Newswise — "This is the first year I have had so many children recognizing most of their alphabets and sounds so early in the year. Your literacy program has really benefited my classroom!"
That's just one of many teachers' responses to an innovative professional development program for preschool teachers developed at the University of Virginia Curry School of Education. Called "My Teaching Partner," the program provides teachers with individualized, sustained support through a dynamic interactive Web site. The Web site provides resources and activities that improve children's language and literacy skills and promote social relationships. Research associate Bridget Hamre will talk about how the program was implemented and the success of teachers' participation at the annual American Educational Research Association meeting in San Francisco on April 8.
Through MTP, funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, 300 pre-kindergarten teachers from 40 school districts across Virginia were given the computers, video camera, software and training to have access to a secure Web site and are receiving one of three levels of support.
The Web site includes a video library with more than 200 demonstrations, teaching tips and examples of high quality teaching. The video resources and definitions of quality teaching and implementation are based directly on the Classroom ,Assessment Scoring System, a validated observational tool that has been shown to predict children's development.
"We're trying to improve the classrooms where the children spend their time," said Hamre. The impetus for the program came from another NICHD study of early education at U.Va. that showed poor quality of instruction and classroom environment, she said. Preschools vary widely, with some conducted in elementary schools, churches or day care centers.
The teachers taking part in MTP are divided into three groups. One group has access to the MTP curriculum, which includes lesson plans and learning activities, and another has access to that plus video-based teaching tips and a self-evaluation process. Hamre will focus her presentation on the third group receiving the most support. In addition to receiving all materials available to the other two groups, these 79 teachers work with consultants who have expertise in early childhood education.
The teachers videotape themselves in their classrooms and then send that to their consultant who analyzes their practices and sends it back with suggestions for improvement. They continue regular contact by videoconferencing back and forth. This support is individualized to the teacher's needs and based on the teacher's observed professional practice.
Hamre said teacher feedback thus far has been overwhelmingly positive. It took a while for some to get used to the technology, but the teachers say they feel supported and have been able to form good relationships with their consultants, she said.
MTP was developed by a multidisciplinary team of educators at the Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning. CASTL is the brainchild of Robert C. Pianta, Novartis Professor of Education in the Curry School of Education and the program's director.
"Our goal is to work with pre-kindergarten teachers to create a model for their professional development that emphasizes the quality of their interaction with children, particularly those considered at risk for poor performance in school," he said.
Children in classrooms of participating teachers will be evaluated for their progress in language, literacy and social relationships at the end of their preschool year and again in kindergarten and first grade.
For more information about MTP, visit the Web site at: http://www.myteachingpartner.net.
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