Critical Inquiry on Early Childhood Clinical Experiences: Developing Practices From Diverse Perspectives

• In Event: Moscone Center West Roundtable Session 2
  In Roundtable Session: Toward More Effective Field Experiences: Perceptions and Perspectives

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to report on a multi-year project undertaken by a team of early childhood teacher educators to critically inquire about clinical experiences of one early childhood teacher preparation program. As part of on-going program reflection and evaluation, we gathered data from diverse stakeholders (i.e., school administrator, collaborating teachers, pre-service teachers, university supervisors) about their perspectives of successful clinical experiences. Based on the data, we developed and implemented new practices to enhance clinical experiences while supporting diverse stakeholders, and then critically examined the challenges university teacher preparation programs face with current pre-service teachers’ clinical experiences.

Authors

• Sophia Han, University of South Florida

• Victoria Damjanovic, Northern Arizona University

• Jennifer Ward, Kennesaw State University