Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
Learning Stories and Teaching Inquiry Groups is a practical text focused on how ECE practitioners can establish teacher inquiry and reflection groups and integrate the use of learning stories to strengthen their assessment, teaching practices, and knowledge of child development. Drawing on relevant research and the authors' direct work with teachers, the book focuses on describing ways the authors have adapted the framework of the learning stories approach from New Zealand to specific US educational contexts via examples from several urban and rural ECE contexts. The book provides practical examples of novice through veteran early childhood teachers engaging and collaborating in onsite and cross-site inquiry and reflection with a focus on learning stories. This text will be useful for infant, toddler, and preschool teachers taking courses at the AA, BA, and MA levels, as well as teachers engaged in onsite professional development. This text will help early childhood educators learn to write learning stories as an observational and assessment approach to document young children's learning experiences and to deepen teachers' understanding of the role of narrative in linking child development knowledge with effective environmental design, high-quality curricular approaches, and socially and culturally inclusive relationship practices. The text will support early childhood educators' professional development through easily understood instructions and case study samples of inquiry work with learning stories through community of practice. Educators will learn how linking learning stories with regular, systematic forms of teacher inquiry, documentation, and reflection promotes a new image of children as holistic learners.
Synopsis
Enhance your professional development and partner with children and families to improve learning experiences in a range of early childhood settings and programs.
Learn how to integrate the Learning Stories approach and teacher inquiry groups to promote authentic assessment to inform instruction, and foster collegial team building and collaboration. The writing of Learning Stories integrated within the professional development process of teacher inquiry, documentation, and reflection offers a new model of professional support and a method for reaching out to children and families.
The Learning Stories approach is used primarily with children from birth through age 8, and educators in classrooms and programs, administrators, professional development specialists, instructional coaches, and teacher educators can benefit from this approach.
Within this book, you'll find
- Extensive examples linking Learning Stories and teacher inquiry groups
- Key ideas, strategies, and reflection questions
- Information on how Learning Stories can supplement assessment tools such as QRIS, DRDP, and CLASS
- Resources and approaches for starting your own inquiry group
An online study guide accompanies the book. (See inside for information.) Use this handy guide in a college or university course, your professional learning community, or your own book club with colleagues.