22201. Tel: 888-232-7733; Fax: 703-264-9494; e-mail: multiplevoices1@austin.utexas.edu; Web site: http://www.cec.sped.org/ddel
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Iowa
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A