Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/future-directions-for-ec-teacher-educators-10-principles/5019106/
In this two-part series, my task is to draw out some themes from the Working Forum for Teacher Educators, held in Auckland, New Zealand on April 30 - May 2, 2008. Earlier I identified ten concerns relating to future directions in early childhood teacher education. In this present paper, I suggest ten principles for early childhood teacher education programs. Principles are important, for they keep us grounded.1. Early childhood teacher education honours the whole person
Early childhood education espouses the importance of attending to the whole person. To honour the whole person means beginning with the whole teacher �" appreciating, valuing, and nurturing. An important task we have as teacher educators is to ensure that our student teachers are honoured as people who have different beliefs, dispositions, values, interests, and experiences. When we begin by honouring who they are as ‘whole’ people, then we can allow them the grace to be who they are as teachers, and not who we want to shape them into being.
2. Early childhood teacher education welcomes the full expression of diversity
Diversity obviously encompasses gender, but also includes appreciating the fullness of ability and capability, as well as ethnic diversity, and of allowing for the full, unimpeded expression of one’s ...