Blended Practices for Teaching Young Children in Inclusive Settings

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Whether they graduate from general education programs, special education programs, or a program that blends both, most early childhood educators will be required to teach children with and without disabilities &; and document that all their students are progressing toward positive outcomes. This essential text is just what teachers need to face these tough challenges in inclusive classrooms. Bridging the gap between special and general education, this resource integrates knowledge about effective practices for teaching young children with and without disabilities into one comprehensive approach. Undergraduate and graduate students will find the explicit guidance they need to

• develop, implement, and evaluate a curriculum framework that incorporate children's interests and needs and promote their growth and development
• conduct authentic, meaningful assessments that directly guide teaching
• create classroom environments that set the stage for effective teaching and learning
• honor individual learning needs by tailoring instruction
• embed learning opportunities that address children's goals across daily activities
• actively involve families in all aspects of curricula design and implementation
• address challenging behaviors
• effectively monitor children's progress to inform practice

This core text is easy for students to use &; it's filled with visual aids such as tables, figures, and sample forms; vignettes and practical examples that illustrate key concepts and guiding principles; helpful summaries for each chapter; and dozens of learning activities that challenge students to test and expand their knowledge. Early childhood teachers will use this as a reference for many years to come as they blend best practices from special and general education, develop effective curricula for inclusive classrooms, and improve outcomes for all children.

Jennifer Grisham-Brown, Ed.D., is Professor in the Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education program at the University of Kentucky, Lexington. She received her doctorate in Education from the University of Kentucky. She is also Director of the Early Childhood Laboratory at the University of Kentucky, an inclusive early childhood program for children from birth to 5 years of age.

Dr. Grisham-Brown directs research projects on topics including linking assessment and instruction, early care and education program quality, and individualizing instruction for young children with disabilities. In addition, she has conducted research on the effectiveness of instructional procedures that are embedded into developmentally appropriate activities, use of distance learning in personnel preparation programs, and assessment strategies for students with significant disabilities. Dr. Grisham-Brown provides training and technical assistance through the United States on these topics.

Dr. Grisham-Brown is co-founder of a children’s home and preschool program in Guatemala City called Hope for Tomorrow, where she accompanies students for the education abroad program.

Mary Louise Hemmeter, Ph.D., is Professor in the Department of Special Education at Vanderbilt University. Her research focuses on effective instruction, social-emotional development, challenging behavior, and on coaching teachers.

She has been a principal investigator (PI) or co-PI on numerous projects funded by the U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services. Through her work on the National Center on Social Emotional Foundations for Early Learning and Institute of Education Sciences (IES)&;funded research projects, she was involved in the development of the Pyramid Model for Supporting Social Emotional Competence in Young Children and practice-based coaching, a model for supporting teachers in implementing effective practices.

She is currently the PI on on an IES&;funded development project on programwide supports for implementing the Pyramid Model, a co-PI on an IES developmental project on implementing the Pyramid Model in infant&;toddler settings, and a co-PI on an IES efficacy study examining approaches to supporting teachers in implementing embedded instructions.

She was a coeditor of the Journal of Early Intervention and President of the Council for Exceptional Children’s Division for Early Childhood (DEC). She received the Mary McEvoy Service to the Field Award from the Division for Early Childhood.

As the president of B2K Solutions, Ltd., Dr. Pretti-Frontczak extends her expertise in the preparation of personnel to a global market with the aim of improving the implementation of effective practices and services by those who work with young children with diverse abilities. She is a gifted speaker, strong applied researcher, and is known for creating solutions to complex problems. She has presented to diverse audiences in countries such as Singapore and Australia as well as to early education providers in virtually every state in the US. Dr. Pretti-Frontczak is a Past President of the Division for Early Childhood, was a professor at Kent State University for 16 years, and has worked as an early childhood consultant and trainer since 1990.