Teacher Preparation in Changing Times: One Program’s Journey Toward Re-Vision and Revision
Source: Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education, Volume 36, Issue 2, 2015, p. 175-192.
This article aims to describe a major revision process to the early childhood teacher education program at a 4-year university.
The authors describe their teacher education program as it was configured 2 years ago and as it exists today after major change efforts, highlighting the purposes and desired outcomes of these changes.
They have conceptualized this journey as both a revision of the program and a re-visioning process.
They focus on their attempt to integrate the intentions underlying policy and standards changes into their work in preparing teachers for the full range of early childhood program auspices, as well as for any and all of the children who are enrolled in them.
In particular, they emphasize the integration of coursework and classroom experiences to more fully prepare their teacher candidates for effective practice with dual-language learning young children and their families.
One result of this work, the authors hope, is the normalization of “difference” for their teacher candidates and the resultant disposition toward responsibility for educating all children.