Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/intentional-and-embedded-professional-development/5019170/
Recently, much attention has been focused on the importance of intentionality when working with and teaching young children. Intentional teachers “act purposefully with a goal in mind and a plan to accomplish it” (Epstein, 2007, p. 4). In the intentional classroom, there is a synergistic partnership between the children and teacher. Although the teacher is actively involved in creating supportive environments and learning experiences, children in an intentional classroom also play an active role in the learning process. There is a purposeful balance between child-guided and adult-guided experiences. This balance is accomplished through a variety of teaching strategies that best encourages each child’s development and acquisition of knowledge. Just as our profession is becoming more purposeful and intentional about choosing the best strategies for promoting children’s learning and development, so should we exercise the same level of intentionality when creating professional development programs for early childhood practitioners.Intentional professional development
In order to be intentional about professional development, it is important to design training programs that reflect what we know about adult learning. Much of what we know about adult learning mirrors what is known about best practices in children’s learning. For example, both child and adult learning is most effective when:
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