Workshops and Forums
CC&F shares our research and knowledge of best practices at national, state, regional, and local events. Our conference presentations, workshops, and keynote addresses explore key issues in early education. Check this page often for announcements of upcoming presentations.
- Building Structures with Young Children
- Identifying Effective Strategies for Improving the Performance of Teachers and Students in Science
- Weaving the Strands: Effective Professional Development that Advances the Common Goals Within Universal PreK
- Engaging Children Through Research-Based Practices
- Assessing Pedagogical Content Knowledge: Lessons from a Science Program
- Perceptions and Values in the Latino Community
Building Structures with Young Children
Presenters
Ingrid Chalufour and Jeff Winokur
Date
February 11-13, 2008
Event
Institute sponsored by United Way Center for Excellence in Early Childhood
Location
Miami, FL
At this three-day institute teachers will learn to turn their block areas into science laboratories. They will learn about the science of building structures, how materials and design influence structural stability and what young children might learn about building strong stable structures. Through hands-on exploration, discussion, and video analysis they will gain new understanding of how to set-up the block area for science learning and how to support children's scientific inquiry. Participants will all receive Building Structures with Young Children, a guide developed at EDC, to teaching science through block play.
Identifying Effective Strategies for Improving the Performance of Teachers and Students in Science
Presenters
Dr. Nancy Clark-Chiarelli and Dr. Jess Gropen
Date
March 24, 2008
Event
American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting
Location
New York City
The researchers at EDC will present findings on its federally-funded project, Assessing the Potential Impact of a Professional Development Program in Science on Head Start Teachers and Children. We will present robust findings supporting changes in classroom quality as well as teachers’ knowledge of physical science content and science-related pedagogy.
Weaving the Strands: Effective Professional Development that Advances the Common Goals Within Universal PreK
Presenters
Dr. Nancy Clark-Chiarelli and Dr. Julie Hirschler
Date
March 26, 2008
Event
American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting
Location
New York City
This paper examines the effects of an empirically-based, credit-bearing professional development program, Literacy Environment Enrichment Program (LEEP), on teachers’ practices in one state. We will examine the findings from the first year of implementation of a four-year study. The selection of this state for this intervention was highly influenced by its coordinated effort to mediate the high level of poverty and its commitment to increasing the accessibility to high-quality preschool for all 4-year-olds through its universal PreK system—a system that unites what has been traditionally, very separate approaches to preschool education: Head Start, child care, and public PreK.
Engaging Children Through Research-Based Practices
Presenters
Dr. Nancy Clark-Chiarelli and Dr. Julie Hirschler
Date
May 6, 2008
Event
53rd Convention of the International Reading Association
Location
Atlanta, GA
Children enter school with widely varying vocabularies and those with the most restricted knowledge of word meanings find it difficult to make up this difference through later schooling. In this session we will present effective methods for introducing and reinforcing vocabulary in preschool and primary classrooms, including the contexts of book reading, curriculum activities, and conversations.
Assessing Pedagogical Content Knowledge: Lessons from a Science Program
Presenters
Ingrid Chalufour and Dr. Nancy Clark-Chiarelli
Date
June 8-11, 2008
Event
National Association for the Education of Young Children Professional Development Institute
Location
New Orleans, LA
As the demand for child outcomes expands into all subject areas, teachers' content knowledge and their pedagogical applications become increasingly important. This is particularly an issue in science. Many early childhood teachers struggle with both science content knowledge and the understanding of effective pedagogy for teaching science to young children. This session will define the term pedagogical content knowledge in a science context and engage participants in an examination of the ways presenters have assessed teacher knowledge and change in classroom practices. Specifically, participants will learn ways to assess teachers' instructional practices in the teaching of science through a classroom observation tool. In addition, participants will learn about the assessment of teacher knowledge of scientific concepts and pedagogy through a set of written performance tasks.
The session will be designed to highlight how the assessment techniques can be used for formative and summative research in a professional development setting.
Perceptions and Values in the Latino Community
Presenters
Dr. Costanza Eggers-Piérola
Date
November 16, 2007 – archived seminar available
Event
Teleseminar for PALMS Project
Location
http://www.palmsproject.net/tools/teleseminars.htm
The PALMS Project (Postsecondary Access for Latino Middle-grades Students) Teleseminar in November involved a group of Outreach Leaders and principals from 9 middle schools which are working to create or strengthen their outreach to Latino families with the goal of increasing the number of students to go on to postsecondary education. All these schools will all be using the PALMS Tools for Latino Family Outreach. Dr. Costanza Eggers-Piérola presented her framework of values, principles, and approaches for working with Latino families. For more information on her framework and the PALMS tool, see the website, Improving Access & Opportunity for Latinos in Early Childhood.
