Developed by Deb Curtis, Debbie Lebo, Wendy Cividanes, and Margie Carter

Reflecting with a Thinking Lens: A Workbook for Early Childhood Educators

At a time when so much energy is focused on standardizing education, a new workbook, Reflecting with a Thinking Lens is designed to cultivate creative, critical, and reflective thinking in early childhood teachers.

Whether you are an early childhood teacher, administrator, or teacher educator, this little workbook will support your understanding of the value and key elements of reflective teaching. With practical guidelines and examples, it introduces a model for professional reflection using communities of practice, critical friends, and protocols.

In full color, the workbook includes ten study sessions developed for small groups of early childhood teachers working as a community of practice. Guided activities around selected topics and child observations will help teachers heighten their self-awareness, strengthen their images of children, examine the details of the teaching and learning environment, and challenge themselves with new perspectives.

STUDY SESSION TOPICS
- Examining Your Values
- Considering Your Image of Children
- Engaging Environments for Children
- Negotiating the Use of Power
- Delighting in Children's Perspectives
- Investigating Materials
- Seeing Children's Eagerness for Relationships
- Studying Learning in Children's Play
- Collaborating Across Different Perspectives
- Assessing Your Disposition Toward Risk Taking