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Supporting Prekindergarten Teachers Through Appropriate Professional Development Practices

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Date Issued:
2016
Abstract/Description:
The problem of practice that this dissertation in practice addresses is the creation of a professional development model designed to assist voluntary prekindergarten (VPK) teachers and directors with the implementation of the 2011 Early Learning and Developmental Standards for Four-Year-Olds; specifically the mathematical thinking benchmark. Because the standards serve as a planning guide to assist teachers and directors of VPK children in the attainment of skills required by the end of their prekindergarten school year, it is important that those utilizing the Standards have a concrete understanding of their components and how to use them as the foundation for all lesson planning. The pilot study included informal interviews with both VPK teachers and directors concerning their understanding of the 2011 Early Learning and Developmental Standards for Four-Year-Olds and the assistance they received with the implementation of the standards into their daily lesson plans. An additional survey was administered electronically to a target group of VPK teachers and directors concerning their personal beliefs about preschoolers and mathematics, their confidence in helping preschoolers learn mathematical concepts, and their confidence in their personal mathematics abilities.This dissertation in practice provides a professional development framework, that demonstrates how to facilitate a comprehensive professional development program that addresses all of the essential components including pre-assessment, the use of appropriate practices when working with adult learners, providing coaching and technical assistance to the practitioners, and using communities of practice (CoP) to provide ongoing support for teachers and directors of VPK children. Utilizing a combination of these strategies can help to ensure that those working with this targeted group have an inclusive understanding of the standards as well as a support system to effectively provide VPK students with a developmentally appropriate education.
Title: Supporting Prekindergarten Teachers Through Appropriate Professional Development Practices.
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Name(s): Twyman, Catherine, Author
Hopp, Carolyn, Committee Chair
Vitale, Thomas, Committee CoChair
Boote, David, Committee Member
Culp, Anne, Committee Member
Englehart, Deirdre, Committee Member
University of Central Florida, Degree Grantor
Type of Resource: text
Date Issued: 2016
Publisher: University of Central Florida
Language(s): English
Abstract/Description: The problem of practice that this dissertation in practice addresses is the creation of a professional development model designed to assist voluntary prekindergarten (VPK) teachers and directors with the implementation of the 2011 Early Learning and Developmental Standards for Four-Year-Olds; specifically the mathematical thinking benchmark. Because the standards serve as a planning guide to assist teachers and directors of VPK children in the attainment of skills required by the end of their prekindergarten school year, it is important that those utilizing the Standards have a concrete understanding of their components and how to use them as the foundation for all lesson planning. The pilot study included informal interviews with both VPK teachers and directors concerning their understanding of the 2011 Early Learning and Developmental Standards for Four-Year-Olds and the assistance they received with the implementation of the standards into their daily lesson plans. An additional survey was administered electronically to a target group of VPK teachers and directors concerning their personal beliefs about preschoolers and mathematics, their confidence in helping preschoolers learn mathematical concepts, and their confidence in their personal mathematics abilities.This dissertation in practice provides a professional development framework, that demonstrates how to facilitate a comprehensive professional development program that addresses all of the essential components including pre-assessment, the use of appropriate practices when working with adult learners, providing coaching and technical assistance to the practitioners, and using communities of practice (CoP) to provide ongoing support for teachers and directors of VPK children. Utilizing a combination of these strategies can help to ensure that those working with this targeted group have an inclusive understanding of the standards as well as a support system to effectively provide VPK students with a developmentally appropriate education.
Identifier: CFE0006407 (IID), ucf:51463 (fedora)
Note(s): 2016-08-01
Ed.D.
Education and Human Performance, Teach Learn and Ldrshp, Schl of
Doctoral
This record was generated from author submitted information.
Subject(s): Voluntary Prekindergarten -- Professional Development -- Early Learning and Developmental Standards for 4-Year-Olds
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006407
Restrictions on Access: public 2016-08-15
Host Institution: UCF

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