Teacher Discussion of Early Childhood Professional Development

Professional development is extremely important in helping early childhood teachers provide developmentally appropriate learning activities in a safe and educationally stimulating environment that addresses the needs of all children. At a recent staff meeting, a group of kindergarten teachers from Centralized Kindergarten North School in Indianapolis, Indiana, discussed the role of professional development in improving their classroom practice. This meeting was videotaped, and two segments of it are available for viewing.

In the first part of their meeting, the teachers discussed the importance of keeping an open mind about new educational strategies in order to improve classroom teaching and learning [5.8 MB QuickTime video]. Excerpted from a videotaped meeting at Centralized Kindergarten North (North Central Regional Educational Laboratory, 1999). (Note: Viewing this video requires the use of QuickTime 3 or QuickTime 4 software. To download a free copy of this software, go to QuickTime 4 and follow the instructions.)

In this segment, the teachers discussed the importance of staying current with the latest research and teaching strategies on developmentally appropriate practice in order to experience professional growth and expand one's philosophy of teaching. They noted the necessity of keeping an open mind and trying new, research-based ideas in the classroom. Even if a new concept or technique is outside of a teacher's comfort zone, it should be explored if it can be valuable to the children. They stressed the importance of understanding that although a new technique may not be applicable or successful in their current class, it may be valuable with future classes or even with the same class as the children mature during the school year.

Another concept they addressed was the importance of continually attending professional development activities, even on those topics in which they already felt they were knowledgeable. They emphasized that there is always more to be learned. Teachers need to build on their experience and knowledge as they continue their careers in education. Applying the information received from a professional development activity on emergent literacy, for example, will vary based on the needs of the class and the teacher's grasp of the material. These educators believe that teachers need to keep learning and be open to new ideas if they want to provide their students with positive learning experiences. They emphasize the importance of evaluating the worth of a new concept. Rather than trying an educational strategy merely because it is new, teachers should think about how it will benefit the children and themselves.

In the second part of their meeting, the teachers discussed the implementation of new ideas and strategies in the classroom [3 MB QuickTime video]. Excerpted from a videotaped meeting at Centralized Kindergarten North (North Central Regional Educational Laboratory, 1999).

In this segment, the teachers emphasized the importance of implementing new ideas or different approaches in the classroom as soon as possible after learning the skills through professional development activities. If such skills are not implemented soon after the seminar or workshop, they probably will not be used at all. One of the teachers addressed the problem of summer workshops by stressing the value of developing some lesson plans or activities for the new school year soon after completing the professional development activity.

The teachers again emphasized the importance of hearing about ideas more than once. For example, these teachers had participated in numerous workshops and inservices on early literacy. Yet the more they heard about this topic, the more they were able to expand their understanding of the research. Repeated exposure to a topic helps them to grow professionally. One teacher noted that the way she teaches today is different from the way she taught even five years ago. Teachers need to build on what they have learned through professional development activities. Participating in such activities gives many teachers a sense of affirmation that they are doing the right things in the classroom.