Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/communities-of-practice-for-professional-development/5019020/
If you were to design a professional development system to significantly improve the practice of early educators, what components would you include? This is the challenge for many early childhood organizations including Head Start, AEYC affiliates, child care resource and referral agencies (R&Rs), and state Quality Rating Systems (QRS/QRIS). With our plethora of conferences, online classes, and workshop offerings, what have we discovered is most effective in moving our teachers beyond techniques into more reflective practices? I have my own thoughts about this, but I’m always eager to learn more.Teaching adults has been the primary focus of my professional work for several decades. Early influences shaping my teaching included the work of Brazilian educator Paulo Freire and those adapting his work around the globe, my involvement in the HighScope Training of Trainers program, and graduate studies at Pacific Oaks College under the mentorship of Elizabeth Jones. I carry a strong belief that we have to educate and care for teachers in a manner consistent with how we want them to treat children. This has led me to experiment with teacher education strategies based on social constructivism and critical inquiry, and, with Deb Curtis, to co-author a first book together, Training Teachers: ...