In an ongoing search for new models to streamline college training and mentoring, a different training model was developed called the "Big Sister Model". This model was experienced for five years in the kindergarten training program at the Kay College of education in Israel. Within this model, two female students are trained in each…

A study was conducted dealing with biblical narratives recalled by Israeli students of early childhood education (ECE), explanations they give for their choice and the reflection of these explanations on aspects of their personal and cultural identity. This qualitative research employs case study. It includes an activity which was conducted…

This article presents a mixed-method study of the innovative "Senso-Math" preschool program and the reactions of both the facilitators, who underwent a special training program, and the preschool teachers in whose classes the program was implemented. The goal of the program is to enhance mathematical development in preschool children…

This article summarizes a study of the viewpoints of Bible lecturers in the Kindergarten Education Department while teaching content related to the biblical "other." The study, by two researchers themselves part of the study population, was conducted according to the qualitative approach and included interviews with participants from a…

This article adds to the existing body of data that demonstrates how the use of in-depth case studies that include social episode analysis can deepen the teaching students' and researchers' understanding of the perceptions and skills needed for Classroom Management (CM). In this article, CM is defined as a meta-skill that integrates cognitive…

Early childhood educators are increasingly being called upon to deal with emotionally charged topics, which include natural and manmade disasters, war, terror, death, and other traumatic events. At our teachers college, we prepare students to deal with a challenging issue, memory of the Holocaust, through a series of activities and workshops…

Poor nutrition is a major risk factor affecting proper development of children. However, there is limited knowledge about the way in which this subject is being integrated into professionals' work in early childhood education programs dealing with situations of children-at-risk. A study on this subject was conducted with 60 professionals who…

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…

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…