enhancing PRESERVICE programs to reflect cultural, linguistic, and individual diversity

a quality blueprint[1]

Camille Catlett
FPG Child Development Institute

  1. Background – The Crosswalks Project

Maude, S. P., Catlett, C., Moore, S., Sánchez, S. Y., Thorp, E., & Corso, R. (2010). Infusing diversity constructs in preservice teacher preparation: The impact of a systematic faculty development strategy. Infants and Young Children, 23(2), 1-19. 1

  1. The Blueprint Process for Enhancing Early Childhood Preservice Programs and Courses

Catlett, C., Maude, S., & Skinner, M. (2016, October). The blueprint process for enhancing early childhood preservice programs and courses. Unpublished manuscript. 1

Catlett, C., Maude, S. P., Nollsch, M., & Simon, S. (2014). From all to each and every: Preparing early childhood professionals to support children of diverse abilities (pgs.111-124). In K. Pretti-Frontczak, J. Grisham-Brown, & L. Sullivan, Blending practices for all children.Young Exceptional Children Monograph Series No. 16, Los Angeles, CA: Division for Early Childhood. 1

Blueprint Self-Assessment

Phase 1: Values Clarification

  • Partners
  • The Graduate of the Future

Phase 2: Course Deconstruction/Reconstruction

  • What’s the gist?
  • Instructional sequence
  • Assignment alignment

Phase 3: Program Deconstruction/Reconstruction

  • Field experiences
  • Program alignment
  1. Resources to Support Reconstruction

DOMAIN RESOURCES

Annotated collections of free evidence, print, audiovisual, and online resources are available on:

  • Approaches to Learning
  • Creative Arts and Expressions
  • Growing, Moving, and Being Healthy
  • Language
  • Literacy
  • Math
  • Science
  • Social Studies
  • Social-Emotional Development

CONTENT RESOURCES

Annotated collections of free evidence, print, audiovisual, and online resources are available on:

  • Culture, Diversity, Equity
  • Young Children who are Dual Language Learners and their Families1
  • Inclusive Practices
  • Expulsion and Suspension
  • Family Engagement

CONTENT & PROCESS RESOURCES

SCRIPT-NC

  • Resources, assignments, and activities for commonly taught early childhood community college courses
  • Resources for incorporating an explicit and intentional emphasis on young dual language learners, children with disabilities, and inclusion
  • 1-page resources for incorporating the DEC Recommended Practices and state early learning guidelines/standards

Faculty Finds

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  1. Try It Out

Sample Assignment:

Article Summary-Conduct a search of early childhood journal articles related to family structure today and/or experiences of parenting. Read and summarize four of the articles that you found. Include the following points in your summary for each article: 1) title, author, and publication date; 2) main points of the article; 3) your reaction to the article.

Questions to Support an Evolving Vision

Coursework

  • Does coursework provide students with opportunities to increase their knowledge of their own culture and heritage?
  • Does coursework provide learning opportunities and encourage dialogue and reflection about anti-racist and anti-bias curricula and approaches?
  • Does coursework provide opportunities to systematically learn about and from individuals who are culturally, linguistically, and ability diverse in ways that are not stereotypic?
  • Does coursework provide learning opportunities and encourage dialogue and reflection about the skills needed to work with dual language learners and to support home language maintenance?
  • Does coursework provide learning opportunities and encourage dialogue and reflection about culturally appropriate methods of interaction, assessment, teaching and intervention?
  • Does coursework engage students in activities in which they learn how culture, ethnicity, language, socioeconomic status, ability and other factors influence early childhood development and practices?
  • Does coursework draw upon families and their stories as a resource to the instructional process?
  • Does coursework provide opportunities for students to learn about evidence-based practices for supporting young children and their families?
  • Does coursework provide opportunities for students to practice evidence-based decision making?

Field Experiences/Practica

  • Do experiences occur in a variety of home and community settings serving young children who are culturally, linguistically, and ability-diverse and their families (e.g., homes of participating families, homeless shelters, Early Head Start/Head Start, WIC programs)?
  • Do experiences offer opportunities to interact directly with children and families who are culturally, linguistically, and ability-diverse?
  • Do experiences provide opportunities for students to collaborate with and learn from interpreters, translators and cultural mediators?

Program Practices

  • Does the program have diverse faculty and staff who reflect the diversity of the students in the program as well as the overall community?
  • Does the program have students who reflect the diversity of the overall community?
  • Does the program have strategies for recruiting faculty and students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds?
  • Does the program draw upon community resources (e.g., guest speakers, co-instructors, service learning opportunities) to support student learning and reflection about diversity?
  • Does the program create environments for learning in which differences are acknowledged, celebrated and respected?
  • Does the program offer supports (e.g., advising, mentoring) for culturally and linguistically diverse students?

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[1] This handout and other resources in it may be downloaded at