Preparing Early Childhood Educators for Democratic Classrooms in Don't Say Gay Times: How Course Readings Fall Short

• In Event: Fairmont Roundtable Session Eight
  In Roundtable Session: (Re)Centering Ecologies Toward Advancing Equity (Table 16)

Abstract

Professional literature in human development, social foundations, and academic subject area courses function as a major, but understudied, tool of instruction in teacher preparation programs. Sociocultural and critical theories of development overlap in this study to investigate the potential of common course texts to foster early childhood teachers’ proleptical identities as practitioners of education in a democratic society applicable to the equitable inclusion of LGBTQ+ families. Descriptive content analysis suggests the professional literature, including those on anti-bias education, social studies, child development, and children’s literature, pays insufficient attention to the democratic goal of a fully inclusive society. The presentation of same-sex parent families in the literature serves as an exemplar. Implications for teacher education are discussed.

Authors

• Patricia M. Cooper, Queens College - CUNY
  Presenting Author

• Erin M Casey, University of Oklahoma
  Presenting Author