Abstract
Reframing the preparation of early childhood educators from “training” to an induction into a profession of practice, this chapter outlines a blueprint for such a paradigm shift. Induction involves embedded structures and opportunities for preservice early educators to develop as professionals, including core foundational knowledge about child development as well as apprenticeship in practice. Professionalizing the field is grounded in early educators' deep understanding of the child's sociocultural milieu and the implications for development and learning. Further, to mitigate the effects of trauma that has become emblematic of the recent pandemic, aspiring early educators need explicit instruction and support as they co-construct the profession within their courses, field experiences, and co-curricular activities.
TopBackground: Early Childhood Educators
In recent years early childhood education, especially birth to kindergarten, has gained national attention as a critical issue for communities. Concern for young children and their families spans a range of complex issues: school preparedness; quality of programs available and their affordability, especially for those in underserved communities; as well as health and safety. The critical need for highly-qualified individuals to support children and families as they navigate the effects of trauma occurring as the result of the COVID-19 global pandemic has further amplified the essential work of early childhood educators. The spotlight has shone on early childhood care and education from institutions, public policy initiatives, community and family resources, and yet, a single factor remains that has been identified as being most important for young children’s success: Teachers (Hyson, 2003; Hedges, 2006).
Early childhood education professionals must deftly respond to the complex and unique needs of children and families in evolving contexts, necessitating an expansion and enhancement of the preparation of preservice educators. Strong and intentional orientation, apprenticeship and induction into the field of early childhood education empowers future early childhood educators to become agents of change who are able to nimbly respond to the learning and developmental environments in which they work. In addition to core foundational knowledge of child development, apprenticeship within a field of practice affords emerging professionals with opportunities to develop theoretical understandings as they apply, adapt, create, re-imagine and further develop the profession of early childhood education within an authentic environment. Professionalizing the field provides future and current educators with a deep understanding of the child’s sociocultural milieu and the implications for development and learning. This, however, is not enough. The preparation of early childhood educators must be reframed from a paradigm of “training” to one of “induction” to a profession of practice.
This need becomes even more apparent as schools and early learning environments prepare to return to exclusively in-person operations. With this return, the burden of readiness and preparedness to meet spaces that have become even more complex shifts to the educators within them. Early educators must be equipped with skills of trauma-informed care as well as practices that are grounded in culturally-sustaining pedagogy (Paris, 2012). To develop the knowledge, skills, and competencies required for mitigating the effects of trauma emblematic of the recent pandemic, emerging educators need explicit instruction and support. Similarly, intentional efforts are called for to assist early educators in developing mindsets that enable them to meet the challenges experienced by early learners navigating the cultural dissonances they experience when they leave their home environment and engage in a new learning one. This movement from monocultural and deficit ways of thinking, being and doing, to those which embrace the funds of knowledge all bring to learning spaces (Moll, 2019) is demanded to ensure that the cultural and developmental needs of all learners are met.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Apprenticeship: Apprenticeship is designed to help developing teachers become more reflective and skilled instructors, informed by the research on teaching and learning in higher education and related to pedagogical best practices.
Lev Vygotsky: Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934) AU23: The in-text citation "Vygotsky (1896-1934)" is not in the reference list. Please correct the citation, add the reference to the list, or delete the citation. was a Russian teacher who is considered a pioneer in learning in social contexts. As a psychologist, he was also the first to examine how our social interactions influence our cognitive growth. He was convinced that learning occurred through interactions with others in our communities: peers, adults, teachers, and other mentors.
Preservice Educator: The pre-service educator is defined as the student enrolled in a teacher preparation program who must successfully complete degree requirements including course work and field experience before being awarded a teaching license.
National Association For The Education of Young Children (NAEYC): The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is a professional membership organization that works to promote high-quality early learning for all young children, birth through age 8, by connecting early childhood practice, policy, and research.
Jerome Bruner: An American psychologist and educator who developed theories on perception, learning, memory, and other aspects of cognition in young children that had a strong influence on the American educational system and helped launch the field of cognitive psychology.
Educator Preparation: Educator Preparation means a planned sequence of academic courses and experiences leading to a recommendation for licensure by the State Board.
Professional Standards: Professional Standards identify characteristics of professional learning that are most likely to support educators in building individual and collective capacity to meet professional, school, and student performance expectation.
Co-Teaching Model: Co-teaching involves two or more professionals who contract to share instructional responsibility for a single group of students primarily in a single classroom or workspace for specific content or objectives with mutual ownership, pooled resources, and joint accountability.