The Practical Difficulties for Early Educators Who Tried to Address Children’s Realities in Their High-Stakes Teaching Context

Source: Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education, Volume 36, Issue 1, 2015, pages 3-23

This article examines the implementation of a professional development course for prekindergarten and kindergarten teachers that asked them to reconceptualize their understandings of their role in the classroom.

Examining how their practical conceptions were affected by their participation in this course revealed an eagerness to pursue lines of study with children that addressed issues central to children’s lives. However, transforming this conceptual willingness into practices within their highly structured teaching context seemed to be a more difficult task. Interpreting these findings generates three central points that teacher educators, early educators, and preservice teachers might consider in developing the practical tools needed to prepare children to be successful in their high-stakes schooling environments and local communities.