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Keys to Teacher Effectiveness
December 12, 2007
One thousand days to learn; ten thousand days to refine.
-Japanese Proverb
-Japanese Proverb
"Of course, we would like teachers to be well educated," said Susan Landry, the director of the center (and a college classmate of Laura Bush), which came up with the approach being studied. "But families need to put their children in child care," she said, "and our approach is to try to come up with a model that gets the job done until we reach the day when we have the right kinds of salaries and the right workforce."
Not all educators agreed with Landry's conclusions:
Jerlean Daniel, deputy director of NAEYC: "It is hard to believe that a person with little or no educational background could be as effective as a trained teacher."
Marcy Whitebook, director of the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment, at the University of California, Berkeley: "The study might provide some creative ways to improve outcomes, but it doesn't answer the question of how to create an effective early childhood educator. When you switch the discussion to early childhood, you have to take into account that you don't have an accepted floor for preparation."
Check out the 63 different staff training tools �" our popular Out of the Box Training Kits �" and see which ones address training needs at your center. If you find 5 kits that you can put to use, you can take advantage of our current "buy 5 get 1 free" sale. Out of the Box Kit topics related to literacy and cognitive development include:
• A Joyful Journey to Literacy - The Great Debate
• Learning Through Music: The Support of Brain Research
• Recognizing the Essentials of Developmentally Appropriate Practice
• How Children Build Their Understanding of Numbers
• The Project Approach in the Early Years
• Learning Materials For Children of All Abilities
• Art for All Children
• Great Places To Be a Baby: Infants’ and Toddlers’ Learning Environments
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In the classroom, or on the playground, it’s portable, self contained and very affordable. Plumbing is NOT required. Have hot & cold running water when you need it where you need it. Ideal for hand washing with young children.
Comments (14)
Displaying 5 of 14 Comments [ View all ]Meritor Academy
North Andover, MA, United States
When there are two opinions, it amazes me how when a point should be well-taken and considered, it is replied to in the extreme to make the opposite opinion seem "right".
I don't believe Susan Landry meant that "a person with little or no educational background could be as effective as a trained teacher."
Jerlean Daniel will lose respect for her position if she sees a formal degree in ECE as THE ONLY way a person would be effective.
Excellent training and mentoring have produced wonderful effective teachers and strong results in child care for the most difficult and challenging groups of children. Their nurturing and WANTING to be in the ECE field speaks for itself.
I would hate to see small neighborhood child care centers close due to staffing issues and these same centers lose their NAEYC accreditation due to the lack of not having all staff be degreed teachers.
Houston, Texas, United States
It's interesting that Mary Ellen in Plano did not mention that the Texas Early Education Model (TEEM) coordinators and TEEM mentors have a sweet deal in Texas. They enjoy salaries ranging between $66,950.00 and $87,550.00 including benefits. Compare the TEEM coordinator/mentor salaries with child care providers who have salaries of approx. $8.00-$10.00 per hour. Of course the mentors will agree with their boss at UTHSC-H. It's in their best interest.
Mary Ellen did not mention the profitable on-line training program and CIRCLE PDA assessment program featuring corporate interests that benefit the university.
Please know that highly trained pre-k teachers with Bachelor or Masters level degrees do not rely on "worksheets."
Plano, TX, United States
I am fortunate to have a job as a mentor and trainer for early childhood teachers from a variety of programs. I have to agree with Dr. Landry based on my own personal experience. Teachers from all educational backgrounds bring with them different understandings of how children learn. A public school Pre K teacher may still think that children learn best through worksheets and direct instruction. A teacher at a Head Start may not have a college degree, but may understand that children need hands-on activities, and small group instruction based on formal and informal assessments. I believe one key factor is an understanding of best practice as it relates to the developmental level of the child. The results speak for themselves, and I have seen firsthand that a college education alone cannot determine the quality of teaching. At- risk children who are enrolled in childcare centers out of necessity deserve the very best we can offer based on the resources available. That is where mentoring and high quality training can be of great benefit in closing the achievement gap. All children deserve the opportunity to enter kindergarten equally prepared to be successful learners.
Springfield, MA, United States
Early childhood is like a puzzle and we must look at all pieces. Without an educated teacher, regardless whether she/ he has a higher education or teacher training an educated teacher makes a difference in the classroom.
Landry's conclusion seems to be one sided. When you take a child they can repeat what is being taught to them. But when you combine education with a quality teacher the education takes life and it will last a lifetime.
LAUnified Schools
Chatsworth, La., United States
I agree partly with Rebecca one needs education. Martie also has a good point life is a teacher, we are always learning.
I'm about to graduate with an AA in child development I'm carring a 3.9 GPA so far. Math for transfer might kill that. My point: What we learn in schools isn't always what we need in life. Sometimes it's a waste of time. I learned more in the L.D. classroom that I work in daily. Last year I worked in an E.D. class, it was tramatic for me, the violence in these children was beyond me. But I learned a new language, the non-trigger language to downplay what was actually happening in the class. So experience is the best teacher; but the educational part is bound with the experience to make it a whole. Schooling alone is not enough, experience alone is not sufficient. There has to be an understanding of what you are doing and why. Most important how do you deal with it. I'm not just talking E.D or L.D I'm talking all children, they all have special needs. Abandonment of family is todays pain in the family. No time for the children. Thank you.
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