Description:
Over a three-year period, 20 educators, who worked at a preschool in Hawaii serving two- to five-year-old children, participated in professional development designed to promote complex thinking among young learners. Six times each year, the educators were video-recorded while teaching to assess their use of strategies that facilitate complex thinking. Results indicated that across time, the professional development promoted teachers' use of strategies to promote children's complex thinking increased, and the trajectories of all teachers' strategy use increased at similar growth rates. Teachers who worked with younger children used the strategies to a lesser degree. Consistent with previous research on effective professional development, findings suggest the positive influences of professional development that goes beyond the 'one shot' workshop to promote the practice of new strategies, feedback, and reflection. (author abstract)
Resource Type:
Reports & Papers
Funder(s):
Country:
United States
State(s)/Territories/Tribal Nation(s):
Hawaii