An Invitation and a Dance: Preparing Our Students to Apply What They’ve Learned[1]

Conversation for Springfield College Colleagues

with Camille Catlett

Thursday, March 15, 2018

Defining Professional Development

National Professional Development Center on Inclusion. (2008). What do we mean by professional development in the early childhood field? Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina, FPG Child Development Institute, Author.

“Professional development is facilitated teaching and learning experiences that are transactional and designed to support the acquisition of professional knowledge, skills, and dispositions as well as the application of this knowledge in practice. The key components of professional development include: (a) the characteristics and contexts of the learners (i.e., the “who” of professional development, including the characteristics and contexts of the learners and the children and families they serve); (b) content (i.e., the “what” of professional development; what professionals should know and be able to do; generally defined by professional competencies, standards, and credentials); and (c) the organization and facilitation of learning experiences (i.e., the “how” of professional development; the approaches, models, or methods used to support self-directed, experientially-oriented learning that is highly relevant to practice).”

Resources for Examining the Form and Instructional Components of a Course or Program

The Blueprint Process for Enhancing Early Childhood Preservivce Programs and Courses1

The CEEDAR Center (Collaboration for Effective Educator Development, Accountability and Reform)

Learning to Teach: A Framework for Crafting High-Quality, Practice-Based Preparation

Suskie, L. (2009). Assessing student learning: A common sense guide. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Questions to Consider

What do you want your graduates to know and be able to do? To what extent does our sequence of preparation achieve that?

  • Graduate of the Future activity
  • How can you use the Graduate of the Future to examine your program?
  • How else can you use the Graduate of the Future?
  • Ambedkar University examples

What messages is your syllabus clearly conveying to your students?

  • Does each component of your syllabus reflect your values and priorities?
  • Consider a course self-assessment – Blueprint pages 16-18
  • Consider using a rubric – Blueprint pages 23-24
  • VT Early Childhood Rubric/syllabus review
  • Are your course outcomes/objectives consistent with your assignments and values?
  • Assignment-Alignment activity – Blueprint page 25
  • Do your assignments require students to show how they can apply what they’ve learned?

In what ways might you like to enhance your course? What would support you in doing that?

Tools and Strategies to Support Your Work

Personas

Videos

  • The Myth of Average

Early Childhood Sources (birth through Grade 3)

DOMAIN-SPECIFIC RESOURCES

Domain / A Sip / The Full Hydrant
Approaches to Learning / Two pages of FREE resources for families and professionals
Organized by child age, from birth to Grade 3
/ FREE evidence, print, audiovisual, and online resources
Each entry specifies the ages of children for which it is relevant

Creative Arts
Language
Literacy
Mathematics
Moving, Growing, Being Healthy
Science
Social-Emotional Development

CORE VALUES AND PRIORITIES

Topic / A Sip / The Full Hydrant
Family Engagement / /
Culture, Diversity and Equity
Children who are Dual Language Learners
Suspension-Expulsion
Inclusion
Play

Faculty Finds

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Past issues are archived in Portable Document Format (PDF) at

Vermont Master Classes

Master Class 1

Topic: Supporting Young Children and Families Who Are Racially, Ethnically, and Culturally Diverse

Presenters: Rosemarie Allen, Metropolitan State University of Denver (CO) and Camille Catlett

Master Class 2

Topic: Supporting Young Children Who Are Dual Language Learners and Their Families

Presenters: Susan M. Moore, University of Colorado, Boulder and Clara Perez-Mendez, Puentes Culturales

Master Class 3

Topic: Environments and Interactions that Support Diverse Young Learners

Presenters: Lori Erbrederis Meyer, University of Vermont and Camille Catlett

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[1]Handouts available at