Home » ExchangeEveryDay » No More Cookie-Cutter Approaches



ExchangeEveryDay Past Issues


<< Previous Issue | View Past Issues | | Next Issue >> ExchangeEveryDay
No More Cookie-Cutter Approaches
January 24, 2017
If you do only what you know and do it very, very well, chances are that you won’t fail... True failure is a mark of accomplishment in the sense that something new and different was tried.
-Twyla Tharp, Choreographer

"In early childhood classrooms we readily embrace the importance of individualizing instruction, but when it comes to the supervision, professional development, and performance appraisal of teachers, many programs rely on a one-size-fits all approach," observe Paula Jorde Bloom, Ann Hentschel, and Jill Bella in their book, Inspiring Peak Performance: Competence, Commitment and Collaboration.

"They use the same forms and protocols for individuals throughout the center, even if staff work in different age group settings and have different levels of experience or career goals. This cookie-cutter approach misses the mark. Being serious about creating a professional learning community means seriously considering the unique interests, strengths and needs of your staff and individualizing your approach based on those differences." 





Inspiring Peak Performance

Imagine what your program would look like if it were a true professional learning community – a place where teachers saw each new day as an opportunity to expand their competence and confidence and support one another in moving toward a shared vision of program excellence.

This book provides the power tools you need to help you build teacher competence, strengthen staff commitment, and expand opportunities for collaboration to make that vision come alive.

ExchangeEveryDay

Delivered five days a week containing news, success stories, solutions, trend reports, and much more.

What is ExchangeEveryDay?

ExchangeEveryDay is the official electronic newsletter for Exchange Press. It is delivered five days a week containing news stories, success stories, solutions, trend reports, and much more.

Gryphon House - Connect with Dual Language Learners.
Increase the efficiency and accuracy of your CACFP food program with Minute Menu CX! Start your free trial today.
Kohburg Early Childhood furniture makes Reggio Inspired preschool
furniture.  German quality, Green and safe for the environment. Designed and
built for the kids you love.  Visit us at www.kohburg.com


Comments (1)

Displaying 1 Comment
Adrienne Schoen gunn · January 24, 2017
Santa Monica College
Carlsbad, California, United States


I have to say that I agree that the Cookie Cutter approach just does not work in terms of most things that we do. Just as we individualize what we do for children is really how we need to approach the mentoring and support of the teachers and even the parents as how we learn, process and grow can be very different for the adults as well.

As a former director and current director mentor and college instructor who teaches the admin courses as part of her load,I hear so much from my students, many already degreed and working in admin, who feel like they are not sure just how to approach things so have done what was done for them- often what Bloom and others has been trying to move them away from.

We need to be just as gracious and flexible in how we treat the adult learners as we are with our children!



Post a Comment

Have an account? to submit your comment.


required

Your e-mail address will not be visible to other website visitors.
required
required
required

Check the box below, to help verify that you are not a bot. Doing so helps prevent automated programs from abusing this form.



Disclaimer: Exchange reserves the right to remove any comments at its discretion or reprint posted comments in other Exchange materials.