Field Assignment 02–13 Interviewing Practicing Early Childhood Education Teachers
Interview five practicing early childhood teachers with different levels of experience about their memory of their first year of teaching.
A teacher with 1–2 years of experience: ______
What is the strongest memory from the first year of teaching?
Do you recall a special event or situation?
What was the most exciting part of the first year of teaching?
What was the most difficult?
How did your second and third years differ from the first year?
A teacher with 3–6 years of experience: ______
What is the strongest memory from the first year of teaching?
Do you recall a special event or situation?
What was the most exciting part of the first year of teaching?
What was the most difficult?
How did your second and third years differ from the first year?
A teacher with 6–10 years of experience: ______
What is the strongest memory from the first year of teaching?
Do you recall a special event or situation?
What was the most exciting part of the first year of teaching?
What was the most difficult?
How did your second and third years differ from the first year?
A teacher with 10–20 years of experience: ______
What is the strongest memory from the first year of teaching?
Do you recall a special event or situation?
What was the most exciting part of the first year of teaching?
What was the most difficult?
How did your second and third years differ from the first year?
A teacher with more than 20 years of experience: ______
What is the strongest memory from the first year of teaching?
Do you recall a special event or situation?
What was the most exciting part of the first year of teaching?
What was the most difficult?
How did your second and third years differ from the first year?
List any comments that you can relate to the Survival stage that most first year teachers experience:
List any comments that you can relate to the Consolidation stage that teachers in the second and third years typically experience:
2. Ask an early childhood teacher with about 3–5 years of experience whether the following sources of support are helpful. Also ask how, when, and under what circumstances they might be especially welcome.
a) meeting colleagues from different (but similar) programs
b) attending workshops or conferences
c) reading professional literature
3. Interview three early childhood teachers with 10 or more years of teaching experience. Ask the following questions:
a) How did each one of the teachers use reflection to understand his or her own professional development through the years?
b) What has influenced changes in his or her teaching the most?
c) What is his or her mission in teaching young children?
d) How do the teachers view professional autonomy?
e) What are some helpful sources of ongoing professional development?
Write responses from each of the three teachers and create some conclusions about professional development for early childhood teachers.