A Practical Guide to Early Childhood Inclusion: Effective Reflection - Softcover

Gruenberg, Ann M.; Miller, Regina M

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0132402793 ISBN 13: 9780132402798

Publisher: Pearson, 2010

Synopsis

Inspired by the upsurge of inclusion in early childhood, and the need to support practitioners who are working to effectively address the needs of young children representing a wide-range of developmental levels, this new book is d esigned to actively engage the practicing and pre-service practitioners in a participatory process of problem-solving regarding the inclusion of young children with developmental challenges in general early childhood classrooms.  Based on a developmental approach highly relevant for the inclusive model, the book supports that implementing appropriate strategies includes, but is not limited to, the knowledge of children's characteristics and developmental curriculum, and further deliberation on a child-by-child basis of those factors which appear to make a difference for each child.  A unique and distinct feature of the book is the reflective decision-making process, an ongoing assessment model which guides practitioners’ consideration of how each child responds to intervention. Practical Guide to Early Childhood Inclusion: Effective Reflection will be a beneficial guide in challenging and transforming the personal approaches of educators working with our youngest children with exceptionalities in general education classrooms, with the tools and knowledge necessary to succeed.

About this title

About the Author

Ann Gruenberg has been involved with early childhood personnel preparation for over twenty years, guiding prospective teachers to design and implement strategies for appropriate interventions when children have exceptionalities.  She has worked with young children in a variety of settings as well as publishing articles and making presentations at national and internal conferences for organizations such as the National Association for the Education of Young Children, the Division for Early Childhood, Council for Exceptional Children, the National Head Start Association, and the National Association for Early Childhood Teacher Educators. Her primary interests in experiential learning and supporting positive outcomes for children with neurological risk are enhanced through extensive community involvement.

 

Regina Miller has been involved in early childhood teacher preparation for thirty-four years.  She has worked with young children, undergraduate and graduate students.  She has focused on nurturing pre-service and in-service teachers to develop and implement inclusion classrooms.  She has presented papers at local, state, regional, national and international conferences, and has published numerous articles and a book on a variety of areas regarding early childhood and teacher preparation.  Her primary interests are in preparing teachers to work with the whole child and family in a variety of settings and preparing these teachers to be resourceful and resilient professionals.

From the Back Cover

For Practicum Early Childhood Special Education courses, Student Teaching for Inclusive Early Childhood Education, and Methods courses for either Inclusive Early Childhood Education or Early Childhood Special Education.

 

This textbook was inspired by the upsurge of inclusion in early childhood, and the need to support practitioners who are working to effectively address the needs of young children representing a wide-range of developmental levels.

 

Designed to actively engage the reader in a participatory process of problem-solving regarding the inclusion of young children with developmental challenges in general early childhood classrooms, this new text is based on a developmental approach highly relevant for the inclusive model. The premise of the text supports that implementing appropriate strategies includes, but is not limited to, the knowledge of children's characteristics and developmental curriculum, and deliberation on a child-by-child basis of those factors which appear to make a difference for each child.  An ongoing assessment model and consideration of how each child responds to intervention contributes to the reflective decision-making process for practitioners–a distinctive feature of this book.  Strategies and examples are provided in a range of curricular areas, and comprehensive resources are available throughout the text for flexible use by readers with their young students, especially helpful given the broad range of experience readers may have. Written for pre-service professionals and practicing practitioners, Practical Guide to Early Childhood Inclusion: Effective Reflection will be a beneficial guide in challenging and transforming the personal approaches of educators answering the call to work with our youngest children with exceptionalities in general education classrooms.

• The process-oriented approach woven throughout the text is supported by ample opportunity for readers to reflect on the content and critically think about the subject at hand. This highly-effective process guides pre-service professionals and practicing practitioners alike in transforming their own approaches to working with young children, further challenging their thoughts about the inclusion of young children with exceptionalities into general classrooms.
• A strong focus on application in every chapter is further supported by the inclusion of numerous case stories, vignettes, and other pedagogy that strengthens the relevance of the text content for readers, thus insuring a positive effect on their study of the subject, making the content more authentic and applicable for educators.
• Non-categorical approach based on patterns of development and characteristics supports practitioners' flexibility of thinking and is highly relevant for those working with young children who may be eligible through "developmental delays" rather than categories. The approach is prevalent in every chapter, with special consideration given in Chapters 6-9.
• Offers practical, research-based strategies that can be easily applied in the education setting. These strategies will appeal to pre-service candidates preparing for future work and practicing professionals who are currently working with young children in inclusive settings. Strategies for application are found in every chapter but are especially evident in Chapters 5-9.
• Focus on universal design for learning, throughout every chapter, provides a beneficial perspective that will address the needs of all children.

Edition details

• Publisher: Pearson
• Publication date: 2010
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0132402793
• ISBN 13: 9780132402798
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 288