Designing and Implementing Sustainable Professional Development Programs: Embodied Curriculum and Instruction for Kindergarten Teachers

Chia-Fu Chang, Su-Chiao Wu, Yu-Liang Chang () and Lancelote Andy Chang
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Chia-Fu Chang: Department of Early Childhood Care and Education, University of Kang Ning, Taipei 114311, Taiwan
Su-Chiao Wu: Department of Early Childhood Education, National Chiayi University, Chiayi 621302, Taiwan
Yu-Liang Chang: Department of Education, National Chiayi University, Chiayi 621302, Taiwan
Lancelote Andy Chang: College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 17, 1-19

Abstract: Embodied design is a theory-to-practice and pedagogical framework and emphasizes the role of embodied and situated activity. Since embodiment has a powerful impact on young children’s learning, implementing embodied deign in kindergartens is essential and beneficial to their future mathematical learning and performance. Therefore, this qualitative study aimed to develop a professional learning community composed of eight kindergarten teachers and university teacher educators (researchers) and to co-construct a professional development model for curriculum design and instructional implementation of embodied design in mathematics. Accordingly, the main research objectives were to obtain a sustainable professional development model and summarize principles of embodied mathematics curriculum design and strategies for embodied instructional activities, which can be used both in practical settings (i.e., kindergarten and preschool) and early childhood teacher education programs in higher education. Data were gathered through participative observations, including PD meetings and classroom observations, in-depth and follow-up interviews, teachers’ lesson design and reflection notes, and children’s learning profiles, and then were analyzed qualitatively using a descriptive and explanatory approach with replication logic. Based on the data collection and analysis, two major sections of the findings and discussion were included in this report, which were as follows: first, a sustainable “task design professional development model” was generated for collaboratively future improvements of both in-service and pre-service teacher training programs in higher education; second, two principles of embodied mathematics curriculum design and two effective embodied teaching strategies were proposed to promote kindergarten teachers’ professional knowledge and capabilities and their young children’s mathematics learning capabilities.

Keywords: early childhood teacher education; kindergarten teacher professional development; embodied/embodiment; mathematics curriculum and instruction; young children (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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