The ELC: An Early Childhood Learning Community at Work

Reviewed by Amanda Sullivan, Associate Lecturer, Southern Illinois University Carbondale on 3/21/25

Comprehensiveness rating: 3 see less

The case studies mainly come from the same setting, which does not encompass all of the early childhood field. I would like to see this approach to addressing challenges in field experiences for students across more age groups and settings.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The book makes many references and includes information from NAEYC.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

The case studies in the text show themes and challenges that have existed a long time and make connection to resources that can be used by educators. Articles that are more recent could easily be added and if different case studies were highlighted there would not be much trouble in finding appropriate articles to support them in the same manner.

Clarity rating: 4

At times I feel there is too much given in terms of context. It was a lot to read through to get to the "meat" of the case studies. I understand the information is necessary when considering the validity of the approach used, but I personally feel it did not contribute to my understanding of ways to address the challenges highlighted.

Consistency rating: 5

There was consistency in terminology and structure.

Modularity rating: 5

Each case study stands out as it's own "unit".

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

There isn't a progression between case studies in a way that makes it matter what order they are in.

Interface rating: 5

No major issues.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

No major errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 3

Cultural diversity didn't seem to factor in. Not much was given in the way of cultural background of those in the case studies.

Comments

I enjoyed the case studies, aside from the lengthy portions describing the structure of viewing the problem. I think for most classroom practitioners being able to read the case studies, approaches used to address challenges, and results are sufficient. For students use, I feel the same. Some of that would likely "get in the way" and make it more unlikely they would read through and capture those most important pieces.

Reviewed by Robin Johnson, Associate Professor, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi on 11/11/22

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

The problems of practice presented in this book through case studies are beneficial points of discussion and much needed for many educator preparation programs. Varied settings for placements are discussed making it adaptable to the needs of readers. The action research study is clearly outlined and could be replicated. Having multiple case studies aligned to the challenges that the authors noticed are relevant to be used as scenarios to be discussed in a classroom or as a guide for beginning your own Early Childhood Learning Community.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

Based on my years of experience teaching both theory and supervising field-based experiences in early childhood classrooms, I felt the problems of practice and the case studies were accurate. Each challenge and misalignment noted was one I have seen in programs where I or my colleagues teach. Each case study had multiple elements of experiences I have seen as a field supervisor.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

This study could be replicated easily to update the research if needed. I feel like the content and examples given are timely and relevant to early childhood classrooms now and in the future. I like the questionnaires and the information in the appendices. They will be useful to others who need a starting point to do this work with their teachers and teacher candidates.

Clarity rating: 5

This book is an easy and quick read. Content is clearly identified and labeled, and I feel like preservice and inservice teachers can both identify and easily comprehend the language. Any terms that need to be defined are.

Consistency rating: 5

Although each case study and context is different, I felt that the terminology, organization, language, and early childhood research-based practice and pedagogical framework were consistent.

Modularity rating: 5

I thought the book was easily navigable in all 3 formats provided, especially online.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

Yes, the book follows an organization that makes it easy to read and follow for each section and chapter.

Interface rating: 5

I thought the book was easily navigable in all 3 formats provided, especially online.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

No grammatical errors noted.

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

Gender is discussed in each case study as illustrations of the observations that were made in the early childhood classrooms. With that being noted, the observations were factual in nature and did not specify gender norms that are not research-based. Diversity and cultural relevance was not directly addressed but the contexts of practicum placements and student and teacher interactions were diverse in nature.

Comments

I will use the case studies in this book as scenarios with my prekinder pre-service teachers in my college classroom and would like to use the book and the action research study with my inservice prekinder teachers who are mentors for my program. I feel like it will be a useful and practical book study.

Reviewed by Amy Jo Clark, Part Time Instructor School of Education, Buena Vista University on 11/17/21

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

This text discusses the comprehensive action research undertaken to ensure teaching candidates and eductaors engage in life-long learning to achieve better outcomes in the early childhood classroom. The text describes the goal to increase communication between teacher candidates, cooperating educators, and universities to more closely align best practices in the classroom with academic knowledege of developmentally appropriate practice. A thorough appendix and glossary are included to ensure the reader's full comprehension of the text.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The action research engaged early childhood educators in improving classroom practices. Observations were made that established the effectiveness within each case sudy. Case studies were developed around integral elements of the early childhood classroom that directly relate to student learning outcomes.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

The text is relevant for current educators and teacher candidates. The information describes ways to enhance learning, as well as evaluate effectiveness, within the classroom using routines, materials, and approaches common to early childhood education. Differentiation of instruction is addressed as well as issues of gender regarding play, emotional expression, and flexibility of roles.

Clarity rating: 5

The information in this text is presented using terms familiar to the early childhood educator. Any terms that may not be familiar are described in the glossary. The teaching challenges described within the case studies represent common areas of concern.

Consistency rating: 5

The consistency of terms and ideas is stable throughout the text.

Modularity rating: 5

The text is well laid out and easily accessible. Information is organized in a way that lends itself as a useful reference for early childhood educators wishing to improve classroom practices.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The organization of the text was extremely user-friendly. Chapter titles and headings clearly guide the reader to the necessary information.

Interface rating: 5

There are no issues with interface. Navigation is easy to understand.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

No grammatical errors were identified.

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

Extensive discussion of culture was not addressed, however, care was taken to avoid gender norms and to address diverse learners.

Comments

Overall, this text is a valuable resource for early childhood educators wishing to engage in professional development to improve practice and support greater outcomes for students.

Reviewed by Laura Hamilton, Part-Time Instructor, Oregon Coast Community College on 1/12/21

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

The authors start with the problem of alignment between the goals of the standards published by NAEYC and the reality of the workplace. They had a grant for close to $150,000 to work with to build meaningful connections for a range of practitioners. Nearly
95 families gave permission for the everyday work of the classroom in which their children were placed to be filmed and analyzed. Six teams were assembled who worked with selected existing material and problems they'd identified in their classrooms. Support
from a varied group of sources including weekly team meetings was pooled over the four 16 week semester that this book stems from.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

Written by experienced teachers, this book offers both deep and thorough material for those new to the profession and also of value to the experienced provider. Much of the material is an interesting reflection of a discrete experience. It may or may not translate
easily for those whose situation is unlike this.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

The purpose of this book is to bridge the gap between the clean presentation of theories of child development in college classes and the messy reality of the classroom with many children, multiple and competing needs, and a varied group of co-workers. This gap is decades old and I see little chance of even the required observation practicum filling the space between our aspirations for our profession and the pragmatic experience of the mundane and extreme situations of everyday care for multiple children. The goal of this book is admirable, but it will best be used IN the real setting to remind and coalesce staff around a common intent rather than aid the college side of the problem.

Clarity rating: 4

For beginning students (my cohort), this may be too esoteric. The language is fine and a glossary is included, but the conceptual nature of the content seems more relatable for managers, teachers, and directors. This support change and so would be best suited
for agents of change, wherever that decision-making might fall.

Consistency rating: 5

Very consistent and integrated. All the content is tied to the same research project so it all has the same approach and similar interest and vocabulary.

Modularity rating: 4

So far as modules go, this is great. It is easily divided and very limited in length and depth. From my perspective, this would be a tool I'd use with a staff development initiative rather than a college course.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

The rich references page is great, and I really appreciated seeing the pre-initiative questionnaire. The whole flows well and allows for the reader to dive into one or two areas of interest/concern. If it was on my personal/professional bookshelf I'd go back
to it at various times to focus on one area at a time.

Interface rating: 4

No interface issues other than a minor one in the questionnaire at the end. I really hoped to see segment of the videos referenced. The study relied on 20 minute iMovie videos and they are the basis of the written material. Seeing even a few of these would
have given this a more powerful impact.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

As a former composition teacher, I'm known to be hyper-critical about this element. I found zero errors!

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

I feel this is a strong component of this book. Great examples of children from minority communities.

Comments

I like what this book does and it does it well. I'm disappointed that it does not fit for my own uses or for the college classes as we have them configured. I hope it finds its way into the world for which I see it most suitable.