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Put “Academic Content” in Early Childhood Education and Early Childhood Teacher Education: A Response to Hyson et al.

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dc.creator Elaine Surbeck
dc.date 2009-01-01T00:00:00Z
dc.date.accessioned 2015-07-20T22:12:46Z
dc.date.available 2015-07-20T22:12:46Z
dc.identifier 1524-5039
dc.identifier https://doaj.org/article/d9547b23187f43f89deada3e0d7c41ef
dc.identifier.uri http://evidence.thinkportal.org/handle/123456789/15496
dc.description Programs of teacher preparation in early childhood education have struggled with a lack of resources in nearly every area. As this and other articles attest, the numbers of potential teachers and teacher educators, particularly among minority candidates, have waned; the types of support (e.g., professional status, additional time for professional development, time and opportunity to conduct action and other types of research) are often lost in the name of managing teacher education programs with inadequate numbers of faculty. Financial backing for program maintenance and improvement has been low in many of our two- and four/five-year institutions. In addition, it is my belief that a broad, general focus on the many competing demands inherent in early education and care has contributed to a loss of a systematic focus on critically important content for prospective teachers and children alike. Given the new opportunities and the accountability ahead of us, we have a great deal of work to do. We are hampered by having too few teacher educators well prepared in research and who have sufficient depth of knowledge regarding key content-domain early educational practice. To this challenge, I want to elaborate on a few thoughts and recommendations. First and foremost, I believe that we must return to a clear emphasis on academic content in early childhood—both in our teacher preparation programs and in what we advocate that teachers do in their interactions with young children. Such emphasis can prepare children for success using methods that honor children’s developmental trajectories and cultural contexts. Second, we need to find more focused and strategic ways to work together, building on successful, research-based models already in place. I offer these thoughts on the basis of my own experiences, acknowledging that others may disagree or have far better ideas.
dc.language English
dc.language Chinese
dc.language Spanish
dc.publisher ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education, University of Illinois
dc.relation http://ecrp.uiuc.edu/v11n1/response-hyson2.html
dc.relation https://doaj.org/toc/1524-5039
dc.source Early Childhood Research & Practice, Vol 11, Iss 1 (2009)
dc.subject Early Childhood Education
dc.subject Teacher Education
dc.subject Program Quality
dc.subject Theory and practice of education
dc.subject LB5-3640
dc.subject Education
dc.subject L
dc.subject DOAJ:Education
dc.subject DOAJ:Social Sciences
dc.subject Theory and practice of education
dc.subject LB5-3640
dc.subject Education
dc.subject L
dc.subject DOAJ:Education
dc.subject DOAJ:Social Sciences
dc.subject Theory and practice of education
dc.subject LB5-3640
dc.subject Education
dc.subject L
dc.subject Theory and practice of education
dc.subject LB5-3640
dc.subject Education
dc.subject L
dc.subject Theory and practice of education
dc.subject LB5-3640
dc.subject Education
dc.subject L
dc.title Put “Academic Content” in Early Childhood Education and Early Childhood Teacher Education: A Response to Hyson et al.
dc.type article


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