General Features of Effective Professional Development

Professional Development Implications for Preparing Early Educators to Teach Mathematics

Martha Zaslow The research on early childhood professional development is burgeoning, and it is beginning to yield conclusions about features of effective professional development. This chapter asks the question: What from this growing body of work is important to draw on when seeking to prepare early educators to teach mathematics? The chapter concludes with the question of how efforts to prepare teachers in early mathematics can be informative for early childhood professional development more broadly.

The chapter begins by providing background on two reviews of the research on early childhood professional development that serve as the primary resources for this chapter. The chapter discusses six features of effective early childhood professional development that emerge from these reviews. Next, the implications of these features for preparing teachers to instruct young children in math are noted, including a cautionary note from the evidence on the status of early childhood professional development.

General Issues in Early Childhood Professional Development

Issues Specific to Early Childhood Math Professional Development

Resources Drawn on in This Chapter

This chapter draws on two reviews of the research on early childhood professional development. The first review, by Zaslow et al. (2010), was conducted as part of a project for the U.S. Department of Education, providing a cross-site evaluation of the Early Childhood Educator Professional Development (ECEPD) programs. The ECEPD programs were aimed at strengthening professional development of early childhood educators working in low-income neighborhoods.

The literature review, along with some of the findings of the cross-site evaluation, will be drawn upon in identifying key features of effective early childhood professional development.

Key Features of Effective Early Childhood Professional Development

The literature review conducted to provide a framework for the cross-site evaluation of ECEPD programs identified six features of early childhood professional development programs that appear to be associated with stronger practice.

1. Clearly Articulated and Specific Objectives for Professional Development
2. Direct Focus on Early Educator Practice
3. Collective Participation in Professional Development of Teachers and Other Staff from the Same Classroom, Program, or School
4. Alignment of Intensity and Duration of Professional Development with the Content Covered
5. Preparation for Conducting and Using the Information from Child Assessments
6. Consideration of Organizational Context as Well as Standards for Practice

Implications for Professional Development to Teach Early Mathematics

This section discusses the ways teacher preparation in the area of early childhood mathematics can build on the set of effective features. Key considerations include specificity of goals, calibration of dosage to goals, and the importance of practice-focused approaches over solely knowledge-focused approaches.

For Reflection and Action

1. Consider discussing the implications of research reviews on early childhood professional development in mathematics education with colleagues.
2. Assess whether there is sufficient focus on practice in your organization's professional development efforts.
3. Reflect on the effectiveness of coaching as a strategy for improving early childhood educators’ effectiveness.
4. Design a checklist to evaluate the current state of professional development efforts in mathematics in your organization.