This research analyzes the attitudes of teachers, children, and parents toward artwork in Israeli kindergartens and the role this attitude plays in the reproduction theory of social status. This micro-ethnographic field research was carried out in two kindergartens. The teacher and the majority of parents of Kindergarten A concurred with the…

The purpose of the study was to examine beliefs about teaching and teachers of Israeli-Bedouin students before and during their training period. The study is based on Kagan's (1992) theoretical model, which views teachers' professional development as taking place through reciprocity between students' personal school memories and the training…

The two-year Early Childhood Training Course for Bedouin Educators is designed to provide Bedouin teachers for Bedouin kindergarten children. The course was developed to alleviate problems arising from a situation in which Bedouin kindergarten children were taught by non-Bedouins who did not understand Bedouin dialect, who were unfamiliar with…

Whereas much research attention has been given to the induction stage of beginning schoolteachers worldwide, there is a limited knowledge base on the experiences of new kindergarten teachers at this stage, despite the different work tasks and contexts of both groups of teachers. Based on semi-structured interviews with 15 Israeli kindergarten…

The purpose of this study is to: (1) identify and assess perceived professional needs of kindergarten teachers; (2) identify perceived professional needs, organizational factors and teachers' characteristics which significantly discriminate between "satisfied teachers" vs. "dissatisfied teachers"; and (3) assess their relative…

This paper discusses how kindergarten children and their teachers "perform" in kindergartens and how they "account" for their actions. Reported are conclusions from a series of three studies carried out in 15 Israeli kindergartens. Data for the first two studies were collected in non-participant observations, audio-recordings,…

This research focuses on attitudes toward artwork reflected in the official curriculum and pedagogical material in Israeli kindergartens, and the role this attitude plays in the reproduction of the class structure--specifically, the different institutional approaches to artwork in the kindergarten and the reproduction of cultural capital. This…

This paper reports on the implementation and informal evaluation of Project HEVRA--a cross-cultural inservice education program provided to supervisor/advisers of kindergarten teachers in Israel. Through inservice seminars initiated by an American consultant in conjunction with Israeli counterparts and through a series of monthly meetings,…

Finds the acoustical environment of kindergartens to be a compound product of teacher-pupil-object activity with a thrust that may undermine educators' intentions. Observes that teachers working with an integrated pedagogical code must make their perceptions visible and hearable. Finds that uncontrolled sound does not foster teacher-student…

Presents and evaluates a model for group mental health consultation with teachers in which sessions are organized around mental health issues rather than cases. The rationale and advantages of the model are explicated and the different roles of the consultant during the session and the variety of techniques employed are described. (Author/KS)

In the past two years, the Department of Early Childhood Teacher Education at Towson State College has completed phases of program development in studies abroad in four countries--England, Israel, Mexico, and Australia. An essential element of the program is a strategy of progressive development. It is characterized by a preparatory phase in which…

A 5-month program conducted in Israel for persons active in early childhood education is described in this report. The program, designed to present an overall view of early childhood education, was tailored to the experience and background of participants. Lectures were devoted to such topics as child psychology, teaching methods, curriculum…